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wouldn t see hurt most of all.
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Denise Belinda McDonald
Elyse closed her eyes again and rubbed the top of Monty s head. The soft fur soothed
her strung-out nerves. The familiarity lulled her into a comfortable calm.
A light tapping on her door pulled her eyes open. Her mother poked her head inside
the room.  I brought you some tea and a sandwich. I thought you might be hungry.
Elyse pushed herself up in the bed and nodded.
Diane Zweller came into the room carrying a tray filled with food. Not just a
sandwich, but three, along with cookies and a bag of Goldfish crackers. And a pot of tea.
 How many people are you planning to join us? Elyse teased.
 Just wanted to give you a variety. She set the tray next to Elyse on the bed. She
stroked her hand through Elyse s hair like she did when Elyse was a child and had the flu.
 It s not every day one of my babies is at home for me to mother. And to think I almost
lost&  Her mom s eyes shined with unshed tears when her voice caught.
 I m okay, Mom. Really. Just a bump on my thick skull. She took her mother s
hand and squeezed it tightly before letting it go. For the first time, guilt settled into her
stomach. The pain in her mother s eyes tore at her.
In that instant, she could understand the anguish Jack had heaped on her. He d
known the dangers Elyse was facing. She deliberately walked head-first into it. As far as
her mother knew, it was a fluke. She hadn t told her about Matthew and his connection to
the incident at the store.
Jack had warned her not to leave. But did she listen? No, of course not. Now, she and
Jack weren t even speaking to one another.
 What happened between you and Jack? Her mother asked, as if picking up on
Elyse s thoughts.
 What do you mean? Elyse looked at the tray of food to avoid her mother s intense
stare.
 I thought you and Jack were an item. Why hasn t he stopped in to see you? she
asked.  He even had a friend of his drop Monty off. Boy was that man s hair red!
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The thin string that bound Elyse s heart together, kept it from shattering, snapped.
Her heart crashed in her chest, splintered into a million sharp pieces. Jack hadn t even
wanted to take a chance of running into her, so he sent Casey with the dog.
Elyse fought back tears and plastered on a fake smile.  We were never an item,
Mother. That saying went out when you were younger. Jack was& is just a friend. Geez
she was already speaking of him in the past tense.
 If you say so. Casey, I think that was what he said his name was, left this for you.
Diane handed her daughter an envelope.  I ll let you have some privacy. Come on,
Monty. She slapped the side of her leg and the dog followed her out the door.
Elyse turned the envelope over in her hand. She ran the tip of her finger over her
name printed in small block lettering. She recognized the handwriting. Jack.
Taking a deep breath, she slid her finger under the flap and ripped at it. Just before
she got it all the way open, the flap bit into her skin.
 Damn. Why do paper cuts hurt so bad? She stuck the injured digit into her mouth
for a second, willing the pain away, hoping the inside of the envelope didn t have
something that would hurt ten times more.
She slid the single piece of paper free and stared at it. Jack returned her check. She
opened the envelope to see if there was a note inside, too. No note. Just the check.
Tears stung her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. That was it. That was the end of
her relationship with Jack Walling. If possible, her heart ached more, as if covered with a
thousand paper cuts.
Jack sat across his desk from Casey Blackwell.
 I took Monty to her parents house, just like you asked. I gave her mother the
envelope. Casey cleared his throat.  You want to tell me now what s going on?
 Nothing s going on. I was settling an account with a client.
 Aw come on, Jack. I know she was much more than a client.
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Denise Belinda McDonald
 There s nothing more. Jack couldn t look Casey in the eye. His pain was too raw
and would surely show.  But I did talk to Tommy at the police station and they don t
have the manpower to keep an eye on her.
 You ve done some part-time work for me before. I want to hire you to watch her for
me. With Sissy Crumpet still running around, Elyse isn t safe, even though she doesn t
have the diamonds anymore. Sissy may still want to get at her.
 And you re doing this why? I thought you just said you settled her account. She s
not a client anymore.
Jack looked up from the folder on his desk. He narrowed his eyes and fought to
control the urge to pop his friend in the mouth.  Do you want the job or not? I can find
someone else if you don t.
 I ll do it, Casey said with a sigh.  When do I start?
After Casey left, Jack called his friend Tommy down at the station.  Tell me what s
going on with Matthew.
 This is becoming a habit for you. The man laughed.  The medical reports
confirmed the ID. Once in the hospital, though, he didn t try to deny it. The DA has so
many charges pending against him, I doubt he ll ever see the light of day again without
bars around him.
 Will they let me in to see him?
There was a pause on the other end of the phone.  Jack, you know they won t. You
got mixed up pretty bad with his ex, huh?
 I, ah&  He didn t know what to say.
 That s what I thought.
Jack sat in his car across the street from the Zwellers house. The cold gray day cut
through him despite the layers of clothing to keep him warm. He d been watching Elyse,
alternating shifts with Casey, the last few days. Every time he saw her, got a glimpse of
her mink-colored hair, his gut tightened.
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With Christmas just weeks away, Casey and Hannah had been hounding him to call
her. He couldn t. He d ruined things with her. She couldn t possibly forgive him for the
way he treated her. Hell, he was still angry she d risked her life for a stupid dress shop.
Still, he d give anything to touch her again.
He sat up straighter in his car when she and Monty emerged from the house. His
fingers fumbled with the keys as he watched her bounce down the steps to her car.
Finally, he got his car started. He waited a couple of beats before pulling onto the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]