Total pages in book: 188
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
“Looking forward to it,” Noah returned, just as quietly.
CHAPTER 6
Abby finished helping Mariana put the room to rights after the meeting. Tabitha and the two remaining men had left immediately with a sense of urgency, and frankly, Abby didn’t feel like going home yet. She had no idea where Monte was. While she’d flirted with buying one of those trackers from a store on the Internet, if she placed it on his car, she’d probably get caught. But she’d give almost anything to know where he was at all times—so she could avoid him.
“Thank you,” Mariana said, tucking her manila files into her case. “I’m sorry we didn’t get much time to talk about your life today.”
Abby tried to force a smile, wishing once again she could confide in the sweet woman. “Since this is a group, confidentiality doesn’t apply, right?”
Mariana paused. “There are degrees, but if you want to see me privately, complete confidentiality would apply. Everything is private, unless I’m afraid you’ll hurt yourself or others.”
What if she told Mariana the full truth? While the woman probably couldn’t help her with the law, it’d be nice to have a confidant. They walked out of the room and down the hallway. “I think I’d like to set up an appointment,” Abby said. Maybe Mariana would have an idea or two of what she could do—if the psychiatrist believed her. Most people didn’t, but most knew Monte. “You don’t know my ex-husband, do you?”
Mariana shook her head. “No. I just moved to town a few months ago and haven’t gotten to know many people.”
Rain poured outside, and the clouds had turned a bruised color. “Why?” Abby asked, pausing at the door. “Why did you move here?”
Mariana laughed and shuffled her case to her other arm. “I inherited a small home down by the river from an elderly aunt I barely knew. And frankly, I was tired of the city. So I figured it’d be a nice place to make a fresh start.” The laugh seemed off, and Mariana looked away, but Abby didn’t have the right to pry.
“I thought that once, too.” Abby pushed open the door, her body chilling from more than the rain. She’d been so clueless.
“Okay. Call my office tomorrow and set up an appointment.” Mariana smiled and turned, ducking her head against the rain and hustling down the sidewalk.
Abby blinked away rain and turned in the opposite direction. She’d parked next to a large oak tree that led to a small and vacant park. She was nearly next to her car when she noticed the back tire was flat. Oh, crap. A quick look around the entire car, and she discovered that all four tires had been slashed. She looked up and down the quiet street. Besides the barely used ex-school, there was a closed church, the park, and then vacant land full of scrub brush on either side. No homes or help.
Vulnerability swamped her. She wiped rain off her cheeks. Monte had taken her cell phone when they’d divorced, and she hadn’t had the money to start a new plan. Who would she call, anyway?
Lightning flashed, and she jumped. The smell of ozone hung heavy in the air.
She shoved wet hair off her face and loped into a jog back toward the school. Maybe she’d get there in time to catch Mariana. She ran past the school and turned into the dilapidated parking lot, where she stopped short in time to see Noah punch Raine so hard that the other man flew across the lot and smashed into the building. Chunks and even a couple of whole bricks tumbled down.
She stopped, her legs freezing.
Raine landed on his feet, ducked his head, and charged. He hit Noah square in the middle, and they rammed into Raine’s truck, denting the back passenger door with a loud crunch of steel. Fists and arms moved so quickly in strikes she couldn’t tell who was hitting and who was bleeding.
What the heck? “Stop it,” she yelled, running for them like a complete moron. But they were going to kill each other with those kinds of hits.
The men, scrapping and scrambling, both froze and stood to face her. Blood poured from a cut above Noah’s eye, and from a split in Raine’s lip.
“What are you doing in this rain?” Noah asked, his voice a dark growl.
She blinked. Once and then again. They were fighting like crazy men, and he wanted to know why she was in the rain? “Are you kidding me?” she whispered.
Raine wiped blood off his lip and looked up at the darkened sky. “Why are you here by yourself?”
What? Now they were in agreement instead of trying to murder each other? She took a step back. They were lunatics. “Forget it. Go back to trying to kill each other.” She lowered her face to keep the rain from hitting her eyes, not surprised when heat suddenly filled the air behind her. Ignoring him, she hurried back to her car. Maybe she could drive far enough to get to a service station.