******
Steven stood on Edna’s porch, waiting for someone to answer the door. When he had noticed Emily’s luggage in his trunk, he almost felt relief. He was worried about the way Edna pushed him and Vincent out the door, and this would give him an excuse to make sure everything was okay. Seconds passed, and no one answered. He pressed the bell again.
The door opened a crack, and Edna frowned. “What do you want?”
“I need to speak with Emily.”
Edna pinched her lips. “Emily is already in her night clothes. Come back tomorrow.” The door closed in his face. His stomach twisted into a knot.
Edna’s lying. Emily doesn’t have her night clothes.
He pressed on the doorbell again. This time when the door opened, he shoved it, sending Edna to the floor.
He pushed his way inside. Edna scrambled to get up. From the corner of his eye Steven saw Emily’s feet sticking out from the hall. Edna came at him, her face red and her eyes wide. Instinct overtook him, and he swung the suitcase still in his hand, connecting it with her jaw. She fell backwards, bounced on her behind and sprawled out on the carpet, knocked unconscious. He dropped the suitcase, and ran for the hall. Emily’s lifeless body lay on the floor, her hair covering her face. Connor lay beside her on his back, his arms open wide.
Steven felt Emily’s neck for a pulse, relief coursing through him as he found one. He could see Connor breathing, so he flipped open his phone and dialed the police.
******
The first thing that Emily was aware of was a quiet beeping noise. As the sound continued, she also heard bustling around her, as if people were shuffling to and fro. She opened her eyes to find brilliant hospital lights shining down on her.
“She’s awake,” someone said.
Steven’s face appeared in front of her, lines creasing his forehead. “You and Connor are going to be okay.” She felt him squeeze her hand. “Connor’s right here, with you.” He nodded toward another hospital bed where her son lay, curled up under the thin white blanket.
She worked her mouth a moment before mumbling “What happened?” The dizziness dissipated a little.
A nurse tugged at the blood pressure band on her arm, tightening it. “You were injected with an antihistamine. Knocked you right out. Don’t worry, once it leaves your system you’ll be fine. The doctor just wants to hold you overnight for observation.” She smiled and patted her arm, then followed another nurse out of the room.
Steven brushed his fingers against her face, sending sparks through her. “I thought I’d lost you when I saw you lying on the floor like that.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing his touch to warm her. “How did you know to come back?”
He smiled. “I realized I had your suitcase. When Edna said you were already in your night clothes, I knew something was very wrong.”
Gratitude overcame her, and she blinked back tears. “I don’t deserve you.”
“I know.” He winked, and a laugh escaped her.
He pressed his lips on her forehead, and then picked up her hand. “Edna confessed to murdering William.”
Her eyebrows went up. “Really?”
“She spilled it all to the police. I guess she’d been holding on to that for long enough.”
She smiled, feeling like the nightmare was finally over. “I never would have guessed that she was capable of what she did.”
Steven nodded. “I guess no one knew who she really was.”
Emily closed her eyes, and found it hard to open them again. Drowsiness pressed on her like a thick blanket.
“Well, I’d better let you get your rest.” Steven stood, still holding her hand.
“Thank you, Steven.”
He squeezed her hand once more before letting it go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She felt her heart jump. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you too, Emily.”
The End
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this book I invite you to leave a review, and tell a friend. Without a big publisher name behind me, I rely heavily on word of mouth. :)
Coming Soon: Witness Protection – (Romantic Suspense) Joni witnesses a violent crime and is put in the witness protection program. Unfortunately, things go very wrong.
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Also by Young Adult Science Fiction RomanceVictorine Lieske: The Overtaking,
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Not What She Seems Page 22
