Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 49530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49530 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“That’s amazing. Thank you.” Elizabeth expressed her appreciation with a smile.
“Of course.”
A few minutes later, the cute redhead Elizabeth was expecting walked in with a long-haired brunette. Elizabeth waved. “Eden! Harper! Over here.”
“Hi, Elizabeth,” Harper greeted her when they got to the table and gave her a hug before sliding into a seat as Eden hugged Elizabeth as well.
“Hey! This is a great table. It’s not on the dance floor so the music is not as loud, but we can see the whole place,” Eden said as she looked around.
“And we can expand, if anyone else decides to join us.”
“I think everyone else is working but who knows? How in the world did you get the afternoon off?” Harper asked.
“Power outage at the courthouse,” she answered.
“Hooray! Let’s eat, drink, and be merry!”
One margarita each and a ton of nachos later, the three sat back and looked at the almost empty platter.
“I can’t believe we ate all that,” Eden groaned.
“It’s a good thing the others couldn’t join us. They would have had to order their own nachos,” Harper joked.
“Can I get you anything else, ladies?” the server asked.
“No, thank you. Just the bill,” Elizabeth requested. “Talon will wonder where I am.”
Looking around at the people just beginning to gather, Elizabeth’s eyes were drawn to a distinctive, tattooed figure on the dance floor. Elizabeth recognized him immediately. She raised her arm to wave to him and froze as a slender brunette ran to jump into his arms. The flash of Talon’s pearly whites clued her in that he was happy to see the woman in his arms. She dropped her arm and tried to come up with an explanation.
“Your face just went white. What’s wrong?” Eden asked.
She thought about lying but couldn’t. “Look out on the dance floor.” Elizabeth nodded in that direction.
The couple danced now, Talon leading his partner with skill and the smoothness of a professionally trained dancer. The woman in his arms was incredible. Light and flexible, she was a dancer’s dream partner. Talon led her easily through a maze of complex moves and turns.
“Is that Talon?” Harper asked. “Who’s that with him?”
“I don’t know,” Elizabeth answered as she watched him kiss the woman’s forehead just as he did hers when she pleased him.
“Um. I have to get out of here before he sees me. I wasn’t here, okay?” she said, fishing in her purse for her wallet. She pulled out three twenties and placed them on the table.
“That should cover my share. Thank you for meeting me here. I’ve enjoyed knowing you,” Elizabeth said as she stood.
“That sounds like you won’t talk to us anymore. We’ll see you back at the compound,” Harper corrected her.
“I won’t be there. Bye,” she said quickly before she burst into tears. Turning, she walked out of the building and flew across the parking lot to her car.
Tears threatened to blur her eyes as she drove home to her apartment. Menaced by heavy traffic, Elizabeth kept a solid grip on her emotions as she negotiated the packed highway. Finally, she reached her exit and broke away from the mass movement of cars to a relatively calm street.
A single tear ran down her cheek followed by another and another. Pulling into her assigned parking spot, Elizabeth covered her face with her hands. How had she found two unfaithful men?
At least he had his clothes on this time.
That thought just made her cry harder. Her phone rang in her purse, and Elizabeth didn’t even look to see who was on the line. She couldn’t.
About ten minutes later, she forced herself to open her car door and head up to her apartment. Opening the door, she looked around at the abandoned space. It almost looked like one of those places staged for a quick sale, except hers had a few personal possessions here and there.
Personal possessions. The words echoed in her brain and she started crying again. She had to rescue Puff and Borscht. They were at Talon’s apartment in the Shadowridge Guardians complex.
Thank goodness they weren’t at his house in the country. She’d never get in there. If she went to his apartment in the compound now, Talon would still be dancing with that woman. Elizabeth could grab her stuff and leave. “I’ll have to come up with an excuse,” she thought as she grabbed her keys and darted back out the door.
“Hey, Storm. Just darting in to pick up something I promised to show to Ivy.”
“Ivy? She’s still at the bank,” Storm told her.
“I know. That’s why I’m here now,” she told him as she hurried into the hallway.
Congratulating herself on the lie she’d concocted, Elizabeth hurried into Talon’s apartment. She held onto the bed as she dropped to her knees to grab her suitcase from under the bed.
The door opening made her panic. Elizabeth flattened herself on the floor and scooted under the bed to hide. It was tight, but she fit. Oh my god. What if he brought her back here? Her stomach churned as she looked up at the bed above her.