Beyond the Shadows Read Online Free PDF

balm to her overheated skin as she deliberated over which café to frequent for breakfast.
    She perused the menu in one display window where the heavy smell of cooking fat hit her, making her stomach rebel. Something lighter appealed this morning.
    The café next door beckoned her with fresh baked smells, and the rich aroma of coffee made her mouth water. Perfect.
    “Mmm. What smells so good?” she asked the girl behind the counter. The nametag pinned to her chest said, Samantha .
    “That’ll be our blueberry muffins. I’ve just pulled out our fourth batch of the day.”
    “That good, huh?”
    “They sure are.” She smiled widely. “They fly out the door. Would you like to order one?”
    Kelly’s stomach gurgled on cue and they shared a laugh. “It looks like I’d better. I’ll have a flat white too, please.”
    “Certainly.” Samantha bent down to the display case with a pair of tongs and retrieved a muffin. “These will still be warm from the oven—the best way to enjoy them. Take it with you, and I’ll bring your coffee over when it’s ready. This morning’s paper is on the end of the counter if you wanted something to read while you wait.”
    “Thanks.” Kelly smiled and snaffled a copy, the muffin in her other hand. A quiet corner tucked away from the traffic building up in the mall had her name all over it. She wound around the maze of tables and laid claim to it. As the first bite of the muffin filled her mouth, her eyes closed in ecstasy. It was both tart and sweet, the mixture, light and fluffy. With a contented sigh, she unfolded the newspaper and smoothed it flat. As she lifted her hand, she stilled and the last swallow of muffin turned sour.
    Nate’s recovery was front-page news, complete with a still photo taken from the footage of the shooting, his head in her lap. Her face was a picture of agony, the emotion of the moment frozen forever in the silent scream of her wide-opened mouth. Why did the media choose this one? Shock slowly gave way to anger as she answered her own question. It appeased their hungry audience. They picked away at a story to find a new angle like a scavenger bird picks at the bones of road-kill. She shook her head at the thought of people’s morbid curiosity and quickly flicked the page over. She didn’t need to read about it—she’d lived it.
    Her coffee arrived and she gulped it down, washing away the crumbs that caught in her throat. She’d never been comfortable in the spotlight, and suddenly, here she was smack-bang in the middle of the biggest national story of the moment. After tonight’s episode of Cops , it would only get worse. She grimaced, pushed away from the table, swung her handbag over her shoulder, and strode out the door.
    A pretty summer dress in a window display caught her eye, interrupting her march to the supermarket. When she gazed at the filmy material, a vision of Nate’s expression as he saw her in it came to mind. She wanted it. Without allowing herself to think too much, she entered the shop, found the equivalent in her size, and tried it on. Deep red roses set on a midnight blue background set off the blonde of her hair, emphasizing her natural paler highlights. It fit like a glove across her chest, lifting and accentuating her bust before flaring out from an empire line and finishing mid-thigh.
    Fun and flirty, it was everything he thought she wasn’t.
    Good luck thinking of me as one of the guys in this, O’Leary. Her mouth curved in a wicked grin as she pirouetted in front of the mirror, pleased with her purchase. Then she looked down at her unpainted toenails and old, serviceable sandals and frowned. If she was going to show case her feminine side, she may as well sort the whole package.
    She wandered through the center of the mall until she found the mall spa. The flawlessly made up girl behind the counter gave her a friendly smile as she approached. That was the reason why she normally avoided those places. The women were