Everything Gained Read Online Free PDF Page B

set a rule for her, he expected it to be obeyed. "You'd better do better than just try, Nina Decker. Do you read me?"
    Still not looking at him, she answered in a whiny tone that she knew was pushing it, as if he was annoying the piss out of her, "Yes, I do."
    "And I don't mean ten twenty or ten oh five."
    "Yessss," she let the "s" sound drag out as the door shut automatically behind her.
    Gain sighed heavily, still staring at the door she'd gone out of long after she'd left, wondering if he should follow her or face the interminable wait here, in their lonely bedroom.

Chapter Four

    He stayed home, waiting anxiously for her return, keeping himself busy with the never ending honey do list that had sprouted years ago when they'd bought their first house, and had only grown since then.
    When he was finally able to stand sweat soaked in the kitchen and scratch off the last chore, in the near darkness, the concern he'd been trying valiantly to push to the back of his head all afternoon came home to roost. It was nearly nine, and he hadn't heard a peep from her. She'd been gone over six hours.
    He knew he was probably overreacting. She wasn't a child - she knew how to take care of herself. He'd seen to that quite literally, giving her basic self defense lessons when they were still dating. At the very least, it had been a great reason to touch her, although he'd never let it descend into a grope fest, despite the temptation. He'd actually given her several very good moves and made sure they were fairly drilled into her head.
    And besides, this was Maine - "the way life ought to be". It wasn't at all likely that she was going to run into any sort of problem - but that didn't mean he didn't worry. The woman who was his life was out there somewhere in the darkness, wandering around after a big emotional shock, alone and lonely and distracted; she wouldn't be paying attention to her surroundings like she should have.
    Gain slammed his hand down onto the grey marble countertop. He should have gone with his instincts and followed her, no matter what. He stared down at his cell phone, her number already up and ready to dial, and then the thought struck him over the head. What the heck was he waiting for? She was his. He was hers. She belonged to him; she was his wife, and in their type of relationship, he shouldn't have had to stand there and worry about him.
    She was a wonderful, strong, independent capable woman. But he had always kept her on somewhat of a short leash.
    And he was about to yank it.
    Damning the torpedoes, he pressed the "call" button on his phone, loaded for bear and ready to order her back home so that they could talk about this.
    It rang five times - five agonizing times - then switched over to her mailbox.
    "I want you to come home as soon as you get this. And you're in trouble already because you're always supposed to keep your cell on, and answer it when it rings." He knew that was an irrational thing to say, because Maine was a veritable minefield of no bars reception. But it had felt damned good, regardless.
    He didn't stop there. He called every friend she had - none of them had seen her that night. Or, he mused, they were lying for her, which was entirely possible. The things he loved about Nina also inspired the wonderful long friendships she'd developed, and he wouldn't put it past her to be sitting comfortably in her best of best friend's place, sipping mud slides and complaining about him.
    In fact, that was what he was praying for, because at least then she was alright, instead of lying in a ditch somewhere, which was, of course, the first thing he pictured.

    Gain knew her well. He had the location wrong, though. At that moment, she was in a chain restaurant that also had a line of ice creams, sitting in front of the largest ice cream sundae ever conceived. It had something like twelve scoops of ice cream, three brownies, four toppings, nuts, a mountain of whipped cream and six cherries.
    Her mouth full