Misty Read Online Free PDF Page B

her.
    “Terrie, when did my boyfriend drop off all of this stuff?”
    Terrie looked at her for a second. She seemed a little confused. “You know, I really don’t remember. He asked me if he could come in, such nice manners. He even gave me flowers. I have to go.” Misty let her go — she didn’t want to ruin her friend’s special evening.
    But she double checked the door lock, running through the house as she checked the back door and all the windows. She was shocked to find a couple of windows unlocked. Over the time she had been there she had become so complacent that she hadn’t thought to check her windows. She started closing the blinds and turning on every light. She was no longer hungry. Even the water in her stomach wanted to come back up. She stopped, taking several deep breaths through her mouth.
    What had he said? Actually, I have been sent to protect you. He killed a man who attacked her and now he brought her food. Was it possible? Was there something that she was doing that the government wanted protected? She went back to her computer. She started searching, carefully reviewing her past projects. She went back through everything she had done for the last six months. There was not anything that would fall into a government category. Designs for game covers, for song discs. There were some office signs that did not have any connection to state or federal government agencies. She worked relentlessly, checking and rechecking. The next thing she was aware of was cramps in her back. She rose up slowly, the impression of the keyboard in her cheek. It was morning again. The keys she had lain on were repeated over and over on the screen. She got up, her muscles protesting. She went through the house, turning off lights. When she reached the kitchen she looked in the refrigerator and found not only water but also Gatorade. She opened a bottle, taking it with her to get dressed in work-out clothes. Taking a belly pack, she put in essentials. Finally, making sure everything was locked up tight, she took a moment with her back against her front door but didn’t see anyone that seemed out of place in this neighborhood. She jogged to the small gym that was only a couple of blocks away, still watching people she passed.
    She signed in and went to the side that was for general exercise or a modified type of Shiatsu. There were already several people in the long room towards the front. She tossed her shirt off and in her sports bra she joined in quietly, pushing her body to take the positions, using the muscles to the extent needed to hold each stance. The leader, an older man of indeterminate origin, moved gracefully from each stretch as he led the group. There were sweat beads on his forehead and it was not long before she had also worked up a good sweat from the graceful moves, holding the muscles so tightly. She also felt all the stiffness and poisons leaving her body with the perspiration.
    The leader of the exercise was replaced by a young black man who moved in effortlessly to keep the sessions on a continues routine. These exercises went on most of the day with people coming in and leaving. She realized that there were several people behind her as she felt she’d had enough. She stepped around the men behind her but stopped.
    He was leaning against the wall. He had her sweatshirt in one hand. She wondered if she had the nerve to approach him. She reached down to pick up one of the cheap towels from a stack and wiped her face as she looked at him. As the dump basket for the used towels was on the way, she dropped in the towel and went up to him. She did not like the way he looked at her. She had seen the same look on hungry dogs. She grabbed her shirt and pulled it on.
    “Does protecting me include watching my work out?” she asked as she walked around him. “And what is the big idea of telling my landlord you were my boyfriend?” She was walking fast now. But of course he was right behind her and reached