My Familiar Stranger Read Online Free PDF

“Storm...”
    Storm waved his hand and cut him off turning to Sol, “I’ll do it.”
    A moment ago Sol was mentally digging in for what looked to be a lengthy debate. Switching gears, he nodded. “I thought you’d see things our way. You know you’re one of the...”
    Storm shot him a look that stopped Sol mid sentence, but spoke softly. “Save it.”
    Sol’s jaw tightened as it was his turn to be offended. “Remember not to disclose anything about who we are, where we are, or what we do.”
    “Like you need to spell that out,” Storm sneered.
    Sol opened his mouth to say something else, but Monq interrupted. “We have a sincere respect for you and your loyalty, Sir Storm. We know that you will always act in the best interest of The Order and the work we do to preserve the lives of innocents.”
    “Yeah.” Storm threw one last challenging look Sol’s way before he left wondering who’s looking out for the best interest of that poor thing suffering in the infirmary who could very well be an innocent herself.
    The nurse told Storm that the patient was resting quietly with eyes closed, but that she was awake and would respond if he spoke to her. Storm approached the bedside for the first time. Elora was dozing, drifting in and out of a morphine-hazed cloud, thinking she smelled aftershave and a hint of cigar.
    “Hello,” he said quietly. “My name is Engel Storm. People usually call me Storm. I’m the one who brought you here and, look, this is important. Before you respond I need you to know that everything you say and do is being monitored and recorded. You have no expectation of privacy... except in the bathroom... you know.”
    Two floors below, Sov. Sol Nemamiah, observing the exchange, rose from his chair so quickly it turned over. That was followed by spluttering a string of curses that would make a beet turn red. If Engel Storm wasn’t the very essence of knighthood, Sol would personally kick his hard ass to the curb.
    Monq, on the other hand, was smiling with approval. “Excellent. He told her the truth, but solicited her trust at the same time. Smart move.”
    Elora stared up at Storm. Did he seem a little embarrassed about mentioning the bathroom? Unquestionably handsome. And he was charming the caution right out of her - without even trying.
    She would guess he was late twenties and big, almost imposing at that proximity. Locks of hair fell onto his forehead when he leaned over the bed. She was thinking that the world was full of people with dark hair and eyes and yet somehow it looked unique on him, like he was the only person who had eyes so black you couldn’t distinguish pupil from iris. They reflected the light like black mirrors giving him a look of intensity and something else, sincerity maybe.
    “So your name is Lor,” he continued. She shook her head no, slowly, with as little movement as possible. He looked confused. “That’s what they told me.”
    “Elorrr,” her voice rasped, but the ‘ah’ at the end got swallowed on an inhalation. It didn’t sound like her. She realized her mouth and throat were dry. She’d been taking all her liquids through the I.V. and couldn’t unclench her teeth without her face hurting. Plus, her voice hadn’t been used much and may have been damaged from the screaming. “Elor?”
    She knew that confirmation or denial were equally futile so she decided on blinking and staring. He smiled. From a reclining position in a hospital bed it was impossible to tell how tall he was, but he was certainly a lot taller than the nurse who had just left. The room was bigger than a typical hospital room, but he still seemed to occupy a lot of it with size and presence.
    He wore jeans and a black tee shirt that showed off a hard, athletic body kept in perfect condition. She couldn’t see his footwear, but suspected he was wearing worn, brown, leather boots with squared off toes.
    “Elor, I’m going to come see you whenever I can if that’s alright with you.