One Way Or Another You Will Pay Read Online Free PDF Page B

a sand shark,” he intones. Emphasis on shark.
    “Mm.”
    “A good fuck will ease the disappointment,” he says, cupping my breast.
    “Noooo, Bear!” I elbow him lightly.
    He stops and hugs me tighter, then kisses my hair. “Love you.”
    “Loveyatoo.”
    Within seconds, Bear is snoring.
    Yeah, right, wake me up then fall fast asleep.
    It takes a while before I go back to sleep.
    It’s 3:24 AM and something awakens me. Something , not a sound as such but more a feeling .
    I open my eyes, lift my head, and listen.
    Nothing. In the silence, all I hear is Bear’s soft snoring. Yet …
    Damn Tom, ever since I visited him three days ago, I’ve become antsy and anxious.
    He’s in prison, he can’t possible hurt me, I keep reminding myself, as I burrow into Bear.
    Some women don’t like their man snoring, but I like Bear’s snoring. It’s comforting and reassuring to me. Like soft rain on my roof.
    Still asleep, Bear’s hand, out of habit, draws me in tighter.
    For a few moments, I lie with my cheek on his chest, my thigh over his hip.
    But the uneasy feeling that something is not right nags like a dripping faucet.
    Warren.
    With a sigh, I slip out of bed, ignore my silk robe on the back of the bedroom door, and tiptoe into Warren’s room.
    Asleep.
    He’s so lovely, yet his father never loved him. How sad is that? I lean in and kiss my darling son’s cheek.
    “Don’t, Mum!” he mutters.
    I smile. He’s used to me kissing him while he’s asleep.
    I peak in into Amy’s room. She’s fast asleep in pink, flannel pyjamas covered in shiny hearts, looking like a little blonde fairy with curls framing her sweet face.
    She’s just a lovely child with Bear’s personality; how could I not love her as my own?
    Stifling a yawn, I make my way into Savannah’s room. She’s a light sleeper so I don’t want to wake her up. Not at this time of the night.
    Her cot is empty!
    I blink rapidly, then stare at my baby’s cot. Empty.
    I back up to the light switch on the wall and slap at it. Light floods her room.
    She’s not in her room.
    Tom!
    With my heart pounding, I scurry around her room, looking for her.
    “BEAR!” I scream in a voice strangulated with terror. I run into the bathroom and turn on the light. She’s not there.
    “BEAR! WARREN!” I manage to scream as I run from room-to-room, looking for Savannah.
    “SAVANNAH!” I cry. “SAVANNAAAAAAH!”
    A shirtless and sleepy Bear appears in front of me. He doesn’t have to ask me what’s wrong.
    “Call the cops!” he shouts, as he takes the stairs two at a time. “Checking downstairs!”
    A frightened Warren appears behind me. “Mum?!”
    “The garage, Warren! Check the garage for Savannah!” I say, as I dial the police with shaking hands.
    Tom!
    “Amy! AMY, check the balcony!” I shout, as I run back to my bedroom and scan the place.
    “Emergency, police, ambulance, or fire brigade?” a sleepy voice asks.
    “My baby…eh, little girl…Savannah…she’s sixteen-months-old…”
    As I speak, I stick my head under beds, behind drapes, inside cupboards.
    Outside, I hear Bear. “SAVANNAAAAH!”
    Amy joins me and yanks open linen cupboards, checks behind TVs, and even inside the fridge; anywhere Savannah could be hiding.
    Within minutes, three cop cars are outside my house, lights flashing.
    “No forced entry,” a cop shouts.
    No forced entry? How is that possible? I look at Bear. He shrugs.
    Six cops join us in the search with flashlights, while other cop cars drive up and down the street, checking out drains, behind shrubs, and other places she could be.
    Around us, houses light up and the street comes alive.
    Concerned neighbours in dressing gowns join in the search for Savannah.
    No forced entry…
    Our house is declared a crime scene, cordoned off with yellow tape, and we are not allowed inside.
    Holding onto Warren and Amy, I run across the street to Meredith and Burt Simon, our elderly neighbours and good friends. We take refuge on their