Tears of No Return Read Online Free PDF

line.
    “Hi, this is Bill Warren, the manager of Corhoven Financial. You were asking if the camera worked at the bank?”
    “Yes, I wanted to know if it was working properly. I think the machine shorted me and I wanted to take a look at the video with someone from the bank.”
    “Ma’am,” the bank manager said. “Are you the woman who was attacked this morning?”
    Karen felt as if she received a punch to her gut. Feeling her stomach churn, she held her breath for a moment, hoping the sensation of nausea would pass.
    “The FBI is here now, ma’am. They’d like to speak with you.” Silence followed. Karen had never heard such stillness.
    “No,” she mumbled. “I don’t know anything about that.” She looked around, and the room began to spin. She hung up. Her next breath came with difficulty.
    Karen picked up the phone to call her best friend, Melanie, but stopped herself. She couldn’t risk endangering her best friend; she’d call her from a payphone later.
    As the minutes passed, Karen’s heart rate galloped and her body felt hot. She wasn’t prepared for any of this. Who would be? Her mind raced for answers. Where should she go? Did she have hours or minutes to pack? The one answer she did know for sure was that she didn’t want to end up like Josh. She had to say goodbye to her apartment—her home , the place where she lived a content life.
    Karen fought against the overwhelming emotions ravaging her body, but the pressure was too great. The air grew thick to the point she worried she’d have to chew on it to get it down. The walls, covered with pictures of the city’s landmarks, seemed to close in. She felt glued to the floor, unable to move, and again wondered how long she had before someone came and bashed her front door down.
    What should she bring with her? Something sentimental? The watch Melanie’s mother gave to her when she graduated from college, perhaps? Something she considered an heirloom because Melanie’s family had become like her own. But the timepiece was still at the jewelers. Would she ever see it again? Her mind switched like the channels on a television to another thought: Would the military begin broadcasting her as a wanted criminal, too?
    She willed her legs into motion, walked to the kitchen, and got a drink—a double shot of vodka. The Russian liquor burned the back of her palate, but felt good as it traveled down her throat and splashed into her stomach. She took another shot, closed her eyes, and let the liquid do its magic.
    A minute later, she opened her eyes. Now she would be able to think.
    She went to her computer and removed the hard drive then to the list of phone numbers to friends and family posted on the fridge, stuffing everything into a small shopping bag. Next, she hurried to her bedroom and began packing clothes: a coat, a sweater, a pair of jeans, sweatpants, underwear, socks, bras, and blouses. She had almost filled the suitcase when a sharp pain ripped through her mind.
    Karen stumbled to the floor, feeling as if she’d been struck in the head. She rolled over on her back, looking around to see if someone was standing over her. No one was. The pain intensified. Grabbing her head, she curled up and fought the urge to scream. She felt as if razor blades were slicing up the insides of her skull while someone pounded a hammer against her brain. She thought she was dying the most painful death imaginable, until darkness took hold and she fell unconscious.
    A short time later, Karen woke. Her head ached slightly, but nothing compared to the pain she’d felt before passing out. As she slowly sat up, her bedroom swam into focus. She hoped the sudden onset of such tremendous pain was due to stress, but she knew better. She had no history of migraines; the pain had to be the gift, as Josh had called it. It was inside her, becoming a part of her; spreading throughout her brain and mutating its normal functions. She wished Josh had been able to stay with her and