Read Online Healing Love (Love to the Extreme) by Abby Niles - Free Book Online
Authors: Abby Niles
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They’re all aware that Randy was being released. They wanted me to tell you to stay strong.”
Stay strong. Tears threatened her eyes again. The motto they used to encourage each other in moments of weakness. Their words only made her more determined to gain control of her fear of Randy and return home. With Lance’s help, she’d get there.
They talked for a few more minutes before Brooke had to get off the phone to pick her kids up from school. As soon as she laid her cell down, the silence in the house started to close around her again. She stared at the pink pigs on her phone case as she debated calling her mom next.
The sudden ding-dong of the doorbell exploded in the quiet house. She jumped, her heart crashing against her ribs.
She slowly rose and inched toward the door, cursing the tightness constricting her throat. The fear angered her. She hadn’t felt like this over a doorbell in years. She wrapped her fingers around the baseball bat she had leaned against the wall.
“Who is it?” she called.
She peeked out the peephole. A man with a bandage on his forehead stood before two other men. Icy fear washed over her as it sank in that two of the men on the other side of the door were the Soprano wannabes who’d ganged up on Lance. Their ringleader—Ralph, if she recalled correctly—was missing, most likely because he was still recovering, as it’d only been a few days since the accident. That obviously hadn’t stopped the second in command from stepping forward to take his place.
Leaning against the door, she hugged the bat to her chest, mind racing with so many questions she could barely keep up. How did they know where she lived?
“What do you want?” she yelled through the door, glad to hear that her voice remained steady, even though everything else was shaking.
“We need to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I think you will… Ella .”
At his use of her real name, her lungs ceased to function, and a cold sweat broke out over her body. The bat fell from her grasp, clattering to the floor. Closing her eyes, she inhaled, then slowly released her breath and opened the door to an arrogant smile, belonging to an equally arrogant man.
“We thought that would make you a little more willing to talk,” he said.
“How?”
One word was all she could manage. All her careful planning, her need to disappear for a while, destroyed. Someone knew who she was.
“Did you think we haven’t been watching you…investigating you? You involved yourself in McNealy business.” His gaze went to the bat lying on the ground then back up to her. “As long as you cooperate, we won’t hurt you. All we’re here to do today is give you a job.”
“A-a job?”
He stepped closer, into her personal bubble, and even though every cell of her being screamed for her to put distance between them, she stood stock-still.
Never show weakness. Never allow intimidation. Always exude dominance. She repeated her mantra, using the words to anchor the fear quickly rising up.
“We need a doctor.”
The mention of her occupation was so unexpected, all she could do was blink at them while her mind tried to make sense of what was happening. They needed a doctor. She was a doctor. Somehow they’d found out her name and what she did for a living, and now wanted to involve her in whatever illegal shit they operated. That final thought clicked her into focus.
Not happening. She didn’t care who they were or why they needed a doctor; she wasn’t getting pulled into some dark underground world.
“I believe there are plenty of doctors within a fifty mile radius who’d be thrilled to help you. I’m not one of them. Go find someone else.”
The man crossed the threshold and charged at her so quickly, her mantra flew out of her mind, and she stumbled backward until the wall prevented her from going any farther. The feeling of being trapped caused white spots to form before her eyes, and she sucked air into her
Stay strong. Tears threatened her eyes again. The motto they used to encourage each other in moments of weakness. Their words only made her more determined to gain control of her fear of Randy and return home. With Lance’s help, she’d get there.
They talked for a few more minutes before Brooke had to get off the phone to pick her kids up from school. As soon as she laid her cell down, the silence in the house started to close around her again. She stared at the pink pigs on her phone case as she debated calling her mom next.
The sudden ding-dong of the doorbell exploded in the quiet house. She jumped, her heart crashing against her ribs.
She slowly rose and inched toward the door, cursing the tightness constricting her throat. The fear angered her. She hadn’t felt like this over a doorbell in years. She wrapped her fingers around the baseball bat she had leaned against the wall.
“Who is it?” she called.
She peeked out the peephole. A man with a bandage on his forehead stood before two other men. Icy fear washed over her as it sank in that two of the men on the other side of the door were the Soprano wannabes who’d ganged up on Lance. Their ringleader—Ralph, if she recalled correctly—was missing, most likely because he was still recovering, as it’d only been a few days since the accident. That obviously hadn’t stopped the second in command from stepping forward to take his place.
Leaning against the door, she hugged the bat to her chest, mind racing with so many questions she could barely keep up. How did they know where she lived?
“What do you want?” she yelled through the door, glad to hear that her voice remained steady, even though everything else was shaking.
“We need to talk.”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“I think you will… Ella .”
At his use of her real name, her lungs ceased to function, and a cold sweat broke out over her body. The bat fell from her grasp, clattering to the floor. Closing her eyes, she inhaled, then slowly released her breath and opened the door to an arrogant smile, belonging to an equally arrogant man.
“We thought that would make you a little more willing to talk,” he said.
“How?”
One word was all she could manage. All her careful planning, her need to disappear for a while, destroyed. Someone knew who she was.
“Did you think we haven’t been watching you…investigating you? You involved yourself in McNealy business.” His gaze went to the bat lying on the ground then back up to her. “As long as you cooperate, we won’t hurt you. All we’re here to do today is give you a job.”
“A-a job?”
He stepped closer, into her personal bubble, and even though every cell of her being screamed for her to put distance between them, she stood stock-still.
Never show weakness. Never allow intimidation. Always exude dominance. She repeated her mantra, using the words to anchor the fear quickly rising up.
“We need a doctor.”
The mention of her occupation was so unexpected, all she could do was blink at them while her mind tried to make sense of what was happening. They needed a doctor. She was a doctor. Somehow they’d found out her name and what she did for a living, and now wanted to involve her in whatever illegal shit they operated. That final thought clicked her into focus.
Not happening. She didn’t care who they were or why they needed a doctor; she wasn’t getting pulled into some dark underground world.
“I believe there are plenty of doctors within a fifty mile radius who’d be thrilled to help you. I’m not one of them. Go find someone else.”
The man crossed the threshold and charged at her so quickly, her mantra flew out of her mind, and she stumbled backward until the wall prevented her from going any farther. The feeling of being trapped caused white spots to form before her eyes, and she sucked air into her
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