Read Online No One Left to Tell by Karen Rose - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karen Rose
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herself to succumb. Eighteen months since she’d watched her best friend find the real thing. What Olivia had with David made every one of Paige’s relationships pale in comparison.
She wanted what Olivia and David had. She wanted to find the one who’d be her happy ever after. And so she’d gone cold turkey on her man habit, waiting until she found the right one.
Which meant she’d gone cold turkey on sex, too. Eighteen fucking months.
Or . . . non-fucking months, as Olivia would always say.
Olivia. Hell. I should have called her. She’ll be so worried . All of her friends would be worried. The light turned red and Paige halted at the corner. Checking her phone, she was chagrined to find her voicemail full, mostly numbers she didn’t recognize. Apparently the press had obtained her number. Not too hard if they were any good at their job.
The Minneapolis numbers she did recognize. Olivia had called six times. Paige hit speed dial one and prepared for a tirade. She wasn’t disappointed.
‘Oh. My. God. David and I were so worried.’
‘I’m okay, Olivia,’ Paige said calmly. ‘I wasn’t hurt and I’m fine.’
‘You were almost shot . What the hell were you thinking ?’
‘That somebody needed help? Hello? Pot calling the kettle much? Like you guys wouldn’t have done the same?’
Olivia was a homicide detective, her husband a firefighter. They made their living putting themselves in danger for people who needed help.
‘Well, yeah,’ Olivia admitted grumpily. ‘But you should have called us. I had to get the news from David, who had to get it from one of the guys at the firehouse who saw you on YouTube.’
‘It’s been an . . . eventful morning.’
‘I guess so. Are you really all right? You looked like you took a hard fall.’
‘I’m okay,’ she said again. ‘Shaken, but okay.’
There was a moment of silence, then Olivia sighed. ‘That’s not what I’m really worried about,’ she confessed. ‘Paige, you’ve seen two women gunned down in front of you, in less than a year. You can’t be okay. I was just thinking that maybe you’d want to see someone.’
‘Like a shrink?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t need a shrink,’ Paige said decisively.
‘I never thought I would either. Seeing all the death creeps up on you, though. I found talking to someone really helped. At least I can sleep at night. Can you?’
‘No,’ Paige murmured.
‘The same dream?’
Paige swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’
‘What happened today can’t make that any better. Promise me you’ll consider finding a counselor. Do it for me. Please.’
‘I promise.’
‘Which? That you’ll consider it or that you’ll do it?’
‘At least the first one,’ Paige hedged.
Olivia sighed. ‘I didn’t expect any more than that.’ There was muted conversation in the background. ‘David says to tell you he posted pictures of his belt ceremony on Facebook. He missed having you there last night. We all missed you.’
Paige stared up at the light, willing it to turn green. ‘I wanted to be there for him. Second dan black belt.’ It was an honor. An achievement. She should have been there. But she’d been doing something important – saving Zachary Davis. ‘Tell him I’m proud of him.’
‘Have you found a dojo ?’ Olivia asked, in a way that said she knew the answer.
‘No, not yet. I’ve been working out at the gym. Practicing on my own.’
‘You said that the last time I asked you.’
And I’ll say it the next time too . Her karate dojo had once been like her second home, her family. But after what happened last summer, Paige hadn’t been able to walk through a dojo door.
There were bloodstains on her gi that she’d never get out. A few months after the attack she’d bought a new gi , brightly white, but she’d never put it on. She simply couldn’t. She’d tried. Many times. Finally she’d packed the gi s away.
Someday she’d be ready to go back. She’d kept her body toned, her skills
She wanted what Olivia and David had. She wanted to find the one who’d be her happy ever after. And so she’d gone cold turkey on her man habit, waiting until she found the right one.
Which meant she’d gone cold turkey on sex, too. Eighteen fucking months.
Or . . . non-fucking months, as Olivia would always say.
Olivia. Hell. I should have called her. She’ll be so worried . All of her friends would be worried. The light turned red and Paige halted at the corner. Checking her phone, she was chagrined to find her voicemail full, mostly numbers she didn’t recognize. Apparently the press had obtained her number. Not too hard if they were any good at their job.
The Minneapolis numbers she did recognize. Olivia had called six times. Paige hit speed dial one and prepared for a tirade. She wasn’t disappointed.
‘Oh. My. God. David and I were so worried.’
‘I’m okay, Olivia,’ Paige said calmly. ‘I wasn’t hurt and I’m fine.’
‘You were almost shot . What the hell were you thinking ?’
‘That somebody needed help? Hello? Pot calling the kettle much? Like you guys wouldn’t have done the same?’
Olivia was a homicide detective, her husband a firefighter. They made their living putting themselves in danger for people who needed help.
‘Well, yeah,’ Olivia admitted grumpily. ‘But you should have called us. I had to get the news from David, who had to get it from one of the guys at the firehouse who saw you on YouTube.’
‘It’s been an . . . eventful morning.’
‘I guess so. Are you really all right? You looked like you took a hard fall.’
‘I’m okay,’ she said again. ‘Shaken, but okay.’
There was a moment of silence, then Olivia sighed. ‘That’s not what I’m really worried about,’ she confessed. ‘Paige, you’ve seen two women gunned down in front of you, in less than a year. You can’t be okay. I was just thinking that maybe you’d want to see someone.’
‘Like a shrink?’
‘Yes.’
‘I don’t need a shrink,’ Paige said decisively.
‘I never thought I would either. Seeing all the death creeps up on you, though. I found talking to someone really helped. At least I can sleep at night. Can you?’
‘No,’ Paige murmured.
‘The same dream?’
Paige swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’
‘What happened today can’t make that any better. Promise me you’ll consider finding a counselor. Do it for me. Please.’
‘I promise.’
‘Which? That you’ll consider it or that you’ll do it?’
‘At least the first one,’ Paige hedged.
Olivia sighed. ‘I didn’t expect any more than that.’ There was muted conversation in the background. ‘David says to tell you he posted pictures of his belt ceremony on Facebook. He missed having you there last night. We all missed you.’
Paige stared up at the light, willing it to turn green. ‘I wanted to be there for him. Second dan black belt.’ It was an honor. An achievement. She should have been there. But she’d been doing something important – saving Zachary Davis. ‘Tell him I’m proud of him.’
‘Have you found a dojo ?’ Olivia asked, in a way that said she knew the answer.
‘No, not yet. I’ve been working out at the gym. Practicing on my own.’
‘You said that the last time I asked you.’
And I’ll say it the next time too . Her karate dojo had once been like her second home, her family. But after what happened last summer, Paige hadn’t been able to walk through a dojo door.
There were bloodstains on her gi that she’d never get out. A few months after the attack she’d bought a new gi , brightly white, but she’d never put it on. She simply couldn’t. She’d tried. Many times. Finally she’d packed the gi s away.
Someday she’d be ready to go back. She’d kept her body toned, her skills
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