Read Online Smashwords version Sweet Surrender by Georgette St. Clair - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Georgette St. Clair
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tipped her head up to look at
him. His touch sent a wave of warmth rushing through her body, and his gaze
pierced her soul, as if he could see her innermost thoughts and fears.
His voice
was low and strong and urgent, rumbling from his chest. “I want you to be
strong when you go in there. Your sister put your life at risk, and your best
friend’s life at risk, by not telling you about the vandalism and the attacks
at the store. You need to find out everything she knows, because she might hold
the key to catching this person.”
Poppy
nodded, taking a deep breath, and followed him down the hallway. Since they
were on the back side of the hallway, they weren’t passing the nurse’s station,
and they were able to make it to Penelope’s room unannounced.
The
motorcycle-jacket guy was back, sitting next to Penelope on her bed. Penelope
had experienced a miraculous recovery in the short time that Poppy and Rafe had
been downstairs. She had washed her face, fixed her makeup, and her boyfriend
had his arm slung around her shoulder, and they were looking at pictures on her
cell phone and giggling.
When
Poppy and Rafe walked in, she looked up at them and her smile froze and then
faded. Warring emotions battled on her face. Anger, shock, indecision – Poppy
could guess the thoughts racing through her head. How was she going to play
this off?
Motorcycle
jerk leaped to his feet, glaring at them. Before he could say a word, Rafe
snapped “Get out,” looking him square in the eye, his face like stone and his
eyes cold as ice.
For just
a moment, it looked as if Penelope’s lover was going to challenge him, but then
his shoulders slumped and he rushed past Rafe and Poppy and hurried out of the
room without looking back.
“Terry,
wait, wait ! Don’t leave me!” Penelope wailed, tears welling in her eyes.
When he
didn’t rush back to her rescue, she turned to Poppy, and now tears were
spilling down her cheeks and she was gulping in distress, about to descend into
another full on hysterical crying jag.
“Poppy, oh
my God, I-“
“Penelope,
cut it the hell out.”
Penelope
stopped crying instantly, jaw dropping in shock. She and Rafe both stared at
Poppy, astounded by the uncharacteristic flare of temper and profanity. But
Poppy was red hot with anger, years of frustration boiling up in her and
finally bubbling over.
“Don’t
even bother with the tears, because you can turn on the waterworks like you
turn on a faucet, and we both know it. You have a lot of explaining to do. Not
only did you risk my job and my law school scholarship by tricking me into
working at a bakery full of obscene carbohydrates, you risked my life and
Viola’s life by not telling me that some psycho was targeting the bakery.”
“I am in
my hospital bed! I’m in pain!” Penelope’s eyes glittered with angry tears, but
she didn’t try to manufacture another sobbing fit. “I don’t have to listen to
these outrageous accusations.
“And I
don’t have to run your bakery for you.”
“Fine,”
Penelope muttered. “I’ll get someone else to run it.”
“Good
luck with finding someone who will really care about helping the business
succeed, and who won’t rob you blind, from your hospital bed. And I’ll tell you
this, even if you can find someone else that you trust to run Sweet Surrender,
I will make sure that they know everything, because otherwise, their lives will
be in danger just like mine is now. I will tell them about the vandalism, the
tire slashing, the fact that whoever ran you down in the street was probably
the same person doing the vandalism, and the fact that someone broke into your
apartment while I was there and threatened me. And they used the same language
that was on the graffiti on the outside of the store, so it is obviously the
same person.”
“I-what?
Someone broke in?” Penelope’s cornflower blue eyes widened in shock.
Her face
crumpled. “Poppy, I’m sorry. I sank every cent I had into that
him. His touch sent a wave of warmth rushing through her body, and his gaze
pierced her soul, as if he could see her innermost thoughts and fears.
His voice
was low and strong and urgent, rumbling from his chest. “I want you to be
strong when you go in there. Your sister put your life at risk, and your best
friend’s life at risk, by not telling you about the vandalism and the attacks
at the store. You need to find out everything she knows, because she might hold
the key to catching this person.”
Poppy
nodded, taking a deep breath, and followed him down the hallway. Since they
were on the back side of the hallway, they weren’t passing the nurse’s station,
and they were able to make it to Penelope’s room unannounced.
The
motorcycle-jacket guy was back, sitting next to Penelope on her bed. Penelope
had experienced a miraculous recovery in the short time that Poppy and Rafe had
been downstairs. She had washed her face, fixed her makeup, and her boyfriend
had his arm slung around her shoulder, and they were looking at pictures on her
cell phone and giggling.
When
Poppy and Rafe walked in, she looked up at them and her smile froze and then
faded. Warring emotions battled on her face. Anger, shock, indecision – Poppy
could guess the thoughts racing through her head. How was she going to play
this off?
Motorcycle
jerk leaped to his feet, glaring at them. Before he could say a word, Rafe
snapped “Get out,” looking him square in the eye, his face like stone and his
eyes cold as ice.
For just
a moment, it looked as if Penelope’s lover was going to challenge him, but then
his shoulders slumped and he rushed past Rafe and Poppy and hurried out of the
room without looking back.
“Terry,
wait, wait ! Don’t leave me!” Penelope wailed, tears welling in her eyes.
When he
didn’t rush back to her rescue, she turned to Poppy, and now tears were
spilling down her cheeks and she was gulping in distress, about to descend into
another full on hysterical crying jag.
“Poppy, oh
my God, I-“
“Penelope,
cut it the hell out.”
Penelope
stopped crying instantly, jaw dropping in shock. She and Rafe both stared at
Poppy, astounded by the uncharacteristic flare of temper and profanity. But
Poppy was red hot with anger, years of frustration boiling up in her and
finally bubbling over.
“Don’t
even bother with the tears, because you can turn on the waterworks like you
turn on a faucet, and we both know it. You have a lot of explaining to do. Not
only did you risk my job and my law school scholarship by tricking me into
working at a bakery full of obscene carbohydrates, you risked my life and
Viola’s life by not telling me that some psycho was targeting the bakery.”
“I am in
my hospital bed! I’m in pain!” Penelope’s eyes glittered with angry tears, but
she didn’t try to manufacture another sobbing fit. “I don’t have to listen to
these outrageous accusations.
“And I
don’t have to run your bakery for you.”
“Fine,”
Penelope muttered. “I’ll get someone else to run it.”
“Good
luck with finding someone who will really care about helping the business
succeed, and who won’t rob you blind, from your hospital bed. And I’ll tell you
this, even if you can find someone else that you trust to run Sweet Surrender,
I will make sure that they know everything, because otherwise, their lives will
be in danger just like mine is now. I will tell them about the vandalism, the
tire slashing, the fact that whoever ran you down in the street was probably
the same person doing the vandalism, and the fact that someone broke into your
apartment while I was there and threatened me. And they used the same language
that was on the graffiti on the outside of the store, so it is obviously the
same person.”
“I-what?
Someone broke in?” Penelope’s cornflower blue eyes widened in shock.
Her face
crumpled. “Poppy, I’m sorry. I sank every cent I had into that
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