Read Online When by Victoria Laurie - Free Book Online Page B

slashed wide open. It was the most
gruesome thing I’d ever seen, and it was playing over and over in my head, blocking out everything else, even the room I was in and the men who were in it.
    I tried to hold it back, but a wave of emotion overcame me, and I bent at the waist and let out a gut-wrenching sob. Tears fell down my cheeks and I shut my eyes, fighting to forget what
I’d seen. But the image kept on playing in my head. Tevon’s lifeless eyes staring fixedly up, his mouth curled down in a death mask of pain, his fists balled up over his head, and his
hair matted with blood. And most of all, I couldn’t forget the dark black numbers hovering above his ghostly pale skin. 10-29-2014.
    I got to my feet and swayed, feeling my stomach lurch while Donny yelled. Then I bolted out of the office, running along the corridor, trying to keep down the urge to retch before I could find a
restroom. I spotted a ladies’ room on my right and I pushed my way inside, barely making it into the stall before losing my breakfast.
    I hacked and heaved and clutched the bowl for several minutes, sobbing the whole time. “I didn’t know!” I whispered over and over. “I didn’t know!”
    If I had known that
that
was going to happen to Tevon, I never,
ever
would’ve let his mother leave my house without convincing her that I was for real.
    Finally, I sat back and grabbed some toilet paper, wiping my mouth and cheeks. It was that cheap, scratchy kind, but it was a relief to feel something other than nausea and regret.
    Suddenly, there was a knock on the stall door and I jerked, knocking my water bottle on its side, where it rolled out under the stall door. I sat still for a couple of seconds. I hadn’t
heard anyone come in. I then saw a shadow on the floor, and peeking out from under the stall door, I spotted a hand grabbing the water bottle. I managed to get up and open the door. There was a
lady (8-14-2058) standing there, wearing a gold badge clipped to her waistband. “You okay?” she asked me.
    I took a shuddering breath. “Yeah.”
    She stared back doubtfully.
    I moved to the sink, washed my hands, and splashed cool water onto my face. The whole time I was there, she watched me with a mixture of suspicion and sympathy. Still, something about her
presence there felt off.
    I wiped my face and hands with a paper towel and then turned back to her. She handed me a fresh bottle of water. “I brought you a new one,” she said. But there was something about
the exchange that again felt off. “No thanks,” I muttered, hurrying out of the restroom. She followed me, and as I got back into the corridor, I saw Donny standing with his arms crossed
and a furious look on his face. Next to him were Faraday and Wallace; only Faraday looked like he had an ounce of compassion for me.
    Donny put his arm across my shoulders. “You all right?” he asked. I managed to nod, and he turned to the agents. “We’re done here.”
    I was never more grateful in my life, and I leaned against him as we walked away. He didn’t let me go until we were next to his car, and he opened the door for me and shut it once
I’d gotten seated.
    “They pulled that stunt to gauge your reaction,” Donny said when he got in. He seemed to be beating himself up pretty good over it. “I’m sorry, Maddie. I should’ve
expected they’d do something like that.’
    “It’s okay,” I told him, wiping my cheeks because the tears wouldn’t stop.
    Donny glanced out his window toward the building. “Those bastards,” he muttered. “If they ever try anything like that again I’ll file a complaint with the bureau
director.”
    I didn’t say anything. I simply wanted Donny to start the car and take me home. But he sat there a few more minutes, staring hard at the building. “Hey,” he said at last.
    “Yeah?”
    “Great job on that chem test.”
    That got me to smile. “Thanks,” I said. If Donny was joking with me, then the interview with the feds