He shook himself out of his funk and realized Maura was standing in entrance of him holding a chunk of pretzel out to him.

He pressured himself to smile. “Thanks, love.”

She smiled as she sat down. “I obtained cheese,” she mentioned as she sat down.

“Girl, please, cheese on a pretzel? Did you get mustard?” Zee mentioned.

She tossed a packet his approach together with the pretzel she purchased for him. “I don’t know what you might have in opposition to cheese.”

“That’s not cheese, love. That’s processed crap.”

“And it tastes scrumptious.”

She dipped a chunk of pretzel into the cheese and supplied it to him. Rory took it with out pondering.

“I informed you I didn’t want something, love.”

She grinned. “I don’t thoughts sharing, however then you realize that.”

For a second he couldn’t imagine she mentioned that out loud. Then, slowly the humor of the state of affairs hit him and he smiled, after which chuckled. All the troubles he had dissolved and he leaned ahead and gave her a kiss.

“That you simply do, love. That you simply do.”

thirty-eight

Maura walked down the lengthy corridor to the lavatory. She hated mall bogs. It at all times felt as if she have been strolling to the tip of the earth simply to pee. The mall had been insane, however the hallway was abandoned. Then, she heard a scrape of a shoe in opposition to the ground. Alarm bells instantly went off in her head. Earlier than she might flip, somebody hit her onerous in opposition to her again, shoving her into the wall. A big male physique smashed her in opposition to the wall as a big, sweaty hand coated her mouth.

She was trapped.

“Your boyfriends allow you to stroll down the corridor by your self,” he mentioned, the sneer in his voice simple to listen to. There was a slight accent, one which sounded nearly Irish, however not fairly. It sounded as if he have been attempting to disguise it. Her coronary heart was beating so onerous in opposition to her ribs. She drew in as a lot air as she might after which let it out. The stench of his breath, together with cologne and a wholesome dose of sweat crammed her senses. She felt bile rise in her throat.

He pulled her arm up wrenching it behind her again. It harm a lot tears burned the again of her eyes.

“I feel I would wish to have a chunk of McAllister and O’Brian’s girl earlier than I kill her. A watch for an eye fixed.”

Concern doubled as he pulled her away from the wall. They have been close to the again exit, the type that led to the alley behind the mall. IF he had a automobile on the market, he would get her out of there with out anybody realizing. She struggled realizing that if he took her anyplace, it could possibly be lethal. He slammed her head in opposition to the cement wall. Stars fashioned in entrance of her eyes. Heat blood trickled down from her brow. He pulled her arm tighter behind her. Maura was stunned he didn’t break it. She sucked in a deep breath as ache radiated down from her shoulder. Her fingers have been tingling.

“Bitch, you wish to dwell, you may wish to begin cooperating.”

He was dragging her down the corridor and she or he refused this. She wouldn’t let this bastard take her out of there with no combat. She kicked again along with her legs, connecting together with his shin the third time.

“Bloody bitch,” he mentioned, his accent coming via extra. Voices sounded down the hallway and she or he knew this is likely to be her solely likelihood for escape. She threw her head again smacking it in opposition to his brow.

“Fucking hell.”

He loosened his maintain on her as a gaggle of teenagers got here down the corridor. Their chatter echoed. She stumbled ahead, shedding her steadiness and touchdown on her knees and hand. She didn’t give the bastard one other likelihood. Ignoring the way in which her abdomen roiled and the blurred imaginative and prescient, she rushed headlong into the group of children. She didn’t look behind her and ran to the meals courtroom.

Maura ignored the unusual seems. She knew she will need to have appeared a multitude. The second Rory and Zeke noticed her, they have been out of their chairs and operating via the milling crowd to succeed in her. She fell into Zeke’s arms.

“What the fuck occurred?” Rory yelled.

“Some man attacked me once I got here out of the lavatory.”

Zeke led her to a chair and gently helped her sit. She raised her hand to push her hair out of her face and realized it was shaking. Her abdomen quivered.

“Hey, hey,” Zeke mentioned. She appeared up at him and realized her imaginative and prescient was nonetheless blurred. Shit, she was crying. In public. She drew in a deep breath attempting to regulate the tears, however that appeared to make her cry more durable.

He pulled her up out of the seat and into his arms. As his heat surrounded her, she was comforted by the acquainted scent of his cologne.

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