Page 8 (2/2)

She stood on a balcony, a sliver of ht visible on the black sweep of velvet sky On the beach below, the oceanarainst a solid, thick chest, enveloping her in a hard e her eyes in the sweet relief of his presence, the coered to whisper in her ear

"Where are you, o?"

"I’m here With you"

"No Say my name, sweet Cyn"

"Raphael," she whispered

"So far away, lubimaya Where are you?"

She frowned at his insistent questioning What kind of a dream was this anyway? "Texas," she said, puzzled "Is that what you want? I’htened around her like steel bands and his breath ran out in a hiss of sound "Why? Why Texas?"

"A job," she snapped, irritated now She tried to push away his arms, but he held her fast

"What job, Cyn? Who?"

"What do you mean ‘who?’ It’s none of your business, but it’s Jabril Karie of the moment to push away from him "What is this? If you must haunt ed her back again, his soft, sensuous laughter brushing along the entire length of her body "Ah Do you miss me, then,this dreao," she whispered "Just let o"

The pilloas damp when the phone’s wake-up call jerked her out of sleep, but she convinced herself it was no e hotel She had no more tears to cry for Raphael, no matter how many tih her hair, checking the ti A perfectly God-forsaken time to be awake, but she hoped to see Ra at Child Protective Services She had left afor a call back that ht never come Instead, she would drop by and hope to speak with the woman for a few er than that

An hour later, the elevator doors at Child Protective Services opened to the wail of a s in his uilt because the child had cried? Or because thecandy to quiet hi? The air of the dreary CPS waiting roo in its thickness But there was nothing she could do for these people She concentrated on her purpose in co here and went directly to the reception desk, where a harassed looking young wo phones

Cyn waited until the receptionist had finished her call "I’d like to see Ra woman had a distinct Texas drawl, unfiltered by education or experience

"No, but I only need--"

"You need an appointment I can--"

"--a few minutes of her time Tell her it’s about Elizabeth Hawthorn"

The receptionist pursed her lips in irritation, then ran her eyes up and down, taking in Cyn’s appearance--the pale blue jeans, artfully faded and worn, the soft leather coat, expensive hair cut, clean, neatovernment bureaucrats had learned to respect "One moment" She picked up the phone, punched a few buttons and spoke into the receiver, turning away and doing her best to keep Cyn fro When she turned back, her look of disapproval had only deepened, but she gave a little nod<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>