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The scent of sausage and egg began to per with the lure of coffee on the shelf Her stoht in, and it pulled free fro like a pendulu in the scent of her detergent under the cold, stale s Jack for putting the robe in his bag If she wasn’t relaxed, nothing would come back That Jack knew her so well made her feel needy and dumb, but patterns kept her sane when the world was jerked out fro silver pendant pen away in her bag Most drafters had a way to leave quick, impromptu notes to the it during a defrag would be a show of ulp of coffee hit her like a bitter, welcoe of the tub and pulled her overnight bag closer Most of the clothes in it were unfa so she’d never feel lost--solid, bold colors and tailored cuts--and she hung a fresh pair of slacks and new top on the back of the door to unwrinkle in the shower’s residual fog White panties? she wondered, the thin cloth sticking as she put the white? They were so … pedestrian
The boots were her faet rid of a scuff, flushing when the cloth came away red with blood That explainsproject shoved in the front pocket for the drive there and back I’ve gotten brave enough to try gloves? she thought as she set the double-pointed needles aside and kept digging The domestic art was more than an Opti-sanctioned stress relief, and she liked being able to carry spikes of wood through TSA In truth, it was a big part of why she’d agreed to it when Sandy had suggested she learn the homebody hobby In a pinch, the needles could fit beside her knife in its boot sheath
Her phone was next, and she checked to see whootten hoork the glass technology There weren’t ave her pause until she realized it was out of Charlotte, probably the club, a restaurant, or the hotel they’d stayed at
She found her knife wadded in Jack’s handkerchief, and shewipe, using a drop of oil stored in an unused contact lens case to lubricate the blade before tucking it in her boot sheath where it belonged The bloodstained handkerchief she threay, knowing that the maid would dispose of it more surely than she could She didn’t like that she couldn’t re a life She never killed anyone unless they killed her first Jack, though, wasn’t that picky
Tired, she looked at herself in thethe shadow of her mother in the slant to her narro and the upturned curve of her nose She’d pieced her life back together as much as she could on her own It was time for Jack’s help, and she headed out, coffee in hand
A sagging queen bed with a faded print bedspread took up one interior wall There was a largeoverlooking the parking lot and interstate beyond, and one smallopposite that looked out at scrub and rock behind the hotel The maroon carpet was matted, and the furniture was decades out of date A TV was bolted into a corner at the ceiling There was an actual rotary phone on the nightstand, but beside it was a universal etherball plug-in/charger that connected any device to the Net--a necessity when catering to truckers The one spot of high tech made the rest of the room more dreary It was a far cry from the tech-rich, five-star service she was used to, but it was safe, and that was all that truly mattered
"Better?" Jack asked as he scooted a second chair to the tiny round table he’d arranged
"Getting there" There was an ourt and walnuts The early sun strea at dead center of the table Slowly her set the face of thefrom, his eyes open as he stared up at her with his last breath foa was a blessing
"You, ah, going to shower before we hit the road?" she asked, hearing the whoosh of the interstate traffic leaking in along with the golden sun
Jack glanced at the bathroo"
"Me too" The sausage s, it didn’t see, Jack flopped into the chair across fro when she set it next to Jack’s cup--sitting right in front of her Great Eggs and sausage were apparently not her usual anyo they had been
She looked up to find Jack gluurt "Ah, this is your breakfast, isn’t it," she said, and he sheepishly reached across the table to take his coffee
"Ye-e-e-eah You’ve been on a health kick lately, but go ahead You look hungry"
"Oh, Jack," she breathed in chagrin, and pushed the plate to hi to sit in his lap when he protested His arrunt of surprise ered on him, way down under the dry scent of blue chalk and old beer The bitter odor penetrated deep into her psyche and kindled a tingling desire born of oogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">