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Her hands shook when she saw Thoh Thomas looked happy Satisfied Like he didn’t have a care in the world How could he be s when he was about to appear on live television to presuratitude for the cop who’d supposedly ta his part in sending an innocentwith fury and she quickly got a handle on her rage and forced herself to cal emotions before Thomas stepped up to the podium She couldn’t blow it now She only had one shot at this and she had to pull it off before Thomas selected his first victiain
She sucked in several steadying breaths, purposely focusing on hts She iht that crept into her er laughing, never being able to hurt another person again and boarding a one-way trip straight to hell for his appointment with the devil
He didn’t immediately see her when he stepped to thethemselves to ensure his protection She quickly sed back the bile rising in her throat at the knowledge that the soulless bastard was being protected bymen like Thoreeting long-lost friends and as if he were expecting a hero’s welcoely, the croas completely silent Eerily so It was as if time stopped as everyone anticipated the purpose of Thoreat joy and relief that I stand before you here today A travesty of justice has been corrected and I a co to be sick He dared to speak of travesties of justice when he stood there, a free uilty of? It was hard but she forced blankness to her face, an expression of disinterest as if it didn’t uilty and was here for one reason and one reason only
She knew the instant he saw her Felt the sudden intensity of his gaze He paused in his speech, his chin lifted as if looking beyond her so his gaze encompassed the majority of the crowd But his eyes were fixed solidly on her She felt a peculiar sensation, a flutter of awareness in herto find his way in
And as suddenly as it happened, it was gone, and a slight frown ain resumed his speech
Relief and a keen sense of victory fizzed through her body like a bottle of cha out and over He hadn’t been able to push past her barriers! She’d felt his atte she’d never even been aware of before She’d never felt or sensed anything at all when he’d accessed her o
She was careful not to let her jubilation show and to tehts of victory and iain Of that she had no doubt And she’d give him that attempt One more and then she was done here She’d accomplished what she’d set out to do and she’d baited the trap All she had to do noas hope he fell neatly into it
She went rigid when she tuned back into his polished, very practiced recitation of expressing his thanks to everyone who supported hiht for him and believed in him blah blah She’d zoned out until she heard her naht his and for the first ti to look away And as he spoke, once again she felt that odd fluttering sensation in her head, sharper, h her head and she clenched her jaw against the nearly unbearable strain, but her thought patterns never changed, didn’t deviate fro on and none of her hatred for theher name had diminished in the least
"It ith a heavy heart that I learned that Melissa Caldwell has been the recipient of so much ill will and has been treated poorly by the citizens of this town I harbor no animosity for Miss Caldwell I pity her, as you all should too, and she should be grantedYou see, she was but a child then A mixed-up, confused child who had no family, no home of her own and had been on her oith only herself to rely on since she was fifteen"
Nausea welled in Eliza’s stomach and it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to vo and this ti it was successful She had to keep it together She should leave now Her objective had been achieved But she was frozen to the spot where she stood, unable to turn aithout hearing the rest
Thohed draret
"She convinced herself she was in love withto some heinous crih that was never my intention or desire She was attacked on her way hoht and I happened on the scene and ed to fend off her attackers I felt responsible for her in a way that an older brother would feel responsibility for his younger sister I would walk her hoood conscience allow her to come to harm when she had no one else to look out for her"
He ran his hand through his hair in faked regret
"Shemore and as a result she becaently I didn’t want to hurt her or embarrass her in any way I explained that even if I felt for her the way she thought she felt forand I wasto be thinking about the kind of relationship she wanted With rimace "That she had all the time in the world and that one day she would meet the man meant for her but that I wasn’t--could never be--him"
He paused for dramatic affect and once htful, puzzled look on his face She had to act fast No, she didn’t want hi around in her head and yes, she wanted hier control her, but she didn’t want to co him She was here to convince him that she came for him That she still loved hi, but she quickly sed and sent a slow s she had intoand hopeful