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Her editors e-mailed her back proer to see where she’d gone, what she’d been doing these past four months in Northern Africa and the Middle East
Tally buried herself in work, finding solace in long hours and a devotion to her art It was at night, and on the weekends, that the lost sensation returned, that feeling she’d been drawn and quartered Disemboweled
It was at night and on weekends she didn’t knohat to do with herself, at night and weekends when she found it strange being home After nearly a year on the road she realized she’d becoot what it looked like, felt like, and for those first two er in her own place
It wasn’t even Seattle that felt so strange It was—and Tally couldn’t believe this—being alone
Alone She, the girl who’d decided she preferred being alone, didn’t like being alone anymore
Tair had done this to her Tair But that didn’t , done grieving She’d wasted too much time as it was on a man who didn’t love her Wouldn’t love her
Tally was just about to head out to photograph Alki Beach when a courier arrived with a package from Baraka She sat on the bottom step of her staircase to open the brown padded envelope And then the velvet box inside
Elinted at her It was an emerald and diamond necklace, the kind of necklace only royalty and celebrities could wear There was a s Tair
Tair Terrible, horrible hateful Tair
Hands shaking, Tally snapped the lid down Thanks, Tair, but no thanks She wasn’t going to be keeping this
There was just one problem No one would take the necklace back With its twelve plus carats of dia, no insurance company wanted to touch a necklace that was valued at over a quarter million dollars Especially as the Sheikh’s address was the middle of the Sahara desert
And suddenly Tally was angry all over again Instead of blocking out theback, one after the other and they didn’t fade She re from town The asthma attack The sandstorm The quicksand The knife The poison
Then Bur Juht they made love
Tally sed hard around the lu to cry She wouldn’t cry
But oh those battles