30 Days (Lost Love Trilogy #1) - Belle Brooks Page 0,61
by the manor to get your statement. They’ve got the man in custody now.” He rubs my arm tenderly.
“Okay.”
“Get checked over and then I’ll take you home.”
I’m loaded into the back of the ambulance, and privacy is given as promised. The examination doesn’t take very long, and before I know it, I’m in the passenger seat of the white sedan on my way back to the manor. Marcus remains silent on the drive home and so do I. It seems I’m going back to the Sunshine Coast in the morning, and right now I’m relieved by the thought.
TWENTY-FIVE
The Power of Dreams
After a hot shower, I retreat to my room and curl up under the covers. The man that caused so much fear is still fresh in my mind, and when I look to the bedside cupboard, I notice the clutch he attempted to steal is sitting there. Either Marcus or Grady must have put it there because, to be honest, I don’t even remember seeing it after I collected it from the ground in the alley. My eyes sting, my body aches, I need sleep. But I need the comfort of my safety net, Sammy, more.
Reaching for the clutch, I retrieve my phone. The clock reads 10:29. It’s never too late to call Sammy. I press her contact.
“Hello, how was your night? I was getting worried you’d forgotten to call me.”
“No,” I reply quietly.
“What’s the matter?” she immediately asks.
“Sammy, I was mugged.”
“What the fuck?” she shrieks. “Are you okay? Where are you? Does your mum know? Shit.” So many questions are fired at me, and I’ve no idea where to start. “Abigail, was Peter with you?”
“Peter?”
“Yes.”
“No. Who’s Peter?”
Sammy doesn’t answer my question, instead she says, “You need to tell me what happened. Oh my God, I think I’m going to be sick. Are you hurt?” The level of panic in her words make my stomach turn over.
“I’m not hurt. I just got a fright.”
Filling Sammy in on the basics is all I can manage. I tell her how I was talking to Mum and found myself down a dark street. How a man grabbed me and held me against a wall, and how Marcus stopped him and I got away. The line goes silent as I sit quietly, waiting for her to take the information in.
“Abi?”
“Yes?”
“Marcus who?”
“Marcus Klein, my boss.” Again, the line goes silent.
Sammy starts doing the same heavy breathing my mother did when I said his name to her earlier tonight. They both know him. How?
“Ginger?”
“Yes?”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I’m just in shock someone tried to mug you. Oh, Dorothy, this is a new one even for you.”
“I know, right?”
“Promise me you’re okay?”
“I promise. Hey, don’t tell Mum. I’ll tell her tomorrow. I just want to go to sleep.”
“I won’t. I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Sounds good. Hey, Ginger?”
“Yes, Dorothy?”
“I love you.”
“Ditto,” she says with a sigh. “Good night, Abi.”
“Night.”
As the phone drops from my limp hand to the bed, my eyes close.
***
Autumn leaves floated softly to the ground. The rustling sound from the wind was musical. The smell was home.
As a cool gust of wind swirled, I pulled my coat tighter around me and made my way down the footpath, then up the front steps to our two-bedroom apartment. It was small, but perfect.
I’d had another rewarding day in my new job, and it was only a couple of hours until he was going to walk through the front door and wrap me in his arms. How I’d missed those arms. Three days was too long.
The house keys landed heavily on the table as I pulled off the boots I’d been wearing for the last nine hours.
The sound of Bella’s tail smacking against wooden floorboards alerted me to her welcome home dash that I would see in three, two, one … impact!
“Mummy’s home,” I cried out, pulling her into my arms. “Hello, pretty girl. Did you miss me?” I asked. Her kisses told me she did. “I hope you’ve been a good puppy today, and I hope you stayed out of Mummy’s food cupboard,” I added, kissing her nose.
People said animals weren’t like us, but she was. She was my world … our world.
My fingers ran over Bella’s smooth, thick black coat. I looked at her small Pug face that screamed innocence, even though I was fairly sure she was far from it.
“Your daddy’s coming home tonight,” I whispered, placing her on the floor as her whole butt shook with force. “I missed him too.” I sighed, walking