time in the world and he knew I was worth it. God, he was such a wonderful guy.” She took another deep drink of wine.
The lump grew in her throat. “Why? I just don’t understand. Why him? He didn’t deserve that.” Why Chris? He didn’t deserve what happened to him either. She took another deep breath. “Why do such awful things happen to such great guys? I just don’t understand it.” The tears rolled unchecked down her cheeks and she didn’t even care. It was all so wrong. Everyone she loved suffered and lost.
She drew in another deep breath, ignoring the slight hiccup that came with it as she pleaded her case with Penelope. “So I need a BOB. Guys just die. If a BOB dies, I can just replace its batteries or get a new one. No harm, no foul.” She went to take another drink of wine and realized her glass was empty….again. How did it keep getting empty so fast? She scowled down at it, before saying, “I need another one of these.”
Penelope smiled gently. “Julie, honey, I think you need coffee and food, not more wine. And don’t worry; I’ll get you a list of BOB’s that have high recommendations.”
She grinned sloppily at Penelope. “Thank you. You know I like lists. They help in every way.”
She ignored the look of concern that passed between Pen and Cassie. What did they know? They had boyfriends who loved them and managed to stay alive. Yessir, a BOB was all she needed from now on.
Chapter 3
He’d followed the three girls from the wedding boutique to the darkened wine bar, where they’d spent the last hour chatting and drinking. The dark corners were perfect for him to maintain his vigilant watch without her ever knowing he was there.
He watched as she laughed with her friends and then as she slowly lost it. Her emotions were always right there below the surface, her sadness and grief, but he would help her with that. On the surface, she looked perfect, completely self-assured and at ease with her place in life. Her dark, short hair perfectly styled, her clothes and sexy high heels perfect for a night out on the town with the girls. She even usually laughed in all the right places. She laughed, but it never reached her eyes. Those eyes maintained the heavy shroud of sadness that was there all the time now. There was no hiding that depth of sadness from him because he understood it. His Julie was sad. Just like his Jocelyn. Just like him. Hiding, always hiding.
He needed to help free her from her pain. Only he could do that. A thrill of anticipation snaked its way down his spine, but it wasn’t time yet. He had others to take care of first before he could free her from her pain. But soon. Soon, it would be her time.
Chapter 4
Chris stepped out of his front door into the dark morning. As he stretched out his legs, he glanced over at Julie’s townhouse and noticed her kitchen light was on. Cassie had come by after their night out and mentioned to him that she didn’t think Julie was sleeping either, so he wasn’t surprised to see her light, even though it was barely 4:00 in the morning.
Maybe when he got back from his run, he’d see if she wanted to come over for coffee, although he wasn’t sure if the coffee pot was unpacked yet. Maybe he’d just head over there to bum some coffee off her instead. They were friends and friends could do that. Right?
He winced as he stretched out his left leg. His knee had taken a beating yesterday and he was paying for it this morning. He probably should take some ibuprofen with that coffee, too.
He was about to take off when he heard the crack of a breaking stick from behind Julie’s townhouse. The sound seemed too large to have come from an animal. He peered through the darkness, but couldn’t see anything. He jogged quickly and quietly around the side of the house. As he came around the corner, a large bush swayed, but there wasn’t a breeze this morning. He didn’t see anything or anyone, but something big had definitely been back here.
He stood next to the bush and glanced back toward Julie’s townhouse. He could see straight into her bedroom where she sat on her bed wearing nothing but a robe, the material gaping so her gorgeous, full breasts