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20|Way Home
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Save Him 21|Set His World Right
They left the hotel just after 7:00 PM, with Mark still buzzing from the free-flowing booze he'd guzzled throughout the evening. He fiddled with the stereo, searching for upbeat tunes to keep him all fired up. Eventually, he settled on some house music and cranked up the volume, sending the metal walls of his car shuddering. "We did it, man! Woohoo!" he cheered, slapping Levi hard on the back. Levi breathed in sharply, wincing in pain. He'd never get used to his friend's strength; he was a mass of muscles, thanks to his strict daily sessions with a personal trainer. "So, did we kick butt or what?" Mark asked, linking his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his seat, content with himself and life in general. After being fondled half the evening, Levi would not have expected anything less, and he was mighty glad the gala was finally over. Now that he'd fulfilled his duty to Van Holt Industries, he hoped his father would not ask him for anything else for at least another year.
Save Him 22|Hurt Everywhere
Natalie roused to life in total panic when she realised she was in a stationary car, dead sure it was Paul's, and he'd somehow come back for her.It had to be.It had the same luxurious interiors and leather car seat smell—a smell she would now associate with the beating she had endured at his hands.With dread, she turned to the man beside her, expecting to see his cold, pale blue eyes staring back at her.She trembled with relief when she found Levi focused on his phone.She was so happy it wasn't Paul, so relieved she was safe— for the moment at least—she said a small prayer of gratitude, sobbing when the memory of Levi holding her so gently after he almost ran her over drifted through her mind."You're awake," he said as he peeled his eyes away from his phone and gave her his undivided attention.Behind the wheel sat the man from earlier, the same one who'd wanted to call an ambulance, and Natalie immediately tensed up, remembering Paul's warning. She had to leave before the ambula
Save Him 23|Bad Idea
They followed her for a while, and Mark was irritable the whole time. He didn't understand why they couldn't just snatch Noelle up and drop her off at the nearest hospital or police station."You heard her. No hospitals," Levi said again when the same suggestion to make her someone else's problem came up."I know a lot about bad ideas, and I can spot them a mile away. That woman is a bad idea waiting to happen. Why are we getting involved with her?"Levi explained for the third or fourth time. "Because we almost ran her over! Do you not feel guilty at all?""But we didn't. I don't see why I should feel guilty. Besides, weren't you the one who wanted to run back to Chassis for the patch deployment?" Mark asked, appealing to the workaholic in him.But Levi held steady, refusing to change his mind. "We have an army of developers. What the fuck do we pay them for if I have to monitor them constantly?"Mark sighed and looked through the glove compartment for his Dunhills. He rolled down his
Save Him 24|Safe Haven-Part 1
It was Sunday when Natalie opened her eyes again.Groaning, she draped her hand over her face to block out the fluorescent light glaring down at her.She knew she was in a hospital. The sterile smell of antiseptic filling the air couldn't be confused with anything else, and it spurred her to action.She had to leave.Right now.Paul was very clear. No police. No hospitals. Otherwise, he'd fix her up real good."Ugh!" Natalie moaned as she pushed aside the white sheets and placed her feet on the floor, the room shaking violently in front of her. Every part of her ached. Everything felt broken. But it was nothing a couple of aspirins couldn't fix just as soon as she got out of there.So she powered through the pain and looked through the side cabinet, smiling with relief when she found her stuff, feeling grateful everything was still there. Not so much for the clothes and necklace but for her phone inside the clutch. Her purse was also still there, with everything intact— her two hundred
Save Him 25|Safe Haven-Part 2
Natalie flipped through a dozen or so images of bruises in various colours, shapes, and sizes."What is this? Who is this? Am I supposed to know what these mean?" she asked shrilly, dumping the pictures on the bed."That's you, and those are the bruises on your body.""That's a lie!" Natalie shook her head.No, she wasn't the girl in those photos. She didn't get beat up in the back seat of a luxury car for chatting with a stranger at a gala she had no business attending.She wasn't that girl.She was Natalie Taylor, the girl who came to Rock Union to save her brother."I know it's hard to accept—""That's not me!" she cut Sam off. But even as she denied it, she knew it was true. She didn't have to breathe deeply to feel the sharp pain in her lungs and abdomen. It was so constant it was almost a part of her now. But she'd wanted to pretend, just so she could hold on to the last shred of dignity she thought she still had.Confronted with the images, Natalie could no longer deny it.She w
Save Him 26|Bad Timing
They missed each other by mere minutes.When Levi drove in, it never occurred to him that Noelle was in the red sedan pulling away from the entrance. He shot out of the door and ran inside the flat-roof single-story building as soon as Mark killed the engine.Eliza, an overworked and underpaid receptionist, in between mouthfuls of her quarter chicken and chips combo meal, politely informed him Noelle was discharged and had just left."What do you mean she left?" Levi asked, unable to process a word the receptionist had said. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why they'd let her leave when she clearly needed medical attention.Eliza put down her drumstick long enough to glare at him. "I mean exactly that. She jumped in an Uber or a Bolt and left not too long ago!"But Levi wasn't intimidated by her death stare. He scowled right back at her."Listen," he said, trying his damnedest to keep his irritation in check. "I need to speak to someone in charge. Where's the manager?""She'
Save Him 27|Flirt With Death-Part 1
The meds from the women's shelter were better than aspirin any day. They knocked Natalie out for fourteen hours straight. Not surprising since she'd taken more than the recommended dose after she'd spent the rest of her Sunday in bed, tossing and turning because she was terrified to close her eyes and fall asleep.She woke up on Monday, fuzzy-headed and her mouth so dry she thought she'd swallowed cotton balls.She reached for her phone on the side table and regretted it almost immediately when she saw the time. She'd missed work and twenty-six calls—ten from Emily, three from work, and the rest were Amber's.As much as Natalie wanted to curl up under the warm cocoon of her blankets, hiding in her room forever stopped being an option when she saw the missed calls from Chassis.It was time for damage control.She dealt with Anna from Human Resources first.After listening to her sob story about an out-of-town family emergency, Anna nicely informed her she'd have to take a personal day.
Save Him 28|Flirt With Death-Part 2
"Nat? Are you there? If you don't open the door, I'm coming in!""Emily!" Natalie sprung from the couch at lightning speed, regretting it immediately when a sharp pain shot through her midsection. She doubled over and listened to her spare key rattle in the keyhole as Emily unlocked the door."Thank God, you're okay!" her friend squeezed her hard as soon as she let herself inside, almost crushing her bones.Natalie breathed in sharply. Everything still hurt so much. Maybe she really was hovering at death's door."I was so worried about you when you missed work!" Emily followed her to the couch and pulled out a brown envelope from her bag. "Here!"Natalie peeked inside the envelope and asked, "what's this?"She'd never seen so many one hundred Rand notes in one place. All her transactions were paperless. She rarely needed cash, but if she did, she got it at the till at the grocery store when she topped up on her weekly groceries. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd gone insid
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