amidst tears. She has been fighting the urge to break a man's head sinc

was becoming full. And Mr. Claude has been giving her sid

ed to look at the gentleman who looked quite "gentlemanly" but wasn't acting a

she is a broken tape?

pa

think this guy was actually sensible? Not everyone who drives a good c

met Mr. Claude's . She gritted her teeth

u could please just order so I get to my business of the day. As you can see, we'

begg

e was b

ad to

just because of two lousy heads were not ready to listen to h

arty

nuine

s begging. Oh, what do we do?

ce fo

t? Maybe some

tting on his dark sha

pau

low this? She questioned bitterly as she wat

to the counter just th

ome t

Pa

mer. She walked slowly, deliberately, like

ter, eyes wide. "Why was he treating you like that? Do you

t wait fo

" Tasha rambled on and on, words spilling like a bro

tending to be busy. Trying to distract herself from

uble, she muttered

d I not hide well enou

e repeated them, trying to keep her voice low, t

ot to lo

the wor

a child. She had run from everything she loved, to a place no one knew h

l, he fo

e going to r

mind had sprinted a thousand miles away-and

o see you. In t

her back to the present. Sh

saved

herself. It didn't matter. She followed Mr. Cloud into the kitchen, fo

walki

die. Black on black on black. Everything about him wa

est ti

why-why are you losing your cool these days?

ce was stern now

alk to me,

nothing is going on with

and again. But she wa

ne since the momen

ou're my best staff?" Mr

place is home. You are home. And home stops being home if it tu

er straight

ob? Are you tired of it? Do you

er heard hi

b. And I need it. I don't have any off

allowe

in the game.

de, her head was screaming. He

Claude walk ou

er heart s

ound

o

him whe

s he been w

en me eve

s he been s

, her only survival-w

ew one thin

d to a

drobe, grabbing every piece of clothing she could reach and tossing

everything inside. It didn't matter how rumpled or tangled

that apartment. Out of th

nough to rent a house near hers. C

at close-she

etries, a photo frame. She scanned the room one last time, but she didn't

st had

t it half open, and ran down the sta

now where sh

ew she had

fa

live, distant enough to disappear. She scanned the street, eyes sweeping left to right,

e safe. She had broken

ay hidden here,

ward the documents to my email

rm, practiced smile. Homely and pleasant, but only when the mone

he biggest inventors in the city-people who could tak

y stepping out, beaming. She had made a profit. She had

in quiet

ed in p

But to him, every penny was still money. And