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Please don t let anyone be in the stock room. The store would probably be packed
with the holidays nearing. She had one chance to get the people out so Sissy wouldn t
have a handful of hostages at her mercy.
When she pushed through the door, she grabbed the old fire alarm and pulled down
the lever. It wailed louder than she expected but she could hear the people in the front of
the store hurrying to get out.
A pain exploded on the side of Elyse s head. Brilliant colors passed before her eyes
and she fell to one knee. She looked over her shoulder to see Sissy with her hand raised,
the butt of the gun showing.
 Why in the hell did you do that? Sissy spit as she spoke through clenched teeth.
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Elyse cupped her hand over her throbbing temple.  I wanted to get the others out of
the store. You wouldn t want them to walk in on us would you? Elyse didn t even try to
hide the belligerence in her voice.
Sissy shoved her with the end of the gun.  Just get up and get me the diamonds.
Elyse clambered to her feet, unsteady after the blow to the head. She opened the
cabinet under the desk and turned the knob on the safe. Her fingers shook so bad she had
to dial the combination twice before she could open the door.
She pulled out her jewelry box and handed it to Sissy.
 What is this? Sissy held the box away from her body.
Elyse stood and the room swayed around her. Pictures on the wall danced as she
tried to focus her vision. A low buzzing noise vibrated in her head. She looked at Sissy
and gasped. Two Sissys stood before her.  Crap.
Two guns trained on her chest. Two sets of hollow, emotionless eyes stared at her.
Two snarled mouths opened and yelled at her.  Where are they?
Elyse put her hand to her head where Sissy had hit her. She pulled it away to find it
covered with warm, sticky syrup. She frowned. Where did the syrup come from? She
didn t remember bringing any red syrup.
 My head hurts, she told the Sissys. Her knees weakened and she fell on all fours to
the floor.
Sissy grabbed Elyse s shoulders.  WHERE ARE MY DIAMONDS?
 I gave it to you. Or did I give it to the other you? I m not sure. But one of you has
it.
The pain in Elyse s head subsided and a numbness moved through her. Her limbs
weighted and she struggled to move back from Sissy s grasp.
 All you gave me is a child jewelry box.
 That s the diamonds. Yep. You got it.
Sissy s grip tightened.  You put over four million dollars worth of diamonds in a
child s toy and in your work safe? Are you insane?
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Denise Belinda McDonald
 I must be. I see two of you. With two guns. Doubly damned I guess. Elyse looked
into the two faces.  You and your sister might want to move. I m going to be sick.
Sissy jumped back and shoved Elyse away from her. The room took another rolling
pitch before someone turned out the lights.
When Jack arrived at the store, a fire truck and ambulance sat out front. His heart
seized in his chest when the gurney rolled through the front door. He pushed through the
crowd of people.
 You can t go through there, sir. A young police officer put his hand in the middle
of Jack s chest, halting his progress.
 I need to get in there. My&  What was she? His client? His lover? What did he call
her?  Elyse. I m looking for Elyse Cabot.
 I don t know who that is, sir, but you ll have to stay back here. The officer rested
his hand on the butt of his holstered gun and pushed Jack back again.
Frustrated, Jack turned around to find another way in. A small woman with jet black
hair and pale ivory skin approached him. He recognized Elyse s assistant manager.
 Debbie, where is she?
 They re taking her to the hospital.
His heart stopped.  What happened?
 I m not exactly sure, but someone tripped the old smoke alarm. We called the fire
department and cleared the building. When they went in there they found her in the
stockroom unconscious.
He grabbed the woman s arms and her eyes widened.  Was she shot?
 Shot? I don t think so. Jack, please let go.
Jack did and the woman took a step back.
 She has a gash on her head, but that was all they would tell me.
Jack watched the ambulance pull away and raced to his truck. He followed it to
Methodist Hospital, ten miles away.
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Every fiber of his being shouted at them to hurry. He parked in the emergency zone
and rushed in behind the gurney. Elyse lay still, her eyes closed. Her skin so pale. Blood
covered her right temple. His heart seized and he was afraid he might collapse right there
in the emergency room.
But he steeled his nerves and followed the EMTs into the cubical.
 You can t be in here, sir, someone said.
 I have to. I& love her. I have to make sure she s okay.
 I m sorry, sir, but you ll just be in the way.
Jack took Elyse s cold hand in his and kissed the back gently.
The nurse nodded and he released her hand. He reluctantly left the cubicle to call her
family.
The Zwellers filled the waiting room. Jack didn t know if he should leave or stay. At
some point, the sun had gone down and twilight covered the area, but time had stopped
moving the minute he saw Elyse lying bloodied on the emergency table.
His body had numbed instantly. He dreaded making the call to her family to inform
them she had been injured, but he hadn t wanted them to hear it from someone else.
Diane Zweller had taken Jack into her arms the minute she found him and gave him the
strength to wait out the doctors. She had comforted him when he thought he wouldn t
hold a moment longer.
Finally, after a couple of hours, Elyse was moved to a private room, but the doctors
would only let in two people at a time. Her parents had yet to come out from seeing her.
Jack had checked on Matthew. The paramedics had brought him to the same
hospital. After Jack had given his statement to the police, he had asked to see Matthew,
but he was barely conscious and under guard until they determined his true identity.
Apparently, Jonathan had a strange disease; he couldn t remember what it was
called& Gilbert s disease, yeah. A rare liver disease that, while may lay dormant, will
always be present. Something he didn t share with his twin.
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Denise Belinda McDonald
Matthew was undergoing the tests to verify his Elyse s story. Not that the man [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]