Harrowing by S.E. Amadis Read Free Book Online Page B

while.”
    Romeo stared at me, only half believing, then ran off to Calvin and Lindsay.
    I stewed on our worn and comfortable burgundy futon. It came with the apartment, which was furnished. It was old and creaky and had probably supported the weight of dozens of tenants before us. But I still loved it. It had a lived-in, homey feel.
    I tried to watch TV. Mud-covered strangers traipsing through jungles in one of those ubiquitous survivor realities just didn’t appeal to me. I tried to read a magazine. All those drop-dead gorgeous faces without a single blemish belonged to powerful icons that men would never dare to even touch, much less lay a fist on in order to violate or hurt them.
    “How to Wrap Your Boss Around Your Little Finger”, proclaimed the title of one of the articles in Cosmopolitan.
    “I hate you,” I said.
    I opened the window and tossed the magazine out. Someone exclaimed in surprise below me.
    “Hey, look. Just the magazine I wanted,” a girlie voice cried out. “Lookit this. It just fell from heaven on me. It’s got all these cool bracelets...”
    I slammed the window shut and threw myself into the shower. Lately I was taking showers two, three, even four times a day and my skin was starting to get as dry as a prune. It didn’t seem to make any difference in the way I felt.
    *
    The phone was ringing as I got out of the shower. I stumbled over a stool trying to grab it, cursing. I plunked the phone to my ear, and I just knew it was his voice. I just knew it.
    I’d only heard him say five sentences to me before, and the timbre was garbled by the impersonal electric cables. But I just knew it was him. I would never forget that eely hiss as long as I lived.
    “Hi. May I speak to Ms. Annasuya Adler, please?” the voice twittered cheerily.
    The phone almost slipped from my lax hand. He was looking for me! Trying to find where I lived.
    My hand trembled so hard the phone nearly fell from it. I didn’t know what to do. If I hung up on him, he would suspect. Nay, he would know it was me. But if I spoke, perhaps he would recognize my voice.
    Grabbing a dish cloth in a rush, I folded it over the mouthpiece several times, forming a thick layer that I hoped would muffle the real sound of my voice.
    “No... No...” I mumbled. I remembered something Lindsay had taught me. “No hay,” I said, praying fervently that I sounded like a genuine Latina. I knew what I’d said didn’t make any sense, since I’d just informed the caller that there weren’t any here. But hopefully his Spanish was as bad as mine.
    Fatty and Skinny started squealing. Desperate, I dashed to their side and stuck the phone up next to the rat cage. Fatty bit at it and squealed even harder in protest. I smashed my finger down over the button with the red phone icon.
    Lindsay and Calvin were whispering together and pinching each other on the arm conspiratorially as they walked in the door. I could just imagine what they were conspiring about.
    My hands were still shaking. I hid them in the folds of my bathrobe and adopted a fake disapproving look.
    “So. Which of you is going to knock on Bruno’s door to lure him out, and which is going to plant the bomb in his basement?” I said.
    Lindsay only gaped at me.
    “What the hell are you talking about? I was just telling Calvin I’d never seen such a fantastic movie before. Maybe it’s an old classic, but Titanic never goes out of date.”
    “You took Romeo to see Titanic after the streetcar?” I said, deadpan.
    Lindsay giggled and nodded.
    “What’s wrong with that?”
    “It’s a bit mushy, isn’t it, for someone his age?”
    I glanced at Romeo and tousled his head.
    “Isn’t that right, honey pops? Did you like the movie?”
    He squirmed away from me.
    “I thought it was a bit mushy,” he replied, then hopped into the living-room.
    A minute later we heard vrooms and pings from the TV.
    “So you weren’t whispering about me behind my back?” I said as we peeled onions and