Page 30 of Searching for Thanksgiving

Not in this case, she mused, rubbing her thigh muscle to ease the knot in it.

It was hard to believe the tenth anniversary of the accident was approaching. She closed her eyes for a moment as a flash of pain radiated through her. Even after all these years, the pain could still take her breath away.

She lifted a hand to her cheek and brushed her fingers along the smooth, dry skin. She was surprised. The tears—and the anger—were never far when she thought about the past.

Maybe the tears are only on the inside now, she mused.

Her best friend, Stacy, and Stacy’s mother had perished ten years ago in a car accident that nearly killed her as well. The memories of the crash, waking up in the hospital to discover that she had lost her leg, as well as her best friend, chased away her appetite.

She pushed the plate away from her and sat back in her chair. It was too early to go to bed, and there wasn’t anything to help distract her as she had when she was back on Earth.

“Yeah, like someone trying to kill you,” she muttered with a disgusted shake of her head.

Her stomach tightened at the recent memory. Her dad’s last legal case had turned into a nightmare. He was a Federal Prosecutor who worked on numerous cases, but the last case involved a very powerful businessman. She didn’t know much about the case, but she knew that the threats had been real when two men attempted to kidnap her as she walked back to her apartment after a late class.

Nausea roiled her stomach as she remembered how helpless she had felt. She pushed against the table and stood. She was reaching for her plate when a thud against the door startled her. A swift shaft of anger surprised her.

Christoff!

He must have been on his way over when he contacted her a few minutes earlier. She walked over to the door and jerked it open. The retort on the tip of her tongue changed to a hoarse cry of fear. She stumbled backwards. The heel of her left boot caught on the rug, and she felt herself falling as a choking wave of terror swept through her.

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