Page 13 of Shadow Operative

five

Nia had gone backto her apartment, but all she could think about was how things would play out.

Would the person who’d texted her make some egregious request in return for their silence? So far, the stipulations hadn’t come through.

But they would.

If she didn’t obey, she’d be arrested.

How would Mario make her suffer for this?

Nia felt catatonic as she sat on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest.

She’d worked hard to get to this place in life. For the longest time, she’d even said no to any type of social life unless it involved networking.

Then two years ago, everything had changed when her sister, Sophia, had been diagnosed with ALS. Alan, Sophia’s husband, had left her, and she’d been unable to continue her job as an elementary school teacher.

So Nia supported Sophia. She visited her sister once aweek—Sophia lived two hours north and wasn’t ready to relocate—and helped with her expenses. Paid for a housekeeper and nurse.

The diagnosis had made Nia realize she could gain the world but lose her soul.

She’d begun to feel like Solomon. Had begun to feel like everything she’d achieved and sacrificed was meaningless—things she couldn’t take with her when she departed this earth one day.

Those she loved were the most important thing.

So Nia had begun to make some changes.

She’d tried to become the person her parents would be proud of. Not that she’d done anything nefarious before. But she’d been all about work and getting ahead. About having the life she’d never had growing up.

She’d wanted all the finer things. And she’d gotten them.

But once she’d arrived at the top, she’d realized she was unhappier than she’d ever been before.

Success and money didn’t buy happiness. It had been a hard lesson to learn.

Just when she thought she was doomed to feel empty for the rest of her life, a friend had invited her to church. She’d noticed how Amelia, her friend, always seemed joyful, even in the hardest of circumstances.

She wanted what Amelia had.

Once Nia started going to church, her whole life had changed.

Even though Amelia had eventually moved away, the changes Nia had made in her life remained.

Nia pressed her eyes closed.Oh, God, what am I going to do? Why am I in this situation?

She kept trying to recall what had happened after she left that restaurant.

But she couldn’t.

It was as if her memories had been erased.

Then Nia heard the knock at her door.

It was the police, wasn’t it? They were coming to arrest her. The killer could have sent them her photo.

Who else would knock on her door at seven-thirty a.m.?

What would she tell the cops? The question tossed back and forth in her mind.

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