Shattered Bonds (continued)

Greg held out his arm to her. Lorelei surprised herself when she jerked suddenly back from him. Greg studied her for a moment, his mouth working on a frown.

“Let’s go,” he told her softly, and turned, waiting for her to lead the way.

Lorelei began walking, but slowed until Greg was moving too. She kept him slightly ahead of her, where she could see him clearly. Even with him clearly in sight, she could not shake the sensation that someone else followed her in the shadows.

They reached her house to discover that it was dark and empty. The faint chill of its interior told Lorelei that her mother had not been there in some time.

As Greg turned on the lights, he asked her, “Where’s your mother?”

“Probably off praying over someone,” Lorelei responded.

Her tone carried a cutting snideness that she had not really intended. Somewhere inside her, she could feel a burning anger beginning to grow. There was no reason, she knew, that it should be directed at Greg—he had come to her rescue, after all. He just happened to be a convenient target.

Greg studied her curiously for a moment, but said nothing in response. Instead, he went through the small house, ensuring that the other doors were locked.

“Do you want me to stay with you until she gets home?”

“No.”

Lorelei’s reply was a sharp snap.

Greg’s expression betrayed his concern, but again he said nothing about it.

“Come by the clinic tomorrow,” he told her instead. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

Lorelei opened her mouth to protest, to insist that neither Pollack nor Tyler had managed to get their filthy little dicks inside her, but Greg cut her off.

“I’ll let Wendy know,” he said with a detached, authoritative tone. “She’ll take care of it.”

“Fine,” Lorelei agreed irritably, clearly having no intention of making that visit.

“If you don’t come around by noon,” he went on, ignoring her surly façade, “I’ll have her come here to check on you.”

Lorelei said nothing, but her expression clearly reflected her irritation at being outmaneuvered.

“Okay then,” he conceded, heading for the front entrance. “Keep the doors locked until your mother gets home. I’ll go talk to Security.”

This last made her stomach tighten. It would mean that someone else—probably several someones—would also know what happened to her. Before she could protest, though, Greg was out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Rather than immediately walking over to latch and lock it, Lorelei just stared at it. Finding herself alone now, she felt a sudden urge to cry. Hot tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. She tried to fight them back, wiping at them angrily as if that small act of defiance might be enough to hold them back.