Deadly Past by Kris Rafferty

Author:Kris Rafferty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-05-30T21:25:41+00:00

Chapter Nine

The first and only time Cynthia ever cold-cocked someone was in college, freshman year. It was a defining moment in her life, directing her to seek a career in law enforcement, with a focus in criminal psychology. And she owed it all to Charlie.

Six months after the accident, when he was still in the hospital, she’d convinced him and MIT that he should end his scholastic medical leave and attend classes again, despite still being wheelchair-bound. He’d graduate late, but he’d graduate. It took some finagling, but by scheduling her classes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she could bring Charlie to his classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The “cold-cocking incident” happened early that first semester, when no one knew yet if Charlie could meet this challenge. She’d parked his wheelchair in class, and then left the hundred-seat auditorium to use the restroom before class started. At the door, Cynthia passed two perfectly coiffed students, smelling of Chanel and wearing designer clothes. The young women noticed Charlie, his wheelchair, and his medical devices, and were visibly and vocally recoiling. Cynthia ignored it, until one—phone in one hand, spiced latte in the other—curled her lip, and said, “I’d rather die than be disabled.”

Cynthia remembered stopping, as if she’d run into a wall. She remembered her fingers clutching the door’s handle and her vision blurring as fresh memories of Terrance’s wake and funeral resurfaced. She was told later—in her MIT-mandated anger management counseling session—that she’d snapped. Many reasons were suggested, but even now, the last thing she remembered of the incident was their tittering and giggles. Then, nothing. But there were plenty of witnesses.

Cynthia cold-cocked the student. Tackled her.

Her father happily wrote a large alumni donation, smoothed things over with the student’s family, and Cynthia found her major, which eventually landed her at The National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), a major branch of the FBI’s Crisis Incident Response Group.

All because of Charlie. No one screwed with him, not while Cynthia was around.

But she’d yet to find a way to protect Charlie…from Charlie.

She worked that problem well into the night, too stimulated to sleep, and it was the only reason she heard the suspicious noises in the apartment. Rolling out of bed, she quickly and quietly shrugged into an oversized T-shirt and a pair of panties. If there was an intruder, she wasn’t getting caught naked. Then she slipped her gun from its holster, also quietly, and carefully turned the knob on her door to prevent any telltale sounds from giving her away. Then, on nimble feet, she hurried down the hall to investigate, gun at the ready, fearing an intruder had broken in while she and Charlie slept.

But it was just Charlie. Not snoring on the couch, per se, so much as making noises in his sleep. She allowed the gun to hang at her side, feeling a bit ashamed at her disappointment. She could have used the workout an intruder would have provided.

Cynthia approached the pullout couch, her path lit by moonlight peeking in from between the drapes.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.