Page 2 of Fire in My Blood
Just as I move past the door to the room with the soup, there’s a faint clinking sound like cutlery being used or chains moving. I pause and listen, but everything is quiet.
After a few seconds, I shake my head at myself. My imagination is getting the better of me, probably spurred on by what I found in the room. But there was no light in there when I opened the door, so there’s obviously no one there.
And come to think of it, there was no spoon on the tray with the soup. Which is strange in itself, but not as strange as the soup being there in the first place.
After I finish cleaning the floor, I stack all the cleaning supplies back on the cart and get into the elevator. My mind is spinning with a variety of explanations for the bowl of soup while I rinse and put away all the supplies upstairs. But none of the explanations seem plausible.
I grab my light coat and my purse before I leave. My car is parked in the parking lot right outside the building. It’s dark, and I count myself lucky that the car is so close, and I don’t have to walk more than a few yards to reach it.
The dark didn’t used to bother me. But ever since the assault four years ago, I don’t venture out into the dark unless I have to. Control of my surroundings has become alpha and omega for my sanity.
Thankfully, there is a parking garage underneath my apartment building, so the only place I have to move aroundoutside in the dark is here. And this is within a restricted-access military compound.
In all fairness it isn’t even that dark. There are lights by the entrance to the building and at one corner of the parking lot. But it’s still dark enough to make my heart rate speed up.
After putting my purse on the passenger seat, I slide into the driver’s seat and start the engine. I let out a sigh of relief when I push the accelerator and the car starts moving. Just one more hurdle before I can make my way back home.
The guard at the main gate smiles when I pull up next to him. He gives me a small wave as the gate opens, and I smile and wave back at him, relieved he didn’t want to talk to me.
He’s just one of several guards manning the gates, but they all know me and my car, so I rarely have to show my identification anymore. But it still unsettles me whenever there’s a new guard who checks me over with scrutiny like I’ve done something wrong.
When I pull out onto the main road, I breathe out slowly and push my shoulders down from almost touching my ears. I broke a rule tonight, but my manager is at least partially to blame for failing to make sure my card doesn’t open every damn door in the building.
Chapter 2
Erica
I wake at dawn as usual. After dragging myself out of bed, I put on my running clothes and gather my long blond hair in a high ponytail. It’s time to hit the park, the same as I do every morning.
The sun is wrestling with the clouds, but it’s mostly winning. The park is already quite busy with people out running or walking with or without a dog. It’s a sprawling green park with a variety of trees and bushes but no dense forested areas. There are two small hills perfect for interval training and a playground that doubles as an outdoor gym.
The part of Long Island where I live is mostly residential with a low crime rate, even though it’s no more than an hour’s drive from Manhattan. And that’s the main reason I chose to buy an apartment in the area. That and the proximity to my brother and his family.
After our parents died in a car crash five years ago, David, Mina, and their two children are the only family I have left and the only people I spend much time with.
I run an easy circuit around the park before I take off up the hill as fast as I can. The view is fantastic from up here, but I don’t stop to enjoy it today. Instead, I lower my pace to let my legs recover on the way down.
I exit the park across the street from the gym. My usual routine consists of lifting free weights and using some of the workout machines I like. The program is punishing, but that’s the reason I’m here in the first place.
My single goal is to become as strong as possible in order to fend off an attacker. It makes me different because it’s not why most people go to the gym. And the fact that my body is lean and corded with muscle like an elite athlete’s seems to be almost offensive to some people.
But I lift my chin and let their looks of disgust bounce off me like they mean nothing. I’m happy with my body and the fact that my strength might mean the difference between being assaulted and getting away. I have no illusions about being able to defeat a big strong man in a fight, but all I need is the opportunity to get in a good kick to his balls or gain the upper hand with my speed and strength.
After finishing my workout, I go back to my apartment and have a quick shower. I dress in jeans and a baggy sweater before heading into the kitchen.
As if on cue, my stomach rumbles, and I let out a small chuckle as I open the fridge. I’ve never been able to eat first thing in the morning, but after a workout I’m always ravenous.
The contents of my fridge is nothing short of depressing. But I’ve got eggs, so I quickly whip up an omelet to go with the last two pieces of toast in my pantry.
Grocery shopping needs to be on my agenda for the day, but I have plenty of time for that later. First, I want to head down to the animal shelter where I volunteer as often as I can.
Nothing makes me feel as loved and wanted as the animals clamoring for my attention. And they don’t ask questions or demand more than I can give.
∞∞∞
I wave and smile at the guard as I pass through the gates to the base and continue down the road toward the main officebuilding. After parking in the same spot as I always do, I get out and use my access card to let myself into the building.
There are a couple of people in the offices upstairs when I arrive, but they both pack up and leave before I can start my first task of dusting and polishing. In the quiet of the expansive office floor, my mind soon starts to wander.