Background
Anna is a young mother striving to find a way out of an abusive marriage. She meets a stranger, Troy. Troy fights his own demons. Can they help each other find love, or are their struggles too much?
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The waitress brought the bill and a sack. She handed them to Troy.
Anna glanced at her watch, then at the waitress. "I need to get back to work. May I have a take-home box?"
Everett chuckled and pointed at the sack. "Troy, are you afraid you'll get hungry this afternoon?"
"No, Anna was worried about the homeless vet down the street." He grinned and handed the sack to the PI. "It's a cheeseburger and fries. Would you give them to Sam on your way out?"
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Today's post:
"You mean that beggar's Sam?" Anna's eyes widened as she stared toward him. "It doesn't look like him."
Troy chuckled. "That's the point of a disguise."
"I bet he's glad the parking garage gives him some shade. It would be horrible standing in the sun." Anna glanced out the window toward Sam.
Before the three left the restaurant, Everett grinned as he glanced inside the sack. "Not a problem. I need to talk with him anyway."
*****
About a half a block from Anna's office, Everett crossed the busy street and handed the beggar the cheeseburger and fries. Troy and Anna continued toward her office.
Anna stopped in front of her door and turned toward Troy. "I'm glad Everett discovered who drives the white truck. Although, I wish it wasn't Slim."
"Now we know who we're dealing with. We can keep an eye on him."
Troy answered his cell phone and then watched Everett dodge cars as he ran across the street.
When Everett stood beside them, he held up his cell phone. "Anna, do you recognize this person?"
She nodded. "It's Ted. Bobby's cousin."
Everett released a deep breath. "Sam has watched him walk up and down the sidewalk about five times. It seems he's watching you."
Anna grabbed Troy's arm. "He's seen me with you. You're in danger. We can't have lunch together anymore."
"They already know we're seeing each other." Troy rubbed the back of his neck. "Who do you think broke into my office, stole my medical records, and posted them on the Internet? The slanderous statements will come back to haunt them, including the breaking and entering."
"With all the charges they're racking up, if they get out of jail they'll be too old to cause any problems." Everett put the phone in his pocket and continued, "I need to get back to work. Anna, Sam will make sure you're safe."
Anna watched Everett walk away, then glanced toward Sam. Finally, her eyes met Troy's. "I'm officially scared."
Troy grinned. "I think you've been officially scared for quite a while."
"You're right, but now I have a reason, don't I?"
"You've had a reason all along."
Mr. Keller opened the door, stepped on the sidewalk, and smiled at them. "Hi Mr. Whitman, Anna." He nodded. "Wish me luck. I'm leaving for my presentation."
"Good luck." Anna smiled as she put her hand on the door knob. "I need to get back to work."
"I'll come by tonight after work. It'll be later than usual, probably around seven o'clock. I have a late telephone conference." Troy took her hand and gently squeezed it. "Bye." He turned to leave, then looked back as as if to retrace his steps. "Do you want me to bring anything?"
Anna shook her head. "Nope, I'm cooking spaghetti. Think Sam or Everett, whichever one is there, likes spaghetti and salad?"
"I'm sure they both do. I'll call before I come by and see if they need snacks." He grinned as he left.
*****
Inside her office, Anna sat at her glass-topped oak desk and stared at the closed blinds. I have two PI's guarding me. I have put a very wonderful man in danger. Probably Betty and Paul are in danger too. How did I get in this mess? Tears streamed down her cheeks.
When Anna heard a vaguely familiar male voice, she stood at her door so she could hear.
"Does Anna Rodgers work here?" the voice asked.
"Yes, she does. Who's asking?"
Ginger sounds cautious. I've heard that voice before, but I can't place it. I wonder what's going on. Anna stiffened when she heard the front door open and close.
Again she heard Ginger's voice, "Mr. Whitman, how can I help you?"
Anna chewed on her lower lip and continued listening.
"When Anna comes in, would you give her a message? I know she's out until close to closing time."
Troy knows I'm here. What's going on?
"Sure, what do you want me to tell her?" Ginger asked.
"If you have a piece of paper, I'll write it down."
The first man asked, "So, Mrs. Rodgers won't be back until later this afternoon?"
"That's right. Can I take a message?"
"No, I'll come back." Anna heard the door slam.
Within moments, Troy stood at Anna's office door.
Her eyes met his. "Who was here?"
"Ted Edwards."
Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "If he'd been watching me, he already knew where I worked. Why did he come inside and ask?"
"Intimidation." Troy took out his phone. "Sam, Anna's going home. Be ready to follow her." He put his phone away and took her hand. "Don't argue with me. These men are getting braver. I'll have Dad talk with Mr. Keller. You're in too much danger to stay here. This whole thing is coming to a head."
"How did you know Ted was here?" Anna asked.
"Sam saw him and called me. I was checking in at the bookstore before I went to my office."
"Ted and Slim know we're seeing each other. I'm sure Ted recognized you. You shouldn't have risked coming here."
"I wasn't going to risk him hurting you. Get whatever you need. I'll walk you to the car."
Anna stopped and took a deep breath. "Troy, I'm staying here. I'm done running. Sam can move inside the lobby if he wants, but I have a job I need to keep and a son to raise."
Author Notes
Thank you, Brian for allowing me to use your artwork to show the struggles Anna has breaking the chains of abuse.
This post is the third part of Chapter 17, a much longer chapter and it can not stand alone.
Thank you for reading and reviewing.
SAFE (stop abuse for everyone)
www.safe4all.org
National Domestic Violence Hotline (800)799-7233
Each state has it's own hotline number.
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