Free Waking Nightmare by Kylie Brant

with both.” She gave a wry smile. “My prowess with a rifle is less impressive, but I passed.”
    His attention had wandered to the next picture, and she felt the tension settle in her shoulders again. Forestalling the inevitable question, she said, “I want to thank you again for your help.”
    “No problem.” This time when she started toward the back door, he followed. “You might try Stanley Glass when you’re calling tomorrow. They’re in the book. They’re quick and they won’t hose you for the work.”
    “Good to know.” He stopped, his hand on the knob of the back door. Silence stretched, long enough to have her nerves jangling. Robel looked at the bag in her hand and his expression grew thoughtful.
    Abbie sensed he was about to say something else. And more than anything at that moment, she wanted to avoid further speculation. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    “If you need some personal time to come home and deal with the glass or security companies, just let me know.” He reached for the bag. “I’ll dump this in the garbage on my way out.”
    “I can . . .” His hand brushed hers, heat transferring at the touch, and she nearly jumped. Her nerves were frayed and at that moment she would have given her very generous monthly paycheck to make him disappear.
    “Good. Fine.” She relinquished the bag and stepped back, his inscrutable stare making her all too aware that she was flushing. “And I don’t need any time off. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    Without another word, he went out the door, and she closed and locked it after him, feeling a little foolish. It would be easy enough for a prowler to remove the neat cardboard patch job and reach in to unlock the door. She pulled a chair from the kitchen table and wedged it under the knob, although she was fairly certain the trespasser wouldn’t be returning. At least not tonight.
    Resolutely, Abbie walked back into the other room, intent on losing herself in work when a realization struck her. She was going to have to find a mall to do some shopping. With the exception of the one she was wearing, every dress shirt she’d brought with her had been ruined.
    Frustration surged. As if the break-in wasn’t irritating enough, now she had to shop. And she’d rather be beaten than to spend hours looking at clothes. But of course, her intruder today had known that.
    Inevitably, her gaze was drawn to the photos she’d replaced on the mantle. To the blond woman with the too bright smile standing arm in arm with Abbie.
    “Callie?” Realizing she’d called the name aloud, she immediately felt foolish. The small home had been searched several times already. There was no one here.
    But there had been earlier, and it had almost certainly been her sister. All the tension of the last hour settled in her temples, and they began to throb painfully. She hadn’t spoken to Callie for months, but she’d left messages. Forwarding addresses. She had no idea why Callie would reach out now, in this way, but she was almost certain that she had. The devastation to her wardrobe proved that.
    Only Callie knew about her penchant for long-sleeved shirts and the scars they covered.
    Only Callie would bare them, literally, for the world to see.

Chapter 5

    The woman lying in the hospital bed knew all about scars. If Abbie hadn’t seen the photos taken after Amanda Richards’s attack, she’d find it hard to believe that the girl had already had two operations. From some newspaper pictures in the file, she knew it had once been an extraordinarily beautiful face.
    Now it was a patchwork of seams and puckered, drawn skin, as if there hadn’t been enough flesh to reattach and the remaining skin had been pulled too tightly. One eye was noticeably lower than the other, giving her features an off-kilter look. Looking at her, Abbie was certain today’s was just one of a long string of surgeries.
    She knocked on the open hospital door and the three occupants of the room looked toward