Free A Trespass in Time by Susan Kiernan-Lewis Page A

away from him and pulled his hands from her breasts. “Hugo,” she said.
                “No, you are not going to stop us,” he said, nuzzling her breasts through her blouse.
                “Yes, I am,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m drunk. You’re drunk…”
                “Not that drunk. I can still perform if that’s what you’re worried about.”
                “Hugo,” she said, moving off his lap. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” She moved out of his reach and rearranged her blouse. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll make us some coffee.”
                Hugo sat on the couch looking into space as if stunned that this is how the evening was ending up after all.
                Ella went into the kitchen and plugged in her electric kettle. She dug out two mugs and a jar of instant coffee.
                Where had all that about Rowan come from? she wondered. She thought she was pretty much over him. Was she fooling herself? She couldn’t imagine Rowan pushing some half naked, willing girl away. She poured boiling water into the mugs.
                “Milk? Sugar?” she called. “I think I have both.” She opened the refrigerator door to grab the milk and caught the time displayed on the oven. It was three a.m. Rowan would be at the office, probably drinking coffee and planning his day—not screwing some hot Alabama babe. She put the sugar bowl, the mugs and the milk on a tray.
                That would’ve been last night.
                She picked up the tray and walked into the living room. She hadn’t heard him leave but she wasn’t surprised to see that he was gone. She set the tray down on the coffee table and ran to the bedroom to make sure. On her way back to the living room, she locked the door and looked at the two steaming mugs on the coffee table…right next to the block of C-4 and the blasting caps he’d run off and left.
     
               
     

 
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
                Ella knew she should have seen the coming storm. Although she knew some things just happen, like a natural impetus independent of the actions or desires of the people involved, she also knew that she was the author of every step that had taken her to this point. She wouldn’t sidestep the responsibility for that now. If she hadn’t taken the Heidelberg job, if she hadn’t let go of Rowan, if she hadn’t been so stubborn about accepting help from her own father, then maybe, just maybe the rest of the dominoes wouldn’t have fallen the way they did. But by the time it all came crashing down on her, it was way too late to think she could’ve done anything to have stopped it.
                The end of all hope of happiness began for Ella as a typical Tuesday morning. She walked to work from her apartment, hitting her favorite Konditerei for an espresso and a sweet roll on the way. She would have preferred something more substantial but she was already running late. It had been two weeks since her visit to Dossenheim. With the exception of Hugo taking great strides to avoid her and being sullen and uncharacteristically curt when he couldn’t, she had managed to put that day almost completely out of her mind. Glimmers of the day’s revelations would come to her when she wasn’t paying attention—taking a shower or waiting for the elevator. When they did, she would feel an overwhelming emotion that she couldn’t name but which was nearly unbearable in its pain. It was like a weight that materialized on her chest, creating such debilitating pressure that she could scarcely breathe.
                When those moments happened, she recited German verbs to distract her.
                That had worked pretty well. Up to now.
                As she hurried up the Hauptstrasse toward her office building opposite the Hard Rock Café , she caught her