Free Chloe's Guardian (The Nephilim Redemption Series Book 1) by Cheri Gillard

the artery. Oh no ! No pulse . Had his spirit left yet? Was he too far gone? What have I done?

CHAPTER 10
     
    Panic woke Chloe, ripping her from where she teetered just inside the edge of sleep. A voice was back in her head. You’re all alone. No one loves you. When she opened her eyes, her surroundings sealed it for her. She truly was lost and alone in a strange country. And it was her own fault.
    Her stomach growled at her and her teeth felt like she’d gargled with swamp sand. She needed to find food, get her phone charged and call Todd, call her mom, and figure out how to survive until they could rescue her.
    She sat up from the loveseat, which faced away from the front desk and most of the lobby. She peeked over the back of the small couch. A different person manned the counter—a stern looking woman who was arguing with another woman about checkout times.
    The cello was gone. And so was her bowl of money. She jumped up and ran around the loveseat searching for the money. No, no, no. Where is it?
    “Hey, you there!” said the stern woman at the counter. “Where’d you come from? Come over here.”
    “Have you seen my bowl of money?” Chloe snatched up the ten pound paper bill that she’d been lying on. She pulled a cushion off the couch to look for more, but before she could dig around, the woman from the counter was at her side.
    “What are you, some kind of homeless bum off the street? You can’t come in here like this.” She grabbed the cushion from Chloe and raised it like she meant to hit her with it. “Go on. Now, get. Get!”
    “I need to charge my phone. And I had a bowl of money.” But the woman wasn’t listening. Because she was calling down the corridor for security .
    I’ve had enough with security for one lifetime . Chloe tucked the one bill into her pocket and dashed out of the door before anyone could haul her out. With the money gone and her phone still dead, she was back where she’d started, the whole night wasted. You’re hopeless. It was true. It would have been better if her jump had been successful.
    Outside, she just started walking. The voice kept telling her terrible things. And they were all true. It was hopeless and it was all her fault.
    The aroma of cinnamon rolls swirled around her face. The smell came from a bakery surrounded by café tables filled with couples, friends, and families huddled under their maroon umbrellas. Everyone has someone. Except me.
    The sweet smell of yeast and sugar pulled her inside. She had to eat. After standing in line a few minutes, she stepped up to the counter and concentrated on the menu hanging on the wall, working hard not to start crying. If Todd had been there, she’d be okay. He would make her feel safe. She wouldn’t be alone. He’d make everything okay.
    But he isn’t here . And I need to hold it together till we can talk.
    The jumble of words on the menu became legible and her stomach reminded her where she was. A breakfast sandwich and a bottle of juice was the cheapest breakfast combo on the menu. She ordered and watched the sizzling maple bacon bubble and spit on the grill behind the cashier. It made her stomach growl loud enough that the man heard it.
    Chloe rubbed her stomach. “Guess I’m hungry.” She gave him her order.
    “Aye. Eat in or take away?”
    “Take away. That's cheaper, right?”
    “Aye. That’ll be four pounds, sixty then.” Across the counter he slid a frosted bottle of orange juice and he tucked a steaming sandwich with egg falling out the edges into a paper sleeve.
    Chloe reached into her pocket for the money. Wrong pocket. She tried the other. It wasn’t there either. She checked the first again, digging deeper. Where did I put it? She opened her phone case to see if she’d stuck it inside. Was she losing her mind? You are losing your mind the incessant voice said.
    “Hang on a sec, I had it here somewhere.” While she checked her back pockets, the cashier pulled the breakfast combo back out