Free Shadow Walker by Mel Favreaux Page B

stepped outside, the rush of traffic, taxi’s, and people, Amber felt overwhelmed. Taking control of the situation, Casey flagged down a taxi and secured it for them.
    She began to calm during the ride to the condo. “I am so sorry. I guess I’ve lived in the Run for too long. I don’t even know how to act in large groups of people. I grew up in Vegas! Right on the strip.”
    “That’s one of the things I didn’t like about this place myself. Too many people, not enough forest.” Casey gave her a smile. “God I’d missed being home.”
    “I bet. How long before we make it to your condo?”
    “About an hour in this traffic.”
    Amber growled. “I wish I could sleep.”
    “We’ll just have to do it all over again tomorrow to get to the shoot.”
    She growled again and tried to meditate to calm herself.
    Casey’s cell phone rang. “Hey girl, we’re on our way to my place now. Well, all I see is a virtual parking lot out here. How do the roads look? Yeah? Great . We’ll see you in the morning.” She hung up the phone. “Dori stopped by the store and stocked my fridge with the essentials for the morning. Fresh milk, coffee, and some bagels.” With a deep breath, she leaned back and rubbed her temples.
    “What’s the matter?”
    “This is the last place I want to be right now. I don’t want the old stresses to creep back up on me.”
    “It’s the last one, it won’t be forever,” Amber stated, trying to reassure her friend.
    After what seemed like forever in the swarm of traffic, blaring horns, and muffled curses from the cab driver, they finally arrived at their desired destination.
    “Wow…you live here?” Amber craned her neck to stare up at the gargantuan condominium structure.
    Casey nodded while they took their bags from the trunk of the cab and she paid the driver.
    “How many people live here?”
    Swiping her card so they could gain access, Casey shrugged. “I have no idea. With the hours I worked, I don’t know any of my neighbors. I lived more in my studio than I ever did here.” She pressed the button for the elevator. “I’m up on the fifth floor.”
    Amber took note of all the expensive décor, even in the elevator. It made her feel like the entire structure would crumble were she to sneeze. “Please tell me your place isn’t decorated this way,” she whispered, afraid to speak too loud.
    Casey laughed and shook her head. “No, I promise, it’s very basic. I surrounded myself with what I love most.” Stepping off the elevator, she led the way to her apartment and unlocked the door.
    Standing there a moment, Amber watched the churn of emotions shift through her friend. The atmosphere seemed…cold…distant. The apartment was sparsely furnished and everything inside was black, white, and grey.
    “Hey…it’s gonna be all right Casey, I promise. We won’t be gone long and then we can pack everything up and sell or rent this place out.”
    The blonde sniffed and set her bag down. “I guess, I didn’t realize my apartment felt this way. So desolate, empty. After just saying…”
    Amber took a deep breath and walked into the living room. It was furnished with a large overstuffed black leather sofa and matching loveseat and armchair. The tables were black and glass. The portraits on the walls were of nature scenes in black and white. The few decorative plants were in pale grays and white. She stopped in front of an enormous black and white portrait of a tree. The sunlight was coming down through the branches. Her eyes were drawn to it.
    Casey walked over and stood next to her. “I took that out in the Cabinets about eight years ago. I liked it so much I blew it up and framed it. This tree is one of my favorite places to go whenever I go there. I’ve always loved that tree.”
    “You took all of these?” She walked through the room, looking at all of the different pictures.
    “Most of them.”
    “You’ve never been in my place, have you?” Amber leaned forward to look