Free Breaking Away (The Man in the Shadows) by Erin M. Truesdale Page A

saving brace, a force that could shield her from the most blistering storm, and she could feel his rapid, sensuous breathing on her neck. Remembering, reliving the moment, she knew that the overwhelming feeling she had at that moment was one she had never felt. Reliving it, she felt whole. When she had been joined with this man, even in the mere act of sharing his space, of looking into his eyes, she was whole; he was a puzzle piece that fit into her unique brand of crazy. She could tell just by looking into his chilling eyes that he was a special part of her life, someone who she was meant to meet, someone that would help her realize her full potential, to bring her that warm feeling that only home could bring.
    Home.
    This word, ‘home,’ gave her the chills. Recalling when she saw Ethan, having broken into her apartment to make sure she was alright, she had told him of a dream she had been having, one that she had been ripped out of when she saw Ethan’s face. She had found herself in a strange world, and the people were all wearing dark cloaks, were telling her she was home... home... what did it mean?
    Exasperated, she placed her elbows on the desk and buried her face in her hands. She felt like she was being pulled helplessly towards a whirlpool, threatened with being sucked under the water, to suffocate, to drown, to never see life again. Or at least, strangely, to never see life the same wayagain. Over the last twenty hours or so, she hadn’t been conscious of much that had transpired, but she knew that she hadn’t heard the whisper, that lovely whisper which brought her so much comfort, so much joy. She glanced over at the framed pictures of her father across the room. “Dad...” she whispered. “What is happening? Never leave me, okay? I’m scared.”
    The silence that filled her apartment was deafening. Memories of her dad flashed through her memory, and she suddenly felt a sorrowful longing. Wishing she had savored each moment as a child more, she could almost feel her tiny hand in her dad’s as they walked down to the park in North Minneapolis. She smelled the fresh spring air on her face, in her lungs as her dad pushed her on a swing, and she laughed and giggled as she asked to be pushed higher. Once the whisper began, long ago, she soon heard her father’s whisper. He told her he was proud of the woman she had become, that she stood to become so much more...
    She strained to remember more about the day that had just passed. Who was the man she had met in the bathroom? Who had she been talking to when Ethan had come to check on her? Why did she feel so lost, so empty, so alone?
    The ring of her phone broke the silence, making her heart skip a beat. She got up out of her chair by the window and meandered across the room to fetch it. As she picked it up, she saw by the lit up screen that it was Ethan. Answering it as quickly as possible, she inquired, “Ethan?”
    “Hello, Darling.” A pang of dolefulness hit her then, because the normal swooning feeling she got by the utterance of this word from his lips didn’t hit. It was so abnormal that she whimpered a little bit.
    “Ethan...” she answered. “How are you?”
    “I’m fine, my nose is a little tender, but nothing I can’t tough through.” A brief silence followed before he said, “It doesn’t matter how I am. How are you? I’m still so worried.”
    Smiling a little by his concern, she said, “I’m fine. I think. Nothing weird has happened since we parted. I’ve been trying to remember what happened...”
    “Don’t stress yourself out,” Ethan interrupted, kindly offering advice. “It’ll come back to you with time.”
    “Yeah,” she reluctantly agreed. “I’m just so confused. I need to know.”
    “I need to tell you something.” Ethan sounded strained, and Maika knew right away that he had a secret. She sucked in a deep breath, trying to decide whether she wanted to know what it was. Hadn’t she had enough surprises in