Free Grizzly Flying Home by Sloane Meyers Page A

hear what Charlotte was saying.
    “She’s hurt, but not badly. I think she’s mostly emotionally shaken up. But she's saying something about how she can’t go back to her apartment and get her stuff because Scott will kill her. I’m not sure who Scott is, exactly. Seems like an ex-boyfriend or something?”
    “He better be an ex, after all of this,” Chance said. “Can you put her on the line?”
    A few moments later, Chance heard Emily’s voice come on the line, sounding frightened and far away. She was crying, and it was hard to understand what she was saying. He thought he caught something about her trying to move but she was scared Scott would come after her even up north. It was hard to say for sure.
    “Listen, Emily. You’re going to be just fine. There are two policemen here at your apartment. They’ve already taken Scott in to the station, so he won’t be able to come after you. And you’re safe at the hangar. The guys there won’t let anyone near you. I’m on my way home, okay? I’m going to get there as quickly as I can, but in the meantime I think the police want to ask you a few questions to clear up what’s going on. I’m going to give my phone to them. Can you talk to them for a few minutes while I drive back?”
    Emily sniffed out something that sounded like a “yes,” and Chance tossed his phone at one of the officers.
    “Here,” he said. “She’s in a safe place. Ask her whatever questions you need to. I’m going to go see her.”
    “What about your phone, man?” the first cop asked. “Don’t you want to wait and get it back from us?”
    “I’ll come by the station and get it tomorrow or something,” Chance called over his shoulder, already running down the stairs. Then he surprised even himself with the words that came out of his mouth next. “The love of my life needs me. I don’t give a shit about a stupid phone.”

Chapter Eight
     
    Emily hit end on the call and handed Charlotte’s cell phone back to her.
    “Okay. Sorry for tying up your phone for so long,” she said as Charlotte took the phone. Emily’s hands were still shaking, which frustrated her. At least she’d finally managed to stop crying. She had always been so strong in the face of Scott’s anger, but this last round had been too much. She’d never seen him so angry.
    She’d been flying high, excited by her newly hatched plan to move to Alaska and reboot her photography business there. She’d packed up everything she wanted, and started to throw everything she didn’t into boxes and bags to either donate or put in the trash. She wanted to get as much done as she could while she was still riding the initial wave of excitement about her plans. She’d planned to call Chance once she was too tired to keep working, in hopes that he would give her some good advice on the best place in Alaska to move to.
    She’d cringed every time she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her arms and neck were badly bruised, and her face had a big gash on it. She tried to cover up the marks with makeup, so that she wouldn’t have to look at them anymore. But it had been nearly impossible to do. She’d shrugged it off, telling herself it was the last time Scott would be able to lay a hand on her. If all went as planned, she’d be thousands of miles away from him before the month ended.
    Eventually, Emily grew hungry from all of the work she’d been doing, so she decided to run to her favorite corner store to pick up some beer and snacks. She felt a little nostalgic as she entered the store, realizing that soon she’d be living far away from this place. Her nostalgia had soon morphed into annoyance, however, when the clerk asked her what had happened to her face.
    “Nothing,” she’d replied, feeling suddenly exposed and scared. She hadn’t thought about the fact that other people might be concerned by how beat up she looked. Shaken, she’d rushed out of the store so quickly that she’d left her driver’s