Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 74123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74123 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
She shook her head and waved her hands in a flurried gesture. “No. There’s no need to apologize. You were great. I wish I could have done the same. That guy makes me uneasy. And did you see how close he was to the cousin? It’s like they have something going on between them. That was so tacky. Anyway, what was that move back there? I didn’t know you had that in you.”
Ethan clenched and unclenched his fists to stretch his muscles. “I used to do some boxing in high school and college. I was actually pretty good. Made a little money on the side to help with expenses.”
He had invested some of his winnings in the stock market that still earned him dividends to this day.
Paisley stared at him with awe shining in her blue eyes. “I’m impressed. I assume you don’t box anymore?”
“Not since I started med school. In my specialty the preservation of my hands is important so it was either continue to box or forget about being a surgeon.”
“Well I’m glad you gave that jerk what was coming to him.” She bowed her head. “Dr. Han, I wish there was more we could do for Amina. It’s clear that jerk was hurting her. Maybe we could go to the police or something.”
Ethan had thought about that but he’d seen so many domestic battery victims get pushed to the backburner when it came to the police. “It’s a thought, but I’m not sure what they’d do. And people like him, will always have an excuse and wiggle their way out of trouble.”
Paisley raised her chin defiantly. “Well, I’m going to go to the police. Even if they don’t do anything about it, it will be on record. Amina deserved so much better.” She sighed. “I need to get out of here but if we ever see each other again, I hope it’s under better circumstances.”
On his drive home Paisley’s words resonated in his head. She was absolutely right. Amina did deserve better and if it was the last thing he did, he’d see that bastard pay for what he did to her.
He released an exhausted breath when he pulled into the garage of his condo building. As he walked across the parking lot toward the entrance, the hairs on the back of his neck rose. He stopped and looked around him. The parking lot appeared empty but as just as he pulled out the key card to allow him access to the building he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.
He cautiously turned, thinking it was probably one of his neighbors, but a man in a black hood approached him. “Hey, are you Dr. Ethan Han?” the mysterious man asked in accented English.
Ethan tensed. “Who wants to know?”
The hooded man approached him. “I have something to give you.”
“What? And who are you?”
Though Ethan couldn’t make out the person’s entire face, he saw the man had a visible scar on his mouth from cleft palate. His lips curled into a smirk. “Oh, just a special delivery.”
Before Ethan could respond, the man pulled out a gun and fired off three shots directly to his chest, sending Ethan flying backward.
Collapsing to the ground, he coughed, and a splatter of blood erupted from his mouth as he clutched his chest. The sharp pain from where the bullets had entered his flesh was brief, but a slow ache spread throughout his injured body.
He looked up to see the hooded man standing over him. Ethan wanted to ask why, but each time he attempted speak, he’d cough up more blood. He was losing blood so rapidly, Ethan realized his wounds were fatal.
The man bent over and whispered something that seized his already dying heart.
As his body grew cold from the rapid lowering of his blood pressure, so many thoughts swam in his mind. He thought about how sad his mother would be and about his practice. But most of all, he thought about Amina.
Ultimately he hadn’t been able to save her. But now that he was dying, he hoped he saw her again in the afterlife.
Chapter
Nine
“This doesn’t exactly make up for taking you out but I wanted to make sure that you were fed before this night was over.” Ethan laid out the food, he purchased on the coffee table of Amina’s living room.
Amina laughed uneasily. “No this is fine. I’m not sure if I would have been able to give that restaurant the full attention it deserved. And this is probably the best place to talk without anyone overhearing us and thinking we’ve both lost our minds. Ugh, I’m going to get something to drink to go with the food. I have bottled water, cranberry juice and lemon lime soda.”
Ethan inclined his head in a grateful nod. “A bottled water is fine, thanks.”
“One bottled water, coming right up.”