Page 25 of A Pawn for Malice
Just then a woman in the office next to themopened the door and looked out.
“My God, I thought I heard something,” sheblurted and looked down at them both.
“Call the Capitol Police, now!” Bryandemanded.
The woman nodded, turned and entered heroffice to do his bidding.
Another office door opened and staffpersonnel stepped out. Soon the hallway was amassed withpandemonium.
She looked up at him in a dazed state, as sherubbed at the knot forming at the back of her skull.
“He … he thought I was Angela. Why would heeven think that?”
He looked perplexed and his tone conveyed hisdispleasure.
“There was a posting on line and in the TimesUnion this morning of her with a new look that at a glance, couldpass for you.” He replied.
“What? Why would she do that?”
He sent her a look like … really, you need toask.
“Who would hate you so much to lash out likethis?”
He threaded his fingers through his hands andsighed heavily.
“I put a lot of guys behind bars, Jessica,and sponsoring the death penalty bill has placed me on many a shitlist, I imagine.”
The Capitol Police arrived, as did two EMT’sto check her out, pushing a gurney in case she needed to betransported to the nearby emergency room.
Now she knew why Missy and Claire had lookedat her strangely, when she first arrived at Bryan’s office. Angelaand she obviously looked very similar, and that made Jessica wantto punch her lights out even more.
What a helluva way to start out her first dayat the office. She was pissed. She was embarrassed. She wantednothing more, than for people to stop fussing over her and scat inall directions.
When she tried to stand, her head whirled asthough she had just stepped out of a spin tunnel doing jet speedrotations. Jessica knew she was losing it, as she swayed on legsnot strong enough to assist her and her knees buckled under her.The back of her head throbbed painfully and all she wanted to dowas close her eyes and fall asleep.
She looked at the EMT at her side and thewords she tried to speak were difficult as she muttered before sheslumped against him, “I … no … not good …”
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Bryan could tell from the look on Florence’sface, that she was not happy, as she made her way into Jessica’sroom. He took the liberty of ordering a private room for her, soshe could be watched more closely.
“What the hell happened to my niece?” Sheblared, as she moved to Jessica’s bedside.
She petted her forehead tenderly and leanedin to place a soft kiss upon her cheek.
“Aunt Florence, I’m fine. Just a large bumpon my head. They want to keep me overnight for observation, that’sall.”
“Don’t make light of this, dear. Someonetried to accost you, did they not?”
“Well –“
“Well, nothing,” her Aunt barked, directingher attention back to Bryan. “I’m waiting, young man.”
Bryan took Florence’s temperament in stride.He would be reacting the same way, if he was in her shoes. The onething he wasn’t doing, was taking this situation lightly. He wouldfind the bastard, who did this, and quickly. There was no love lostbetween him and Angela, but to use someone close to him, as someact of revenge, didn’t sit right with him.
“This whole thing was related to me, for somereason. The perpetrator mistook Jessica for Angela, and I believe,attempted to kidnap her.”
“I saw the photo of her in the Times andthought so myself. This is her way of getting back at you for theother evening, I suppose.”
