Page 119 of Protected By Duval
She just wished that she could cling to Ciela at that very moment.
She wanted to be there to comfort her baby and receive comfort in return.
She had to get out of there first.
Breathe, she told herself.Breathe.
“Miss…”
She turned her head and saw the manager who was trying to muster up a smile.
“Miss, th-thank you f-for t…”
He didn’t get to complete his thought.
He was gone.
Bile rose up in her throat and she had to cover her mouth so she didn’t vomit on the floor. The taste on the back of her tongue almost made her regret her restraint.
Tony turned his head back and looked at her, narrowing his eyes.
Then he turned to look at his manager on the floor.
And smiled.
“Asshole.”
She lost the battle and heaved absolutely nothing onto the floor.
It tasted like misery on her tongue.
* * *
DUVAL
He couldn’t watch the screen, so he was grateful that he’d been sent in.
No, he wasn’t allowed to breech the garden center.
That was left to cooler heads.
The plan was simple, but simple could just as easily go to hell as complicated.
And when it simply fell apart it was always… spectacular as a fail.
He stood stacked behind Jack and Blue, breathing in and out.
Jack turned her head and gave him a nod.
A single drop of her chin.
He knew what she meant.
She had his back in this.
They all did.
Better than that, they had Noelle’s back.
