Stories by Claudia

Previous Chapters
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The next night
September 29
Downtown Denver, Colorado

After spending a gut wrenching day documenting everything that happened in Paris, Alex excused herself from an afternoon meeting and a working dinner. She wanted to take a long bath.
When Raz came to check on her, she was sound asleep in the tub. He helped her out [...]

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CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
How could it happen? How could the horrible past reach up and snatch her from the perfect present? She couldn’t make sense of it.
Lying on her bed, Delphie mentally tracked the series of events.
She’d worried about her chocolate chip cheesecake. Valerie loved Delphie’s cheesecake. Valerie could, and would, eat an entire chocolate chip [...]

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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Nine hours later
September 29 – 3:21 A.M.
Downtown Denver, Colorado

Alex woke with a start. Her heart pounded against her rib cage. She had no idea where she was or what woke her. She was simply awake in the dark. Sitting up, she noticed that she was in a hotel room. She patted the [...]

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CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
Tres was walking to the door when Celia’s VC friend stuck his head in the door.
“We’re ready to talk to you.”
Tres, Aden and Sam filed out after the venture capitalist. Jacob stood from his desk then weaved. He plopped back down in his chair. Blane held Jacob’s nitroglycerin spray out to him.
“I’m [...]

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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
She turned the shower to cold. Holding her breath, she stepped under the frigid water stream of water. She continued: “I’m Alexandra Hargreaves. I’m married to… well… I think I’m… no… I was married to… no… I’m going to marry…. What’s his name?”
She giggled.
Oh crap. This is Ketamine.
She stepped out of [...]

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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Sunday morning – 5:20 A.M.
Valerie couldn’t help but smirk. From a block away, she saw Jill and Jacob. As if they were tragic lovers waiting for the train that would separate them for life, they clung to each other. Valerie pulled her old Mustang up to the curb in next to them. Valerie’s [...]

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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

“Count,” Jesse said.
Alex counted the steps out loud, “One, two, three, four, five”, turn, “one, two, three four, five”. They stopped on a landing where a long set of stairs continued straight forward into the darkness.
“No. Keep your count,” Jesse said.
On her left, Alex noticed a set of stairs which continued the five [...]

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CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Saturday afternoon – 1:05 P.M.
“I thought they’d never crash,” Valerie whispered. “They’ve been spinning in circles for at least an hour.”
She set Paddie Hargreaves down on their bed and began changing him.
“Too much sugar and chocolate,” Mike whispered.
He set Katy down on the other side of their bed. He took off her pretty [...]

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Previous Chapters
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“It’s a little weird to be here,” Alex said.
“It has been a while,” the clerk said. She turned to speak to another customer.
Stepping aside so that a customer could move by her to the bar, Alex walked through the shop to where Jesse was standing.
“This is it,” Jesse said.
Alex opened the door and [...]

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