Intrigue (Elvis Presley Story)

Chapter 9

Olivia hugged her purse to her chest, drawing into herself as she rode the elevator down to the main floor of the precinct building. She'd smiled a general acknowledgment to her companions, but retreated to the back corner while they carried on their conversations about their workday and evening plans.

She didn't want to talk to anyone right now - didn't want to have to worry about saying the right thing or dredging up the nerve to speak at all and pretend she wasn't as mentally and emotionally exhausted as she was feeling right now.

She needed to be alone and find that quiet center of strength inside her again. She needed time to think and deal.

For a woman who had no love life to speak of-and who had learned to get along well enough without one, thank you very much-all this anonymous attention she'd been receiving felt more disturbing than flattering.

Was this someone's really bad idea of a joke? Torment her until she breaks down into tears or finally blows her stack? That was a nasty flashback to middle school she didn't intend to relive.

Could there be a man out there-the  secret admirer Elvis had teased her about-even more unskilled in the romance department than she? Too shy to sign his name.

Or had she become the target of something much more sinister?

She wasn't sure if she was clinging to her purse because it was the only soild thing to hold onto for comfort, or if she was using it like a shield of armor. Not that it really mattered. Her bag might allow her to carry her daily survival kit around with her, but it provided neither the comfort nor the security that she craved.

A strong set of arms wrapped around her would be far better....

No. Don't go there, olivia. There was no hero riding in on his white charger to help her. She'd inherited strong independent genes from her aunts. She just needed a few quite moments to regroup-to get past the watching and gifts and personal notes that no one would claim.

The elevator dinged and the doors parted before she was ready to face the world again. After checking out at the security desk it was easy enough to revert her gaze to the sidewalk and avoiding eye contact with anyone.

She made her way down the block and across the street to the parking garage. The sun was just beginning to set, but was still high enough on the horizon to warm her skin. She lifted her face to its sultry caress and breathed in deeply. She'd be all right. She'd get through this. There had to be some logical explanation to that, once she figured it out, she'd be laughing about tomorrow.

When the group reached the parking garage, they fanned out, some heading to the elevator, others around the gate to their ground-level vehicles. Feeling fit if not completely fine after her internal down time, olivia turned to the open stairs, keeping the sun on her shoulders and her positive thinking in place.

Perhaps it was the lingering heat of the day that made the sudden chill of the shadows when she entered the third-floor level so noticeable a shock that it raised goosebumps beneath the sleeves of her blouse. Shaking off the unexpected cold snap, olivia lengthened her stride. She'd parked on the opposite end of the garage that morning, knowing that on busy days like this one , her walk to and from the car might be the only aerobic exercise she got.

A sudden breeze lifted her hair and tickled the back of her neck. She glanced quickly over her shoulder. The leaves on the trees outside the garage weren't moving.

Must be some trick of her imagination, or more likely, a mini-cyclone created by the variance between hot and cool Temps.

Olivia wrapped her arms around herself and kept walking. She heard the chatter of men's voices from somewhere below her and found herself listening in on their conversation. It made her feel a little less alone up here as she pulled out her keys and wondered why she thought parking so far away sounded like a good idea this morning.