You Can't Run by Hope Davis (pdf e book reader .TXT) 📕

her still. She didn’t have time to realize what was going on or make a sound before he placed the cloth over her mouth and prevented her from screaming as she breathed through the soaked cloth.

She tried to kick him feebly a few times, but he had the element of surprise on his side and she didn’t have much use of her limbs in this position. With a smile he glanced around as she gradually gave up fighting and went limp. Checking behind him, he smoothly hoisted her over his shoulder in a fireman carry, keeping the cloth to her mouth and open the back door of the cab.

Placing her lightweight athletic frame in the compact back seat was easy and he hurriedly closed it in case any lookieloos were to happen upon them. Though it was doubtful at this hour, it was a school night afterall. Hadn’t anyone taught the poor girl she shouldn’t run once it was dark at night?

Mark climbed back into the driver’s seat and started up the car, heading to a location he had picked out earlier that week.

He smiled into the rearview mirror.

Executing his plan was going to be easy. It was fool-proof.

CHAPTER 4

NAYA

The pizza arrived, as had two more of Vance’s friends. She had no idea her brother was this social. Then again, she shouldn’t be surprised, he’d always been too large for life in their small town.

Naya had always kept to herself, content with it just being her and her best friend Hensely. They had been nearly inseparable in school and nothing had changed even though they had both recently celebrated their twenty ninth birthdays. Well almost nothing, except that Hensely was now married and expecting her first child.

She grabbed a slice of pizza and a scoop of pasta salad for her plate and quietly made her way up the stairs to her loft. She didn’t really feel like being social this evening, the day had been overwhelming already.

Naya flipped on the lights and once again took in the space she would be calling home for the foreseeable future. The previous night had been her first in the small loft with the slanted roof. It wasn’t anything special, but it had a queen bed, nightstand and dresser which filled most of the limited space, she could probably put a TV on the dresser if she wanted one. But honestly, she figured she would be too busy with Vance and work to need one. There was a small door next to the stairs she came up which opened to the small closet stocked with just her few measly possessions.

She pulled out her laptop from the nightstand drawer as she sat down on the bed. She had made a list as she had packed in La Junta of all the things she would need to do once she got here, she now added ‘go shopping for dress pants’ to the  list. She had brought her measly wardrobe with her, which apparently wouldn’t suit Brody, as it was mostly nice jeans and blouses. She only owned one pair of slacks she now planned to wear the rest of the week, but she knew that wouldn’t cut it long term.

Her eyes scanned up to the list and she sighed as she read the words she had written shortly after she had made the decision to come to Denver. She did a quick Google search then pulled out her cell phone. It rang a couple times before a woman answered.

“Home Health Care, how can I help you?”

“Yes, I need to see about getting some part-time assistance?” Naya shyly inquired, at the same time she pulled up the information she suspected the woman would need.

“Certainly, can you explain a bit about what kind of assistance you need and I’ll look into matching you with one of our aides.”

She could hear the woman typing on the keyboard in the background.

“Yes, my name is Naya Largusa and I need some help a few days a week with my brother, Vance Largusa, who has non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

The woman was silent for a moment then her typing resumed. “Sure thing, I just need to ask, how old is he? And what is his level of mobility?”

“He’s thirty-two. He can walk, but not far, and he can’t stand for more than a few minutes at a time. The treatment has made him very weak.”

“Ahh, yes.”

The woman was quiet for a minute, seemingly trying to think of the best way to broach the next subject, she braced herself.

“Is the treatment…helping?”

She sighed, she knew this was something she needed to acknowledge, “It does not seem like it, no.”

“Alright, I will put down a preference for a male assistant, that way they will more easily be able to lift Vance if necessary.”

Naya pinched the bridge of her nose, blinking back the tears that came no matter how well she prepared herself for these difficult conversations. “Thank you.”

“What is Vance’s current height and weight, if you know?”

Naya references her notes from the chat she had with her brother the previous day. “He’s about six foot, and approximately one hundred and sixty-five pounds I believe.”

“And how often will you need assistance?”

“That’s the thing, I’m a detective and so my hours will change quite a bit. I’d like to start at maybe three or four afternoons a week, and then if work gets busier, maybe every afternoon? And if…” she took a sharp breath, “If things get worse, I will need more help. Perhaps full days.”

The woman typed for a moment. “Alright, I’ve got a couple of prospects, let me contact them and then I’ll get back to you. If your brother needs more extensive care in the future, we will probably need to split the job between two nurses. Could you give me your address?”

Naya rattled