Shattered: A Psychic Visions Novel by Dale Mayer

thank you,” she snapped. “I’d hate to have my meal turn sour in my stomach by having you here.”
    The nurse’s shocked gasp made Will laugh. “Don’t worry about her. She’s always cranky when she’s hungry.”
    “No. I’m not,” Hannah said, her temper spiking again. “But you’re right on one thing, I am hungry.”
    The nurse patted her hand. “I’ll see about your lunch, don’t you worry. I can see you’re worried about that transfer. Don’t be. Sometimes we have to trust in those who care about us.”
    And she walked out of the room, smiling at Will. Like all the women smiled at Will. What was it about him that made women of all ages make fools of themselves?
    Will’s genial smile darkened as he turned it on her. She’d pay for her resistance. Whatever. She’d been paying since forever already. What did his brand of payback mean now? Especially if she was going to be locked away again. A gilded cage was still a cage.
    She closed her eyes and tried to block it all out.
    Inside her heart pounded. And her palms turned moist. Marriage was a way out. If Trevor was for real.
    And if they could make this happen in time. But was it just another cage by another name?
    If her father caught wind of the plans and managed to stop them, she knew the penalty would be severe. Her father not only hated to be thwarted – he refused to be. Often he put out a great cost to smash his opponent. Worse, he didn’t give a damn what it cost. It was more of a chess game to him. Notches he could mark on the chalkboard in his mind. He didn’t give a damn about what was right or wrong in the game as long as his side won.
    He’d win in this issue too if her new husband-to-be wasn’t faster – smarter – meaner.
    She didn’t think he was.
    Worse – she wasn’t sure she could trust him?
    God, she had to be nuts to be thinking about this. Surely there was another choice. But as she stared at her injured legs, she realized she needed help as never before. She couldn’t run away again. Not on her own.
    Likely her father would find her store and run her into the ground there. The only reason he hadn’t done so already was he hadn’t looked in that direction yet. Besides, he wouldn’t believe she had the business sense to buy and run a florist shop in the first place. She might not have at the beginning, but she had learned. She’d also hired the old owners to teach her the ropes. They’d wanted to retire to go travelling, having crossed the sixty line, but didn’t really want to retire to the point of being bored. That arrangement had worked for both.
    Many of the customers had stayed with the shop because of the older couple and seeing them help her out had given her reputation a boost. Then hiring her manager, she’d done fairly well for herself.
    But she didn’t want her new husband to have any of it. Shit. She didn’t understand any of this mess. She figured she should have some kind of document in place between her and Trevor, but he was a lawyer. He could document her to death and she could still miss out on having the right ones to protect herself.
    Then again, he wasn’t exactly getting a bargain with her either. In fact, she’d be setting him up. Shit. She couldn’t do it. Will would go after him. Maybe even kill him.
    How could she accept his offer of help if she was signing his death warrant?
    She couldn’t. There’d be no wedding.
    And that meant she couldn’t escape her future.
    She’d be a prisoner for life.
    *
    Outwardly calm, Trevor strode down the hallway, but inside he was keyed up. He’d been involved in too many cases not to know how delicate this situation was. The guard stood outside the door, his attention on his phone, but Trevor wouldn’t make the mistake of thinking he wasn’t aware of every step he took toward Hannah’s room.
    That the guard was still there was a good sign. It meant Goodman, Hannah’s father, hadn’t managed to get her out of the hospital yet. Trevor had