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Chicago, Illinois
It was getting dark.
Shannon had planned it that way. That would be the time when Jim would be leaving the Apex facility.
She’d slipped out the back door of her house—the muffled noises of her departure drowned out by the TV show her parents were watching as they relaxed in the family room.
Quickly, she’d headed for the bus stop. And now she was at her destination.
The light sensors in the Apex Center’s parking lot had done their job, so the area was illuminated. There was no sign of Jim. But his car was parked in its usual spot. And Shannon wasn’t going anywhere until she confronted her former trainer. During her bus ride, she’d thought through her strategy. She wouldn’t go right for the jugular, because Jim would shut down and she’d accomplish zip. She’d keep him off guard. And then she’d go for it. It was time this meek little kitten grew some claws.
Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Jim exited the building, whistling as he slung his gym bag over his shoulder and headed for his car.
Shannon stepped out of the shadows, shoving her fists deep into the pockets of her jeans for courage—and to turn on the voice recording app on her cell phone. Then, she headed directly over, reaching Jim just as he dug out his car keys.
“Hi, Jim.” A gentle hello. No venom. No cause to get him riled up—yet.
He started when he saw her. He was definitely surprised and not at all happy.
“Shannon. What are you doing here? I thought you were home recouping.”
“I was. I have been. I’m going crazy. Besides, I really needed to talk to you.”
“About?”
Shannon feigned hurt. “And here I thought you’d be all sympathetic about my crashing and burning. Guess I was wrong. I was just a business investment to you.”
Jim’s expression softened. He’d obviously reminded himself that Shannon was just a young girl whose life had been blown to bits and who couldn’t do anything damaging to him except cry on his shoulder.
“That’s never been true,” he said in a tone filled with compassion. “You know how much care and effort I put into my trainees. You were amazing—a true contender for Olympic gold. What happened to you is a tragedy. I’m sorry if I didn’t visit you or send flowers or something. I got the feeling you needed your space.”
“I did.” Shannon raised her gaze. “And I’ve used that time to think about how something like this could have happened.” A blip of a pause. “Jim, what was really in those natural supplements you gave me?”
Exit compassion. Enter wariness. “You know what was in them.”
“Do I? I only know what you told me, all of which I checked out on the Internet and which came back with glowing reviews.”
“So? What’s the problem?”
“The problem is you lied. They weren’t natural supplements. They were PEDs.”
“What?” The attempted denial was pathetic. The blotches of color that darkened Jim’s face spoke the truth.
That was all Shannon needed.
“Admit it, Jim—admit it to my face.” Shannon dropped all pretense of being the teenager in distress. “You killed my future and screwed up my heart so I’ll never be normal or healthy again.”
“I don’t know who you’ve been talking to,” he said, visibly restraining himself. “But like I said from the beginning, there were no PEDs—”
“You lied.” Shannon’s eyes were blazing now. “I’m young, not stupid. There’s only one thing that could have done this to me—your phony supplements. And you. You did this. And I’m on my way to proving it.”
“Proving it?” There was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Jim closed in on her, any fear he might have had suddenly overshadowed by aggression. “To who—the cops? You have no proof.”
“I was drug tested. There were tiny traces of whatever the hell you gave me,” Shannon lied. “Not a lot. But enough for them to keep the investigation alive.”
“Then why haven’t I heard from them?”
