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Troy set his water bottle on the desk with a sly smile. “I see.”
A moment of awkward silence passed between them before Troy spoke again. “Anything I need to know before you go?”
She cleared her throat. “No. Same as usual. The new episodes of Selfie just got delivered. They’re in the back room. Just save a copy at the front desk for me, please.”
He nodded. “Got it.”
“Alright, I’ll be back at six to lock up.”
“See you then.”
Crash!
Pippa jumped and Lady barked, standing alert at her side. Troy darted in front of Pippa as they ran to the back of the store to the source of the noise. Her heart raced as she took in the scene. Broken glass littered the floor from her giant bay window. Jagged shards of glass framed the pane that overlooked the square of green grass and woods beyond the shop, almost like a ferocious set of teeth. A large brick sat in the center of the mess with black letters scrawled across it.
Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Come to the Lord before it’s too late, or you will burn.
“Are you okay?” Troy asked, holding out his arms to her.
Pippa fell into them, shaken and numb.
“I’m calling the police.” Troy grabbed his phone, his voice fading into background noise as a memory ripped Pippa back into the past.
Pippa was nauseous and cold. Her body shook with chills as she struggled against the ropes.
“Be still, girl. Can’t you see we are trying to save your soul?” Her foster mother’s eyes were filled with tears and determination.
“Devil, you must leave this child of God alone. In the name of Jesus, I command you to leave her!” her foster father shouted, rolling pungent oil on her forehead in the shape of a cross as his wife started speaking in some unintelligible language.
“Please let me go,” Pippa begged.
“Demons, I command you to leave this child. Be gone!”
“I don’t have demons. Please! Just let me go.”
Pippa cried, wishing her dad hadn’t gone to prison when she needed him most. Praying to her mother’s god that her sister’s guardianship would be put through soon so that she could leave this hell.
“Please help me. Let me go!”
“Pippa? Pippa, you’re shaking. Are you okay?” Troy’s voice ripped her from the flashback.
Lady pressed her nose against her thigh, then licked her hand and whined, concern flashing in her big brown eyes. If only she’d had Lady in the past.She’d been with that foster family a day before they’d stopped her anti-seizure medication. The couple didn’t believe in epilepsy; they’d been convinced some evil spirit inhabited her body.
“Pippa?” Troy pressed.
“Sorry. I—I just . . .”
“Are you two okay? Is anybody hurt?” Bently asked, his hand on his weapon.
“We’re okay. Someone threw that through the window.” Troy motioned to the brick.
Bently leaned closer and frowned, his expression growing hard. “Did you see who did it?”
“No.” Troy looked to her.
Pippa shook her head.
