Protect and Correct Read Free

Unfortunately, we have to keep you in hiding until we find this psycho,” Collin said, unruffled by her sarcasm.
    “Where am I going to live? How will I survive without an identity or a job?”
    “Try not to worry, sweetheart,” Dr. Nguyen said. “Everything will come together for you in time. Collin is the best in what he does. Trust him to take good care of you. Now lean back and rest a while. We can all talk later.”
    Brooke nodded, allowing her body to be pressed back against the bed. She still held the mirror in her hand, disturbed by the image it. The former acne-scarred face with a protruding jaw, heavy brow line, and crooked nose was now smooth, delicate, and symmetrical. Full, dark-pink lips occupied the place once etched in pale, straight, thin lines. The jagged scar over her right eyebrow was gone, and the blotchy, freckled cheeks were soft and evenly toned. Her hair was still a dark brown, but much longer than she had ever allowed it to grow since middle school. The beauty before her was simply a mask, for she knew that inside she was just as unattractive and unlovable as before the crime.
    Brooke sighed as she traced the slender throat with a finger, peering at a tiny silver scar at the base. She had been trached, which meant she had been unable to breath. What kind of barbarian would do this to someone? And why?
    She closed her eyes, thinking over the events that occurred prior to waking in the hospital room and discovering that life, as she knew it, was over. She worked for a forensic investigation agency, exposing medical and insurance fraud. She loved the job but loathed the people she worked with. The owners were described by the workforce as rude, misogynous, homophobic Aryans, who delighted in ridiculing and demeaning anyone who did not fit into their ideal mind-set. She was just one of the several people in the company who was constantly assaulted by their attacks for being overweight, of biracial descent, unattractive, and the worst offense—female.
    Strong references from her previous position as an assistant coroner led her to be hired, sight unseen, as the chief analyst. The owners had attempted to renege on their offer when they were confronted with her gender and her appearance, but they bitterly acquiesced after she boldly threatened a discrimination lawsuit. She had worked under their tyranny and prejudice for three years, biding her time until something better came her way. She reached the end of her tolerance, however, after she caught both of them in the lunchroom engaged in sexual relations with one of the marketers. They had flooded her ears with threats of ‘uncomfortable circumstances’ should she share her discovery with either of their wives.
    Mentally, she began her list of suspects. Bill Marvin was a coward. If he was responsible, then it would have meant his hiring some thug to do his dirty work. Dan Adams, the company’s vice president, was psychotic enough to do almost anything. She knew his history of termination for embezzlement and that he had been sued for multiple counts of sexual harassment and assault. She assumed he escaped imprisonment simply because his partner, Bill, had illicit connections with several congressmen. Would Dan’s fear of his wife discovering his little adventure be enough to push him to attempt murder?
    But what of the other seven people? What did they have in common to attract this psycho? Brooke yawned, feeling the effect from the medication as it lulled her to sleep. As her world began to drift from her grasp, she made a promise to herself that perhaps one day, she would both confront, and thank, her would-be murderer for giving her a means to change the life she hated.
     
    * * *
     
    Six weeks later, Brooke waited impatiently on the edge of her hospital bed for Collin. She was adorned in a long sleeved dress, flat-heeled boots, a soft knitted cap, and a scarf. Her strength was quickly returning, and she was growing accustomed to