I kissed him. “I’m sorry I doubted you.”
His face turned dark. “Rhonda has a lot to answer for. This meddling in my private life is the last straw.”
Chapter Ten
Snap
“Well, it’s done,” Tom announced on Monday evening. “Greg has agreed to the transfer. Rhonda should be out of my hair by the end of the week. Do you know, she came up to me this morning and asked me how my weekend was?” His face was indignant. “The look of disappointment on her face when I told her it was good made me want to strangle her.”
“Thank goodness she’s going.”
Tom nodded. “As soon as she heard, she miraculously became sick after lunch. I doubt I’ll see her for the rest of the week. At least, I certainly hope so.” His attention focused on the TV. He found the remote and turned it up.
The report was on a leaked cabinet document.
“Great. That’s all I need. It’s one of the documents that I’m working on. No doubt they’ll have an investigation. Something else to eat into my time.”
I gave his hand a sympathetic squeeze.
“Well, hopefully you’ll have more time when you get your new Executive Assistant. Let’s just hope she is as good as Sue used to be.”
On Wednesday, I went for my regular run with the boys. Thankfully, March had brought some cooler weather so I didn’t feel as though I was going to melt at every step. As soon as we entered the reserve we veered left and immediately started into a jog. We were getting pretty good now and could sustain a half hour run without any breaks.
We hadn’t gone very far when a woman came into sight. Her face was flushed and her breathing was ragged. Poor thing looked like I had felt when I first started running with the boys.
She continued on towards us, looking like she was about to run into us.
I veered to the left to avoid her.
The woman veered with me.
Was she crazy? We were going to collide.
“Hey,” I cried, as she got closer.
Her eyes were wild, her face was florid. She drew a knife. “Bitch.”
“Oh my God,” I cried in horror, lurching back. “Boys, get away.”
“You think you’ve got it all,” the crazy woman screamed, “but you’ve got nothing.”
She lunged forward and I tried to knock the knife away as I jumped back.
I felt a slice of pain.
Blood sprayed from my left arm.
“Mum,” Marc screamed.
Sean and Michael yelled in terror.
I clapped my right hand over the cut.
“Boys. Run. Get help.” It was hard to think straight with the boys in danger. I was so worried the madwoman was going to go for them.
The boys stood frozen to the spot.
“Now,” I bellowed.
They turned and ran.
I glared at the woman, guarding the boys as they ran.
The woman had stilled, her eyes glued to my bloody arm. Her hand clenched tightly around the knife as she slowly raised her gaze to my face.
“Tom thinks he’s so perfect. Let’s see how well he copes when he loses his other half.”
My suspicions that this was Rhonda crystallised.
Her words made my heart pump faster. It sounded like she wanted to kill me. She obviously hadn’t taken too well to being transferred.
“Rhonda. Just take a breath. Think of my kids. They don’t deserve to lose me.” I tried to make my voice as calm as I could with blood leaking out from under my fingers.
Rhonda’s eyes flickered.
“They need their mum.” I pursued the weakness that I sensed. I had to get her focus away from Tom.
“They’re boys. They’ll dump you when they grow up and then they’ll dump their woman.” Rhonda snarled. “I’m saving you the heartache.”
Rhonda lunged forward again.
I leaped backwards and turned and ran. Now that the boys were away, I felt no need to face her.
I backtracked until I hit the Casuarina trail then turned and headed up the hill. I didn’t want to lead her anywhere near the boys.
I risked a quick look behind me. Rhonda was several paces away, her face flushed, her chest heaving.
If I could keep her chasing after me, it would give the boys time to get help.
I pounded up the black rubber trail, leaping up the log steps when I came to them. Running was a little awkward with my arm clasped to stop it bleeding but I managed. I’d run this path many times before and my feet pounded surely along the track.
Rhonda’s ragged breathing sounded behind me, getting fainter.
I risked another look. She was falling behind.
I was glad for all the running I had been doing. All I had to do was keep in front of her until the police came.
I continued up Casuarina Trail, slowing a little to keep Rhonda following. If she gave up, who knew where she would head.