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An Excerpt From: CONVINCE ME
Copyright © ARIANNA HART, 2006
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing,
Inc.
Sareena’s ultra-sensitive hearing picked up a disturbance in the lobby,
even over the enthusiastic applause. The double doors in the back of the
ballroom crashed open.
“I
want my wife back!”
A
burly man pushed his way through the crowd and charged toward the podium.
“It’s my God-given right to show her who’s boss!”
No one
moved to stop the raging lunatic as he knocked over anything in his path.
Murder was in his eyes and it was directed at her. Fear sent adrenaline shooting
through her bloodstream. Her hackles rose at the threat and her muscles
bunched in preparation to change.
Not
now!
She
fought the pull of the moon and her survival instincts and managed to stay
calm and upright at the podium. Barely.
The
enraged man had made it halfway through the room before security caught up
to him. Sareena relaxed slightly as they grabbed
his arms and fought him to the floor. A flash of copper-bright hair snagged
her attention and she realized Brogan had jumped into the fray as well. Her
heart leapt into her throat as she watched him dodge a kick before he
tackled the bull of a man.
“I
don’t care how much money you have! I’m gonna
kill you! You have no right to keep a man from his wife. No right!”
The
man continued to scream threats even as security dragged him out of the
ballroom. Cameras flashed in her face and Sareena
remembered she was still at the podium.
“Well,
that wasn’t part of tonight’s festivities.” A nervous twitter ran through
the crowd. “As you can see, your continued support is desperately needed to
prevent men such as him from continuing their abuse. Thank you all for your
participation. Should you have any questions or wish to help further, Mr.
Stevenson will be on hand to take additional donations. Thank you and goodnight.”
Sareena’s muscles trembled with the effort to hold back the change as
she smiled brightly for the still snapping cameras. It was all she could do
to walk calmly to the manager’s office and not snarl at the microphones
being shoved into her face.
“My
secretary will have a statement for you all tomorrow. Right now I need to
talk to the police. I’m sure you understand,” she said as she walked
through the mob of reporters surrounding her.
The
media was a necessary evil. She needed them on her side to win additional
support for the shelters, but right now she wanted them out of her face.
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