Un-betaed

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The Next Day

Chapter 10

(The incident)

Several weeks after the verbal exchange in the diner, Evangeline does encounter Cristian again in the diner.  She’s leaving with her order and he intercepts her before she reaches the door.

“Evangeline! How about spending some time with me.  I see that you have a thing for men who were once involved with Natalie.  Why not add me to your list?”

As an attorney Evangeline knows how to control her facial expression, ‘never let them know what you’re thinking’, ‘don’t give the opposition any clues as to your strategy’.  Evangeline decides not to join in Cristian’s banter.  She sidesteps him to reach the door.

Not to be deterred Cristian grabs her arm and jerks her to him to detain her.  The diner patrons are all witnesses to this exchange and several start to stand to intercede but before any of them can stand to separate Cristian from Evangeline she grabs Cristian by the throat and squeezes.  Within a few seconds Cristian falls to the floor in a lump. Evangeline calmly opens the door and exits.

A few of the patrons check on Cristian and find that he is still alive.  Antonio rushes out from the back to find his brother still on the floor.  Fortunately one of the responding patrons is a doctor and examines Cristian before Antonio arrives.  The doctor assures Antonio and everyone else that Cristian is fine and he should regain consciousness shortly.

“The young lady just administered a choke hold to render her assailant unconscious. He will revive soon.”

When Cristian does revive Antonio quickly packs him up and makes plans to take him to a psychiatric facility for treatment.  Antonio remains keenly aware of the judge’s stipulation about counseling.  Antonio thought Cristian was doing okay but evidently he is not.  For him to physically manhandle Evangeline is not okay and Antonio has to do something immediately and considering if John got to Cristian before Antonio can get him out of town that would be a total mess.

John does hear about it and by the time Evangeline is back at her office at her desk and reviewing her files John is at her door.

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Call you about what John?”

“About Cristian, Evangeline.”

“What about Cristian, John?”

“They said that you did some kind of choke hold on him and he fell to the floor. Where did you learn that?”

“I did have a life before I met you John.”

John takes that as ‘conversation over’, so all he can do then is walk to her, stand her up, kiss her lips, and say “My girl!”  He leaves and returns to his office and she returns to her work.

Cristian does receive treatment and is in for several months. The doctors manage to find and delete the triggers implanted in his psyche.  He has not approached Evangeline again.  He’s too embarrassed to even face her.  He asks Antonio to apologize to her but Evangeline shrugs off the apology and continues on with whatever she is doing at the time.

Author’s Note:  Although this is a short chapter it is crucial to the events that occur in the coming chapters.  It sets the stage for major character interactions.  Continue to read until the end.