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were bursting with unpleasant retorts. What had their conversation been about? Tension rolled off them in waves.
    “ Let go of me,” I said in stunned disbelief, each word punctuated. I might be female and thin, but I had made sure to take plenty of self-defense classes. On the weekends, I used to box with my cousin Nicole. Our furious wrestling matches were legendary in our family.
    “ You were going to steal that necklace,” Jeff accused, nostrils flaring. The malice in his voice was unmistakable. He was more enraged than one should be about the whole incident. It immediately made me suspicious of his anger.
    He redoubled his grip, his fingers like an iron band tightening around my bones. Was he generating waves of hate that everyone else could feel too?
    “ I wasn’t going to steal anything,” I shouted back, provoked.
    The noise in the lab died down as everyone took notice of what was happening.
    “ If touching it’s considered stealing, then yes, I was about to do that,” I said tartly. “Now let go.”
    His fingers tightened on my wrist until it was so excruciating moisture began to build in my eyes. Stupid tears, I thought bitterly. My heart thundered, unheard.
    “ Let her go,” a booming voice echoed from behind me. The tone was astute and domineering, and I felt a little relieved, though I hated being rescued by a man.
    Instead of waiting for assistance, I decided to fix this situation myself. With my left hand free, I pulled it back and let it snap around, hitting Jeff with all my might right into his kidney. The pressure disappeared from around my wrist and was followed by a roar of displeasure. Jeff looked taken aback as he bent over. He straightened, expression irritated. He cleared his face, as if someone had wiped away the anger.
    Blood rushed back into my fingers so quickly it was as if tiny needles poked every inch of the skin there. Karen showed a fleeting expression of satisfaction before Darren ran forward, a look of deepest loathing in his eyes.
    “ How dare you accuse her of stealing,” he snapped, pointing a threatening finger at Jeff. “If she wanted—” He stared at me for a second, not sure what Jeff thought I was stealing.
    “ That necklace.” I pointed to it and shot Jeff an insolent stare.
    “ The necklace, she could have stolen it at any time. Why would she wait until the place is teeming with people?” His teeth were mashed together tightly. I’d never seen Darren this upset before. “FBI,” he muttered angrily.
    Jeff, realizing the battle was lost, backed away. An FBI agent appeared out of nowhere and put his hand on Jeff’s shoulder. “I told you to treat Dr. Moretti with nothing but respect. She’s not a thief.” The man’s voice was deep and authoritative. He looked at me and said, “I’m very sorry, Dr. Moretti, Agent Vittorio will not bother you again, I can promise you that.”
    They both walked away, the FBI agent roughly pushing Jeff Vittorio out the door. Karen stared after them, a look that only spelled out “good riddance.” I wanted to scream “amen.”
    Darren leaned down to look at my wrist. “Oh, my. I’m so very sorry, Ella. I should have gotten here quicker.” It surprised me when he used my nickname, one only few—very few—have ever called me, and usually only those close to me. Intimately close. I was going to have a talk with Sally later. His fingers lightly traced the horrible red marks left on my wrist. They would be bruises by tomorrow.
    Karen was speechless for several painful seconds before she spoke. “I’m sorry. He’s got a temper,” she said sweetly. That was an understatement.
    Darren looked up from my wrist at Karen who was only a few feet away. It was funny what happened next. They both froze as they stared directly into each other’s eyes. It was as if they had been searching for each other their whole lives. If it weren’t for the fact Darren had just called me Ella, I would have given them a nauseating expression.