by Melody Anne
Chapter Two
Angela tossed and turned in her bed, sweat beading all over her body as she cried out in her sleep. “Please, please, stop. Please don’t do it. Please stop,” she whimpered. The blankets twisted around her legs, trapping her, causing her to panic as she tried getting away, caught up in the darkness of a nightmare.
“Are you scared, little girl? There’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I have you right where you I want you. Aren’t you having fun?” The voice was all around her, in her head, above her, in a dark tunnel. There was no escaping it. Tears streamed down her face as she continued to twist in her bed.
“Yes, I’m scared. Please, you’ve done enough,” Angela said. Somewhere she knew it was a nightmare. She wanted to wake up. It had been so long since she’d had one this bad. It always changed, but the fear was the same. Someone wanted to get her, and they weren’t going to stop until they did.
“I like you scared,” the voice said. She tried to twist away again, but it was too late. Searing pain ripped through her stomach. It was odd how accurately she remembered that pain. It wasn’t just a slice, it was a ripping that came from the inside out, though that was impossible.
“Mmm, I love the smell of copper,” the voice said with an evil laugh.
“Why would you do this? How can you be this cruel?” Angela cried. She was clutching her stomach as she twisted again, another searing pain in her side. She grew weaker. She couldn’t stop this.
“Because I can. Because I want to. Because you’re wanted dead. Because once you have a taste of this power, there’s no going back,” the voice said. It was closer to her, looming and shadowy. It would blanket her. She knew what came next—total darkness.
She was losing the will to fight. She wanted to give up. It hurt too much.
“Mom, Mom, please . . .” That voice came from farther away, through a tunnel, through the woods, and over the oceans. It was so still, so quiet. But it was much more powerful than the evil voice surrounding her.
“Mom, wake up. Please, Mom, I’m scared,” the voice said, growing stronger, getting closer.
She could fight this. She knew she could. A scream ripped from her as she twisted hard . . . and then she was falling. The impact of hitting her bedroom floor finally pulled her from the nightmare she’d been stuck in.
It took a moment of confusion before Angela realized her son knelt beside her, tears streaming down his cheeks.
“It’s okay, Mom, it’s okay,” he said as he grabbed her hand with his small fingers and comforted her.
“I’m so sorry, Timmy. I’m so sorry.” She stopped her own tears and pulled her eight-year-old son into her arms and clung on tight. “It was only a bad dream. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You were crying, Mom,” he said as his little body shook against hers.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. Sometimes dreams seem real, and this was a really bad one. But I’m awake now and everything will be okay,” she assured her son.
She’d worked so hard to protect him, to keep the horrors of reality away from her precious son. But she couldn’t protect him in her sleep. Maybe it was time to talk to someone. She’d thought she was okay, but with all of the things happening in Edmonds, she realized she might not be. Maybe there was no place she could go where she’d be truly safe, ever feel that she could keep the evils of the world away from her son and what they’d already gone through.
“I’ll take care of you, Mom. I’m a young man, as Mr. Joseph says, and it’s my job to protect you.”
“Oh, baby, you do take care of me, and I appreciate it. But you’re still a little boy, and it’s my job to keep you safe. I think the roles will change as you get older, but don’t grow up too quickly.”
“I like growing,” he said.
She smiled as she rubbed her cheek against his soft black hair. He was growing so quickly, but he was still small and sweet. She didn’t want to lose this time with him and didn’t want to see that guarded look in his eyes she saw on so many teens.
“I know you do, Timmy, but I promise time will fly by so fast you won’t know what’s happening. Trust your mom, and enjoy being a kid. I promise not to watch any more scary movies so I don’t have bad dreams that frighten you,” she assured him.
“I don’t like scary movies,” he said with a shudder. But then he leaned back and smiled the sweet smile that turned her heart to butter. She leaned down and kissed his forehead. She was sad to think there’d be a time he wouldn’t sit in her lap any longer. She’d successfully distracted him, though.
She looked at her alarm clock and saw it was only two in the morning. She knew she was going to have a hard time getting back to sleep, but she could at least tuck her son back into bed.
“Let’s lay you down,” she said.
“I’m scared,” he told her.
“Then I’ll read you a story.” She stood up and cradled him in her arms as she walked the short distance to his room. He was almost too big for her to carry anymore. Time was going too fast. Life always did when you least wanted it to.
She picked out his favorite story, Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See, and he was back asleep before she was halfway through the story. She sat with him a bit longer, so grateful she had him. She couldn’t imagine her life without her son.
They’d made it to San Diego. She should’ve chosen a different location, but she’d wanted some familiarity. Timothy had been sad when he’d realized they weren’t going back to Edmonds, but he’d adjust. He’d done just fine three years earlier. At least she hoped he would.
She finally rose and walked into her kitchen to heat water for a cup of tea to soothe her nerves. It had been a long time since she’d had a nightmare like that one. It had been a long time since she’d been so brutally attacked. Maybe the stuff that had happened in the past couple years in Edmonds had triggered her. Was it related? She wasn’t sure. She’d been badly hurt, but she couldn’t remember many details. It was a terrifying feeling.
She sat on the couch and drank her tea, calming herself. Then she hopped in the shower. She’d worked up quite a sweat during her nightmare. She wasn’t sure if it was her memories of the assault trying to break through, or if she was only scared.
She was grateful she couldn’t remember what had happened to her four years earlier. That way she only really had to deal with it in her nightmares, which had become few and far between. She was making a new life for herself and she was thankful for it.
She did remember the pain. That was never going away. She’d woken up in pain and until that moment she’d thought she was a strong woman. She’d never felt so weak. She wouldn’t wish that feeling of helplessness on her worst enemy.
Her gut clenched and she ran her fingers over her abdomen. The knife had done more damage than she ever spoke about. Enough that she’d never be the woman she was before the accident.
She couldn’t think about that now. If she did, she’d fall apart all over again, and there was no way she’d wake her son up again with screams or tears. She’d done her best to protect him his entire life, and she’d continue doing that. As long as he was healthy and happy, she was as well.
It was after three when she was finally calm enough to lie back down. She moved into her room and frowned as she looked at her torn up bedding. It was damp from her sweat. Too tired to do much more than rip the bedding away, she pulled it off and stuffed it in the corner, then threw a sheet over her mattress and fell on top of it.
Even though morning was only a few hours away, it would be a brand new day and give her a new start on life once again. She’d discovered sleep truly could heal the soul as much as it healed the body.
She was asleep in seconds. And she was right. The fear faded away.
Chapter Three
Angela tried to get comfortable in the cafeteria she was sitting at in the southern tip of California. She felt she was far enough away from Washington to be safe from danger, and since she’d lived there before she felt secure
in the familiar surroundings.
She’d found a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and was thankful for the savings she had in her bank due to the generous pay from the Forbes family and her income from the café she’d worked at in Edmonds. Those jobs were both long gone since she’d left without a word. She hadn’t even taken her cell phone, too afraid it could be traced.
She had to assure herself the drug cartel didn’t know her name, just her face. But the man had recognized her. She didn’t know how. He’d seemed familiar to her as well, but she couldn’t quite make the pieces fall together. But she’d never sleep again if she let herself worry too much.
Angela loved to people watch, and she enjoyed the crowds surrounding her. This place wasn’t quiet like Edmonds, and the warmer weather and the different personalities made her feel as if she was a nobody. It was perfect. She didn’t want to stand out, didn’t want anyone noticing her. She wanted nothing more than to blend into the sea of faceless, nameless individuals.
Timothy was in school under a different last name. That hadn’t been too difficult, but she knew it wouldn’t last long. If the case in Edmonds wasn’t solved soon, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do. It wasn’t easy to give yourself a new alias in this age of paranoia.
Her coffee and biscuit was set before her, and Angela thanked the waitress. She really shouldn’t be spending any extra money, but she hadn’t been out in weeks and needed to be around people in a place she felt somewhat safe.
Nightmares had plagued her for a long time when she’d first arrived in Edmonds, and now they were back again. At only twenty-six, she’d seen a lot of bad in her lifetime. She hoped she’d seen the last. She didn’t want to worry about life, didn’t want to live at half-mast. She wanted to soar, and she was determined to get to that point.
She sat quietly reading a book, munching on her biscuit smothered in strawberry jelly, and sipping on her mocha. If she could forget about why she was in this location at this time, she could almost smile at the nearly perfect day.
The last time she’d lived in San Diego had been nine years ago. It had been a happy time in her life. She’d been in love with her high school sweetheart, had good grades, and was excited for her future. She hadn’t known the things her boyfriend or her father had been into, and she hadn’t had a clue how much darkness was out there in the world.
She was more than aware of all of that now.
She refused to think of how it had all ended, and instead thought of the romance of that summer: fishing in the ocean, tanning on the beach, and laughing with friends she’d thought she’d have for life. It had only been nine years but it felt like a lifetime ago. It was so strange how everything could change so quickly.
It had always been her philosophy to not live with regrets. It was hard to stick to that when she knew taking a right instead of a left could change your entire life. She remembered that movie Sliding Doors. How different would her life have been had she never met Robert? She wasn’t sure. But she wouldn’t have regrets. Because everything happened for a reason.
And Timothy was a very, very good reason for her to have met Robert. Though she truly wished Timothy didn’t have to go his entire life without a father. She just hoped she was enough to make up for it.
Robert had promised her the moon and stars. But those promises had been nothing but words. The second she’d found out she was pregnant he’d changed. And then she’d learned more about him than she’d ever wanted to know. She’d walked away, but it had been too late to keep her from the horrors that real life could be. Robert had died soon after. She’d been heartbroken, but almost relieved too since he’d turned into such a terrible person.
Angela finished her coffee and snack, put down a couple bills, and walked from the café. She easily moved down the familiar street, trying to convince herself this was like any normal day. She’d pull herself together, and she’d figure out where she and Timothy were going to make a permanent life together. She didn’t want to keep moving him all over the country. Maybe they should go to Mexico or even farther, somewhere like Italy. But those places required passports, and that was very traceable.
She couldn’t imagine some criminal in Washington would want to chase her around the world, but she’d learned not long ago to never underestimate evil. They didn’t like loose ends. And Angela had no doubt whatsoever that she was indeed a loose end. If she only had to worry about herself, she might want to just face it. But the moment she’d become a mother her life had changed, and she had more than herself to be concerned about.
She hoped she’d be able to return to Edmonds someday. But she might’ve burned those bridges with her abrupt exit from the town. She’d made friends there, and she had no doubt they’d be hurt by her departure.
Angela tried pushing these thoughts from her mind as she moved to the Saturday market and browsed the selections. She wasn’t used to not having a job, and she was wondering if she should try to find temporary work. She’d have to give her social security number, though, and that scared her. She wasn’t sure how deep the crime syndicate ran, and she didn’t want to find out.
She purchased some food, then looked at the time. Timothy would be out of school soon so she needed to get back to their temporary home. He hadn’t been thrilled when he’d had to go to a new school. That had broken her heart. He’d made friends in Edmonds and she hated to uproot him from that. But Timothy was such a good kid. He’d accepted her explanation that she’d do all she could to take him back there, but sometimes situations were out of a parent’s control. She hated that he had to accept her explanation and that she might be making him grow up too quickly. It wasn’t easy making decisions for her child.
When she was close to home, she felt that chill down her spine again. And this time she was worried about it. She’d ignored it the last time and she’d had to uproot her entire life because. She stopped and looked around. She didn’t see anyone. But she picked up her pace. Maybe they’d be moving sooner than she wanted. She just didn’t know where she was going to go next.
Chapter Four
One Week Later
One day continued to turn into the next. Wasn’t that how time was? Her loneliness was all in her head. But each day she took Timothy to school, then fretted about what to do next. Then it was time to pick him up again. Something had to change soon or she was bound to go crazy.
She was once again alone when a voice she hadn’t been sure she’d ever hear again spoke from behind.
“Angela.”
Her insides turned to instant mush and she wanted to kick herself right where she was standing. But if there was one thing Angela had learned over the years, it was how to keep a straight face and not show fear. Well, it wasn’t exactly fear she was feeling at the moment.
It was lust, pure and simple.
Declan Forbes was too good-looking for his own good. Seriously! He was intimidating as hell with a stare that made her want to admit to everything she’d ever done wrong, including the time she’d snagged a five-cent sucker at the store because her mother had told her she couldn’t have it.
The guilt of taking that sucker had haunted her for years. By the time she’d turned twenty-one she’d paid for that dang thing a thousand times over, leaving a nickel in the change dish on the counter every time she’d gone back into that store. A life of thievery wasn’t meant for everyone.
But back to Declan. The man had shoulders suited for a linebacker and arms that could either hold a criminal in place . . . or a woman against a wall. His eyes were nearly black and his hair was always in place. He looked completely comfortable in a suit, and his jaw had a slight tick when he was thinking.
She’d avoided him while in Edmonds because he terrified her. She wasn’t afraid he’d hurt her physically; she was afraid of the spell he cast on her without even trying. If the man put real effort into interacting with her, she’d be putty in his hands. Working part-time for his brother, she’d seen him more often than she’d wanted to, but other than
that she’d always run in the opposite direction of Declan.
Somehow he was now in California, far away from Edmonds, and standing in front of her at the small mom-and-pop café where she was trying to enjoy a cup of coffee. What were the chances of that happening?
“Are we going to have a staring contest?” Declan asked, and she realized she’d been standing with a blank look on her face. Maybe if she continued to do so he’d give up and walk away. Maybe she’d wake up and this would be nothing more than a dream.
His lip turned up the slightest bit in his trademark smirk, and she seriously wondered if the man could read her mind. She let out a sigh.
“Possibly.” She kept it short and sweet . . . but not too sweet.
Before Declan said anything more, the bell on the door rang and in walked Owen Forbes. The resemblance between the brothers was obvious, but where Declan had a hard edge, Owen had a lightness that automatically drew people to him.
“Sorry I’m late. It took forever to park the car and then Eden called and you know how that goes,” Owen said with a smile that could’ve lit up the entire city.
“Newlyweds,” Declan muttered. She was sure he wasn’t saying it for anyone but himself, but that one word released her tension. She turned and faced Owen, missing her friend. She didn’t normally go more than a few days without seeing Eden.
“The honeymoon phase must still be in full affect,” she said with a genuine smile, forgetting for a moment that the two of them shouldn’t be there.
“I plan on it staying that way for the rest of our lives,” Owen said. “When you have a woman as amazing as Eden you don’t ever lose sight of how lucky you are.”
“Well, you did almost blow it,” Declan rudely pointed out.
“Biggest mistake of my life. Luckily she forgave me, and now I have a lifetime to show her how thankful I am.”
