Saving His Soul (Serenity Springs Series, #3)
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Saving His Soul
Dawn Sullivan
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events or persons, living or dead are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or featured names are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or in part, mechanically or electronically, constitutes a copyright violation. Published in the United States of America in September 2016; Copyright 2016 by Dawn Sullivan. The right of the Authors Name to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by them in accordance with The Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988.
Published by Dawn Sullivan
Cover Design: Kari Ayasha-Cover to Cover Designs
Photographer: Shauna Kruse-Kruse Images & Photography
Models: William Scott and T. H. Snyder
Copyright 2016 © Author Dawn Sullivan
Language: English
Table of Contents
Dedication
Other books by Dawn Sullivan
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Dedication
I have always been a dreamer. Even as a child, I would make up stories about far-off fantasy places. I would pretend I was the heroine, meeting my handsome prince and falling in love. You hardly ever saw me without a book in my hand. Now, I write because I love to. I enjoy getting swept up in a story, dreaming about my characters and their lives. And, yes, once again, I’m that heroine for as long as the book lasts.
This one is for all of the dreamers out there; the ones who have their head in the clouds and one foot on the ground. Always follow your dreams. Fight for them, and live life to the fullest.
Other books by Dawn Sullivan
RARE Series
Book 1 Nico’s Heart
Book 2 Phoenix’s Fate
Book 3 Trace’s Temptation
Book 4 Saving Storm
White River Wolves Series
Book 1 Josie’s Miracle
Book 2 Slade’s Desire
Serenity Springs Series
Book 1 Tempting His Heart
Book 2 Healing Her Spirit
Chapter 1
Six years ago
Sitting in a darkened corner of the small bar, she watched him as he lightly strummed the guitar strings. His black cowboy hat covered dark blond hair and was pulled down low on his forehead. His head was bowed, hiding his face. All she could see was his strong, chiseled jaw, but she knew what the rest of his features looked like. She had them memorized. Even after six long years, she would know him anywhere.
When the deep timbre of Ryder Caldwell’s voice filled the room, she leaned forward in her chair, listening intently. The song was a slow ballad about love lost, and she clung to every word, pretending he was singing to her.
Suddenly, Ryder raised his head and glanced around the room. She gasped when his gaze stopped on her, before slowly moving on. Those eyes. She had always loved his mesmerizing, bright blue eyes. They had the power to make her heart race and her palms sweat. She froze when his gaze came back and settled on her again.
Shit, she could not let him see her. She was not even supposed to be there. The chance of him recognizing her after so many years was slim, but it was one she was not willing to take. There was no way she would bring the terror that she lived with daily into his life. When he once again lowered his gaze to his guitar, she took a chance and slid from the booth, quickly leaving the bar without a backward glance.
Chapter 2
Present Time
Rayna Williams knelt by the gravesite, gently placing a single long-stemmed red rose on the ground before her. Gazing at the small headstone above where the rose lay, she reached out and lightly traced the name, Matthew James Fuller. Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the young boy, full of love and laughter. Matty was taken way too soon from this world, never having the chance to learn to drive, to go on his first date, to fall in love, get married, or have children of his own.
Moving to the next gravesite, she repeated the action of tracing the name on the headstone, a shudder racking her body as she held back a scream of agony that wanted to tear from her throat. Leaving the rose, she moved on to the next grave, and then the next. They were all gone, had been for years, but the pain of losing them was just as deep and sharp as it had been right after they were taken from her.
Placing the last rose on the ground, Rayna rose, standing stiffly in front of the large headstone before her parents’ graves. It was now just over twelve years since the terrible accident that had stolen her entire family from her, but it still felt like only yesterday. When she lost them, it was as if she lost a piece of herself. A part she was afraid she would never get back.
Closing pain-filled eyes, Rayna felt a tear escape as she whispered softly, “I miss all of you so much.” The life that she lived since the accident was a lonely one. She was too afraid to let anyone get close to her. She refused to be the cause of more death.
Taking a deep breath, Rayna opened her eyes, wiping tears from them as she let her gaze rest on the family headstone. She read the engraving once again, even though she knew it by heart.
Here lies the Fuller family
Father: Robert Fuller
Mother: Rosemary Fuller
Daughter: Olivia Fuller
Daughter: Macey Fuller
Son: Matthew Fuller
May they rest in peace
Out of all of them, she was the only one left. Her breath hitching on a silent sob, Rayna squeezed her eyes shut tightly as the memory of that terror-filled night swamped her. She recalled the phone ringing, the panic in her father’s voice when he ordered them all to the car, not allowing them to pack a suitcase or even retrieve any of their personal possessions first. She and her sister were both old enough to understand what was going on, having gone through it once before, but Matthew was only a baby when they were moved the first time. He had been so scared. She remembered holding his hand tightly while her sister cried softly in the seat next to him.
Her mother turned to look at them from where she sat in the passenger seat, tears flowing freely down her cheeks, her dark
green eyes wide with fear. “It’s going to be alright,” she promised as she clutched the back of the seat. “Everything is going to be just fine.” She had talked quietly to them for several miles, but in the end, all of her promises did not matter.
Rayna remembered the screeching of metal, bright lights, and then gut-wrenching screams from her mother. Her dad was yelling, telling them all to duck down. Suddenly, the back window shattered, and she saw her father slump forward onto the steering wheel. The car careened out of control, slamming into something before turning onto its side and skidding across the highway. After it finally came to a stop, there was complete silence. Everything went absolutely still, and it was as if time slowed down. Matty lay lifelessly on her, her sister on top of him. She struggled to move, but could not under their combined weight. Her head was pounding, blood dripping down her forehead and into her eyes. She moaned softly as dizziness overcame her, trying to remain conscious.
That was when she heard footsteps coming toward the car. Frozen in fear, Rayna fought to keep quiet, her body trembling in terror as she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She struggled not to scream when the sound of five more gunshots cracked through the night. A sharp pain pierced her shoulder and she let out a muffled cry, then once again silence filled the air. After a moment she heard a voice say gruffly, “It’s done, boss,” right before she slipped into oblivion.
Several hours later, Rayna woke up in a hospital over a thousand miles from Serenity Springs, Texas, where she was told that she was the only survivor of the crash and what transpired after it. Her entire family was now resting in the burial plots before her. The U.S. Marshals in charge of her safety would not even consider letting her attend the funeral. They set it up to look as if all five family members perished in the accident, burying an empty casket before her headstone.
Two days following the accident, she was once again relocated with another new name, Rayna Williams. It was her third name, counting the one she was born with, and she vowed it would be the final one. Five days following her relocation, she found out that the mob boss who ordered the hit on her family had his henchmen dig up all of the graves. He wanted proof that the job was done. What they found when they got to hers, was an empty casket. Rayna knew the bastard would not rest until she was gone, because he left her a message in that casket after discovering she was still alive. It was the dead body of her last living relative, Aunt Silvia.
Rayna had lived with the horror of that night for the past twelve years. Everything she did from that point on was so that she could make it through day-by-day, knowing the bastards were still out there and gunning for her. She made the decision to go into law enforcement, determined to be able to protect herself and those she cared about, not that there was anyone in her life to look out for right now. There had been some who tried to get close to her, but she always ended up pushing them all away. Yes, she lived a lonely existence, but at least she knew no one else would suffer if she was found by her enemies.
Originally, Rayna wanted to become a U.S. Marshal so that she could protect others who had been through hell and back, like herself. In the end, she decided against it, changing her career path to focus on hunting down the bastards who threatened them instead. After two years as a police officer, followed by three as a detective on the police force in Omaha, Nebraska where she was living at the time, she now worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Virginia. Her past files were sealed, buried so deep that no one besides the U.S. Marshals knew her life story, except the director and assistant director of the FBI. And the only reason they knew was because Rayna chose to tell the assistant director before he hired her. In her mind, honesty was the best policy, and she wanted him to be able to make his decision with all of the facts. That was two years ago. Since then, she had worked her ass off for the bureau, and was now a valued agent.
Even though things in her life seemed to be going well right now, Rayna recently made a decision, one that was a long time coming. She was done running. She refused to hide. She was going back to the only place that ever felt like home. It was time to face her demons, time to fight.
Taking a deep breath, Rayna squared her shoulders and said out loud, “I know you probably won’t understand, Mama. You always said I was the headstrong one of the bunch. But this is something that I have to do. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder. Tired of wondering if those bastards are still hunting me. If they are, they can come find me, and I plan on making it easy for them. I’m going back to Serenity Springs, Mama. I’m going home.”
After one last glance at the dark red roses she had left on four out of five of the gravesites, Rayna turned and made her way to the black, four-door Charger parked on the side of the road. She had purposely neglected to place a rose on her own grave. It was an open invitation. Come find me, you bastards.
Chapter 3
“Your leave of absence has been denied,” Assistant Director Talbot informed Rayna as he stared across his desk at her, a knowing look in his shrewd grey eyes.
“With all due respect, Sir,” Rayna demanded, “by whom?” Her anger was at a slow burn and was quickly catching fire. She had waited years to be free of that scum, Diego Cortez, and she was not going to let anything stand in her way now that she was finally ready to confront him. Forcing herself to remain seated, she gritted her teeth and waited for Talbot to respond.
“By me, Agent Williams,” the assistant director stated as he rose from his chair and walked around his desk, stopping before her. “Rayna,” he said calmly, “I know what you have planned, and I can’t allow it.”
Rayna’s dark brown eyes narrowed as she replied shortly, “I’m tired. I need a vacation.”
“Bullshit,” Talbot scoffed as he leaned back against his desk, folding his arms across his wide chest. “You forget, Rayna Williams, that I know you better than anyone else.” When she refused to comment, he continued, “You have been keeping close tabs on Diego Cortez for the past year, making sure you have all of his current information at your fingertips. You’ve been stalking the small town of Serenity Springs via the internet for close to six months now, if not longer. Last month, the house you grew up in went up for sale. According to county records, it is now owned by a Rayna Williams. The utilities are also in your name. And now you want to take an indefinite leave of absence? How stupid do you think I am, Rayna?”
“You’ve been watching me.” It was a statement, not a question. Rayna really didn’t give a damn, though. She had not even bothered to cover her tracks. If she wanted to, it would have been child’s play. She had always been good with computers, which was how she figured out that there was a leak in the FBI. Every few days, she would log on and check to see if there was anyone out there trying to hack into her sealed files. The answer was always no, until just a few months ago. That was when she knew she was no longer safe, although safe was not a word Rayna had known in over twenty years.
Instead of waiting for whoever was stalking her to figure out exactly who she was, Rayna decided to become the hunter instead of the hunted. She came up with a plan and began to leave a trail carefully, beginning with when she became Rayna Williams, to her work with the FBI, and then finally to her decision to move home to Serenity Springs. This was where she planned on ending her life long battle with Cortez, one way or another.
“I watch all of my agents,” Assistant Director Talbot growled, his eyes darkening with his own anger. “What makes you think I am going to allow you to cut ties with the bureau, and run off to face the likes of Cortez on your own like some kind of modern day vigilante?”
“I’m not cutting ties with anyone,” Rayna denied, and she wasn’t. She liked her job, liked the life she had made for herself. There was only one thing missing, but he’d been lost to her years ago, even before the accident. Once she took care of Cortez, Rayna was selling her family home and finally placing that part of her life behind her. If she lived, that was. “I’ll be back in a few months. I just need a little time off.”
“Well, you aren’t going to get it,” Talbot informed her as he stood and walked back around the desk to once again take a seat in his large, black leather chair.
“Dammit, Ethan!” Rayna snapped as she rose, placing her hands on her hips. “That son of a bitch killed my family. He has been after me for years, and won’t stop until I’m dead. I am done waiting for him to find me.”
“I didn’t say you were going to wait, Agent Williams. I said I wasn’t sending you off on your own.”
Rayna froze, lowering back down into her seat as his meaning sank in. The assistant director was not going to keep her from ending this thing with Diego Cortez, he was going to help her. Swallowing hard, she said, “I appreciate that, Sir, but I don’t want to place anyone else’s lives in danger. Cortez wants me, and he doesn’t care who he has to go through to get to me.” When he would have responded, Rayna held up a hand. “I also don’t know who I can trust here. Someone has been trying to access my old case files from the database.”
Leaning forward, the director rested his forearms on the large desk. “Your records here should have been buried way too deep for someone to find.” His brow furrowing, he growled, “I’ll see if Agent Hanson can figure out who was trying to get into your files. In the meantime, I want you to bring Agents Donaldson and Brentworth up to speed on the situation.” Before Rayna could protest, the director shook his head. “No excuses, Rayna. It’s time you start trusting people.” Rayna looked down to where her hands sat tightly clasped in her lap, but her gaze snapped back to the director’s when he continued, “Just as we are going to trust you.”
“What do you mean?”
“The FBI has been keeping tabs on Cortez for years. I was already working for the agency when your father came to us. I was just a rookie at the time, still wet behind the ears. I thought I was going to save the world.” Shaking his head at the idea, he went on, “I was at my desk when Mr. Fuller walked in, scared to death for his family, but prepared to do what was right. Before you ask, I was not the agent assigned to your father’s case. My team was handling another large case at the time. But bringing down Cortez was a huge thing. And we were so damn close.”