by Mary Eason
Tonight, unlike the night before, there were no mysterious cars parked in front of the Miller’s house. Just a gorgeous ending to a perfect day.
If Bev noticed the slew of locks decorating both doors, she didn’t acknowledge them. Anna piled the mail on top of the stack that had been accumulating for days. Something red slipped from the mound to the floor at her feet. Bev reached for it and handed the note to Anna.
Anna’s full attention was on the note. Her maiden name had been printed in childlike blocked letters across the front of the folded page. She’d seen this type of note before. Dear God, it had started again.
She opened the letter and read the familiar words.
Beloved, now that I’ve found you again. I will never let you go. You will be with me soon. And always.
The paper slipped from her fingers to the floor. This time Bev didn’t bother to retrieve it. “Anna? What is it?”
Words weren’t possible. Anna couldn’t speak of the terror. Couldn’t breathe it to life. Slowly, just as the lifeless paper had slipped to her feet, she slid to the floor and into the open arms of the welcomed darkness waiting to embrace her.
Chapter Two
She loved the park. She'd met her love here only a few weeks earlier. And each day that she returned she sought him out and longed for a normal life. Today, she'd waited for hours but he never came. Had he deserted her? Or had the monster found out about the two of them.
She sat on the isolated bench, the sun warming her bruised skin, it made the horror of the night before seem not so bad.
He’d been angry with her. In his eyes, the list of her transgressions was endless.
She’d forgotten to bake the bread the way his mother prepared it. No, that wasn’t the truth. She’d lost track of the time, snuggled in her quiet corner, she let her mind drift to happier days while her body healed. She’d lost time. She’d rushed to prepare the evening meal, but there wasn’t enough time for the bread.
She could still see the monster as it emerged within him. More and more lately, the monster was in control. She knew soon, the man that she married would disappear forever, leaving only the monster in his place. And then what?
Each time, after he beat her, he’d beg for her forgiveness and she’d give it to him. He’d fallen asleep with her clutched tight against his chest as if fearing she might escape. When he left for work, she’d slipped away and came to this little park bench to contemplate the future.
Did she dare follow through with her plan? She longed for her lover. Prayed for guidance. What she considered went against everything her parents taught her. Would they forgive her? Would God? The only answer was the rustling trees, the passing day, and the reassurance that time was quickly running out.
* * * * *
As hard as he tried, John couldn’t imagine Anna – his Anna living here, in this sleepy coastal town.
The small, white Cape Cod cottage would have been forgettable if it weren’t for its pastel-yellow shutters, white picket fence, and overfed lawn. Of course, the emerald green water back-dropped behind the house didn’t hurt much either.
Rick twisted in his seat to get a better vantage. He was about as surprised as John.
John acknowledged the look with a grin. “Yeah, I know. I wouldn’t have put her here either.”
Rick barely accredited his explanation with a grunt. They exited the car at the same time as if choreographed. John took the time, taking in his surroundings he told himself. He was stalling. Putting off that ugly "first scene" he knew was coming. That Anna hadn’t okayed his coming was just a gut feeling he’d gotten when he’d received the frantic call last night from her sister asking for his help. But it was one he didn’t doubt for a second.
Rick picked up on John’s qualms. “You sure you’re up to this? I can take the lead if you’d like.”
Rick had plenty of time to pick up on John’s nervousness during the eight hour trip from D.C. to Pensacola Beach they’d made at breakneck speed.
John was spared the need to answer when both his and Rick’s voicemail alarms chirped in unison. John grabbed his phone and checked the call-in number. He recognized it right way.
“You want me to call him back?” Rick asked.
“No, I’ll do it. You need to stay out of this as much as possible.”
“What about…” Rick motioned toward Anna’s house.
“You go ahead. I’ll be there as soon as I take care of this.” John stepped from the porch and covered enough sidewalk space to keep the nasty conversation he knew would be coming once the AD learned of the latest murder from any curious onlookers.
“Assistant Director Warren’s office.”
“Melinda, its John. I’m returning the AD’s call.”
Only a moment passed before the AD’s executive assistant voiced her relief. “Oh thank goodness, John. He’s been screaming for you and Rick for hours. Where are you anyway?”
John cleared his throat. “Never mind. You’d better let me explain.” She didn’t answer but the next voice on the line was Mark Warren’s.
“You want to explain to me why I’m learning we have a second victim coming close to fitting the RCK’s MO from the Post, Agent Delaney?”
Dammit. He should have known, hell he did know the Post’s bloodhounds would be all over this. He hoped he had more time. “Mark, I didn’t want to bring this to you until we were certain.”
“According to the Post, there’s little doubt. I want you and Garner in here now. I want this thing contained before we have an all-out panic on our hands.”
John wasn’t sure how to explain to the AD that he and his partner were hours away from obeying that command. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, Mark—”
“Why the hell not?” The reputed explosive anger of the AD became clear in each of his over-enunciated words.
“Because we’re following up on a lead.”
“What sort of lead?” While the AD was still furious that he’d been shown up in the press, he was also curious.
Until he knew how cooperative Anna would be, John decided the best way to handle the AD’s questions was to avoid more of them. “I’m not sure yet if it’s legit, but it’s the best we have.”
The very loud and very annoyed hurrumph on the other end left John with little doubt what the AD’s reaction to this piece of information was. “You have twenty-four hours, Agent Delaney, to bring me something useful, otherwise you’re off the case along with your partner. And you’ll be lucky not to be facing a review board.”
The pressure that had been building since the call last night ratcheted up another level. He’d do whatever he had to do, kiss the AD’s butt as much as necessary, but he couldn’t let himself get pulled from the case until he knew Anna was safe. “Thank you, Mark. I should know something today. I’ll update you the minute we have anything.”
“You’d better, Delaney. Or poster boy or not, you’re gone.”
When he stepped into the house and saw her for the first time he froze. Time froze. His breath froze in his chest.
One year, four months and twelve days hadn’t been enough time to purge his feelings for her. She’d endured destroy most people yet Anna was stronger than eve she realized. She was so beautiful. She’d be thirty-one in four months’ time and yet she still reminded him of the young woman he’d met that first time. The night Aaron brought an innocent looking college coed to dinner to meet his partner. Anna would be the type of woman age and time befriended.
Their time apart hadn’t softened her reaction to him one little bit.
She spotted him in the foyer the second Rick’s gaze shot his way.
Rick needed answers John couldn’t manage because the wind had just been knocked from his body by green eyes that rivaled the ocean outside in beauty.
He doubted that she was even aware she’d gotten to her feet in perfect time with him stepping into the living room. She placed the dog she’d held in her arms on in the seat she’d vacated.
“
What are you doing here?”
The edge of John’s mouth quirked upwards at the volumes of bitterness contained in those simple words. God, he still loved her. She still blamed him for Aaron’s death. And the baby’s.
“Anna. It’s good to see you. You’ve met my partner, Agent Garner.”
The room around them shrank to just the two of them. The deluge of feelings sparking between them was enough to challenge the strength of a nuclear power plant.
He watched her struggle and finally capture hers. Anna picked up the dog, sank back down to the sofa, and reached for the hand of the woman seated next to her while Rick carefully considered the display and came up with the correct conclusion.
John stepped forward and offered his hand to the woman seated next to Anna. “It’s good to see you again, Beverly. I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances.”
Once their hint of civility had passed, John turned his attention to Rick and the only reason he had in being in her life again. The note. He had to keep reminding himself, business was the only thing happening here.
“Where are we so far?”
Rick glanced from John to Anna then back to his notes. “I’d just begun to get the background information. Mrs.—Ms," Rick hesitated, uncertain of how to address Anna. She wasn't Mrs. Sorenson anymore. Hadn’t been for a while. Aaron had made sure of that.
John nodded for Rick to continue.
"Right…Anna told me the note was in the yesterday’s mail. There was no postmark, the note would have been placed in the mailbox by…someone.”
John took the only available seat, a small tapestried chair that wasn’t designed for comfort. “Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary lately, Anna? Any calls, anyone following you, any unusual activity in the neighborhood?” He tried to make eye contact but she was looking anywhere but at him.
It was her sister who answered. “Not that I’m aware of, but I just arrived yesterday.” She smiled apologetically and glanced at Anna.
John couldn’t tell if it was just that she realized she couldn’t ignore this thing any longer or maybe she just didn’t want to disappoint her sister, but he could feel her accepting his interference in her life. She shook her head. “No, Bev, there was something. The night before you arrived. There was a car parked across the street at the Miller house. Its lights were off.”
John ignored his promise to let Rick take the lead. “What type of car? Did you report the incident to the police?”
Her answer was brittle. He understood why. She was a professional. She knew the importance of that piece of information. “I don’t know what type of car. I told you it was dark and the lights were off.” She’d caught a glimpse of the anger simmering in him and attempted to amend her tone. “I think it was a four-door sedan of some sort. Probably black or gray. Something along those lines. I didn’t get the license. It scared the hell out of me though.”
John had little doubt she would have kept close tabs on the neighborhood. That’s why she’d chosen such a nondescript, quiet place to call home. “Has it been there before?”
“No, never. And whoever was in the car hasn’t returned. It could be just a coincidence.”
She didn’t believe it, but she needed him to reassure her that the nightmare hadn’t begun again. He couldn’t. “I doubt it. Not in light of the note. Where is it, by the way? We’ll need to take it with us.”
Anna handed her dog to her sister. Without a word, she got to her feet and left the room. The second she was out of earshot, Bev’s worried gaze drilled his. “Please help her. I don’t know what’s happened between you two but she’s barely keeping it together. I’m worried she won’t make it through this thing—”
She broke off right before Anna returned. John didn’t doubt for a moment the truth behind her sister’s concern.
Anna handed him the plastic bag containing the note. “Bev and I both handled it but I thought…” she offered when she caught his surprise at her careful handling of the note.
All the dread that he’d shoved aside returned when he saw the familiar red paper. The childlike writing. The past reborn.
“Dammit.” John handed the note to his partner for inspection. He hadn’t needed to read the note to know it would be same.
He couldn’t leave her here. She would never agree to come back to D.C. with him. Or going into protective custody for that matter. But he and Rick would have to be back in Washington by tomorrow if they wanted to keep chasing the killer. AD Warren had pretty much made that clear.
“I have to go to work. I can’t close the store for two days in a row.” Anna’s innocent observation sent three sets of stunned reactions her direction.
John’s denial came quickly. “You’re kidding, right? There’s no way you’re going anywhere. Do you realize how serious this is?”
The look she gave him would have sent even the strongest of men crawfishing. “I think I do. I think I, of all people, know exactly how serious this is, but I can’t give up any more of my life to this thing. I can’t. If I do…”
She might not ever return from it. Yes, there was little doubt in John’s mind that Anna was just one more nightmare away from disappearing from them forever, but he couldn’t let her risk her life. He couldn’t. He owed it to her, Aaron, the baby. He couldn’t lose her to this thing like he’d lost Aaron.
He had again to try to get through to her. “Anna, I need you to come with us—”
Her response was swift. “No. I’m not leaving my home.”
He’d expected this reaction. The passion. The anger. All fueled by fear. “What you really mean is you’re not going back there with me.”
Their eyes locked. It was just the two of them again. “What I mean is I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Rick’s curiosity had spiked and yet he tried to calm the storm. “I’ll contact the Miami branch as well as the local PD. We can have someone stationed outside. One of our own here with her—”
“No. I don’t want that either—”
John reached the end of the negotiations. He was only willing to bend so far. Even for her. “Then I’ll have you arrested for impeding a federal investigation.”
Anna’s mouth slammed shut on her reaction to those words. To her credit, she’d recognized John’s mood as dark. She’d certainly seen it enough in the past. They’d argued fervently about the case, about their relationship. About Aaron's secrets, the divorce…and their future. They’d made love with just as much passion.
John glanced his partner’s way. “Make the call. Bring them up to speed. Have a team go over every square inch outside and get them started on tracking the car. Also, check into where this particular brand of paper can be purchased in the area. It’s a long shot, but at this point I’ll take anything.” He waited through his partner’s scribbling then faced Anna. “We need to talk. Alone.”
Chapter Three
Anna reluctantly followed John out to the back deck. If she ever believed in bad karma, it was now. Facing the man responsible for feelings she'd hoped were dead and buried. Gone for good. They weren't.
She could feel his gaze sliding over her body, familiar and with as much power as a caress. Just like those times in the past, her breathless reaction to John scared the hell out of her.
“How are you, Anna?” When he spoke, the anger she’d seen in him moments earlier was gone. The quiet, sexy, gravely tone replacing it was far more disarming.
Anna whirled to face him. “How am I? How do you think I am?” He watched her silently, seeing more than she wanted him to see. In a half-baked attempt at self-preservation, Anna turned the tables. “I doubt you came all this way to ask how I was. Or to chase a note unless…there’ve been others, haven’t there?”
He didn’t try to deny it. Dear God, why didn’t he deny it?
Anna forced words out on a shaky breath. “How many?”
“Two.” His eyes never released hers.
Just like before. Just like with Aaron. He saw her come
to that conclusion.
Anna untangled her gaze before she lost what little hold on her nerves that she still laid claim to. She ran a visibly trembling hand across her eyes and stared out at the late morning sun as it bounced along the ocean’s calm surface, blinding her for the moment. She shielded her eyes.
Exhaustion and fear kept her voice unsteady. “You told me you had the creep responsible for this. You promised me, John.”
He didn’t react to her anger. “I told you we had the person responsible for Aaron’s death—”
Anna tossed an angry glare his way. “For God’s sake, don’t play word games. The person responsible for Aaron’s death is the same—”
He shook his head. “No, it isn’t.” He confirmed with a handful of simple words.
Fear crept down through her like an electrical charge. She no longer tried to be strong. “I can’t go back to D.C. I won’t. I can’t go there, John.”
He’d moved closer without Anna realizing it. John was just shy of six-four and extremely fit and devilishly sexy. Against her wishes, Anna's mind took her to places she wasn’t prepared to go. She remembered all the times past he’d loved to her. The way his body responded beneath her fingertips. Inside her. She shuddered from the weight of those memories. The needs he’d ignited in her once more hurt physically. It was like being frozen solid then thawed suddenly. There was nothing comfortable about wanting John.
When he spoke, Anna could feel his warm breath caress the nape of her neck. “Anna…” His hands cupped her shoulders, drawing her back against him. All anger left her the moment his body touched hers.
“Anna, I can’t let anything happen to you. I promised Aaron—”
Anna jerked from his grasp and rounded on him. “Don’t.”
She lost the nerve to continue the second she saw the raw desire in John’s liquid gaze. Just as quickly as it appeared, the anger her accusations ignited tamped it out. He caught hold of her before she could move away.
