leave behind.
She wasn’t totally surprised to find out he was a cop, since law enforcement was all he’d talked about back when they were in school. Twelve years later, fate, or maybe God, had brought them back together. Being with a cop was dangerous, and she told herself that after he’d helped her get away, she’d ditch Nate as soon as she could.
Deep down, she was relieved not to be alone. Hailey didn’t deserve to be in danger like this. Melissa knew coming home to see her father in the hospital before he passed away had been a mistake. She’d thought for sure everyone around here believed her dead and buried.
Apparently not. Something she should have been prepared for, since after all, there was no statute of limitations on murder. Despite the fact that she’d changed her identity and faked her death, they’d found her. She’d noticed a tail on her as soon as she’d left the hospital, so she’d come to the busy megamall, trying to disappear into the crowd of people. Her intent had been to hop a bus, but Nate had shown up before she’d been able to make her way back outside.
And then he’d solved the problem by taking down the two men who’d followed her.
She picked up Hailey and followed Nate out of the break room, glancing at the two men who lay wounded. She shivered, feeling sick at the thought of what might have happened if Nate hadn’t seen her and recognized her. Granted, hearing him call her by her birth name had been a shock. But she might not have escaped the gunmen if not for Nate’s help. She’d prayed for him while she and Hailey had hidden in the bathroom singing church songs.
“This way,” Nate said, gesturing over to the right. There was a long hallway that ended with a door marked Exit. She took Hailey’s hand and headed down the hall.
“Mommy, I’m hungry,” Hailey whined.
“I know, sweetheart. We’ll get something to eat soon,” she said, trying to soothe her daughter.
Nate nodded, and when he smiled, he reminded her so much of the young man she’d fallen for all those years ago. “We’ll get something to eat, but first we need to get to my car, okay?”
Hailey gazed up at Nate with big solemn hazel eyes, and Melissa’s heart squeezed in her chest at the hero worship she saw reflected there. Hailey was too young to remember her own father, who’d died before she was even born. It was only logical that she’d latch on to Nate as a father figure, especially after he’d saved their lives.
“We’re going to have to walk in the snow,” Nate said, his tone apologetic as he gestured to the heavy metal door leading outside. “I’m parked way on the other side of the mall.”
“No problem,” Melissa said. She didn’t want to go anywhere near her rusty old sedan, even though it had cost her dearly—five hundred in cash. The gunmen had followed her from the hospital, which meant her license plate number was compromised. For all she knew, they’d already reported the information to whoever was paying them.
She tried not to give in to the wave of hopelessness. She would not only have to escape from Nate but also need to find a new vehicle. She didn’t have enough money to buy another car, so she’d be forced to take a series of buses to their next destination. Wherever that might be.
Nate pushed open the door and gestured for her and Hailey to go out first. A blast of cold air hit her in the face, stealing her breath. Melissa bent over to tie Hailey’s scarf over her daughter’s nose and mouth.
“It might be better if I carry her,” Nate said in a low voice. “We’ll get to my car faster that way.”
She nodded, knowing he was right. “Hailey? This is my friend, Nate. He’s going to carry you to the car, okay?”
“Okay,” Hailey agreed.
Under normal circumstances, Melissa wouldn’t have been at all happy to know her daughter was willing to let a stranger carry her. But nothing about this trip back to Milwaukee was normal. She wished she’d made a different decision, but it was too late to go back and change the past. After all this time, it should have been safe enough to fulfill her father’s dying wish to see his only grandchild.
But it wasn’t. The only thing she could do now was to disappear again, creating new identities for herself and Hailey.
Melissa quickened her pace to keep up with Nate’s long strides as they made their way through the snow-covered parking lot. She hadn’t seen snow like this in years, although Hailey had been thrilled with the idea of having a white Christmas. Thankfully the snow had stopped, but the ground was still slippery.
A half dozen police cars were parked around the entrance to the mall where she’d come into the building, and her heart leaped into her throat. Was the dirty cop there right now? Pretending to be one of the good guys?
Nate didn’t glance over at the police cars, leading the way to the furthest part of the parking lot.
When they reached the vehicle, she remembered Hailey’s booster seat.
“Hailey will have to ride in the back,” she said as Nate opened the passenger-side door. “Her car seat is still in my car, along with our suitcase.”
“We’ll pick them up,” Nate assured her.
“Thanks.” Melissa scooted into the backseat beside Hailey, while Nate slid behind the wheel. He started the car and then went back outside to brush off the light covering of snow.
She shivered, trying to remember where she’d left her car. Not far from here, she recalled, but near the area where the police cars were gathered. The thought of going any closer filled her with dread.
Should she forget about the child safety seat and their meager belongings? She’d rather not, since the lack of a booster chair could get them pulled over. Either way, it would bring her too close to the police for comfort.
“All set?” Nate asked as he came back into the car.
“Yes.” She forced herself to sound more confident than she felt. “I parked three rows over, closer to the building.”
“Okay.” Nate backed out of the parking space and followed her directions. She huddled beside Hailey as the red-and-blue lights flashed around them.
“There—the tan sedan parked beside the white pickup truck.” She pulled the keys out of her purse, which was slung across her chest beneath her coat, and handed them to Nate.
Within five minutes, Nate had their suitcase stored in his trunk and the booster seat secured in the backseat with Hailey belted in. Melissa chose to stay in the back with her daughter, but Nate didn’t object.
It wasn’t until they left the mall parking lot that she was able to breathe easier. It was a huge relief to know that she and Hailey were safe, from both the gunmen and the police.
Well, except for Nate.
The sick feeling in her stomach returned with a vengeance. Nate was a good guy, and she knew that he’d put his career on the line to help them.
Yet he was the last person she could trust with her secret. He couldn’t know the reason she’d run away from Milwaukee days after their high school graduation twelve years ago.
The same reason she remained
