me a call with any developments.”
“Will do. Stay safe. I just looked at the weather radar and there are severe storms all around the area. It’s making the drive around here treacherous, and it looks even worse in your direction.”
“Understood.” He disconnected the call and looked over at Sydney. She sat quietly, her hands folded in her lap, a hard-to-read expression on her face. “What’s on your mind?”
“How quickly this whole thing has spiraled out of control. I can’t say I’m surprised that Diaz thought he didn’t have to abide by the conditions of his bail. But with all his resources I’m sure he’ll wiggle out of it somehow.”
They drove for a long time in silence while lightning lit up the sky that was growing ever darker with storms.
“If Diaz’s exact location is unknown, do you think it’s possible that he could come after me personally?” she asked.
“No, that’s far too risky, especially given the latest events. But I do think he may send some hired guns after you. Or, if I’m right about the connection between the cousins, the East River gang may just do the dirty work. Eliminate the threat you pose forever.”
“And by eliminate you mean kill.”
“Yes, but as I’ve said I’m not going to let that happen.”
She forced a laugh. “Getting your first witness killed probably wouldn’t bode so well for your career as a marshal.”
“Don’t even talk like that.”
“Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood a bit with an ill-timed joke.”
“Why don’t you tell me about why you became a sketch artist? You told me how you did, but why?”
“You really want to know?”
“Yeah.”
“I felt like it was a way to use my gift for something positive. I knew I was a talented artist, but drawing pretty things didn’t quite feel like enough. Then I felt even more determined once I found faith. God gave me a special talent, and I want to be able to use it.”
Back to God again, he thought. But he couldn’t blame her. He’d been the one to ask the question. “Your faith is commendable even if I don’t adhere to it.”
“Why are you so hostile?”
“I’m not hostile,” he quickly added.
“You’re on the defensive.”
“I’m not. It’s just that I’ve seen supposed faith in action, and I have a hard time accepting it.”
“Since it obviously makes you uncomfortable, we can talk about something else.”
He wasn’t uncomfortable, was he? Sydney had a way of reading him, and he was beginning to dislike it. He’d grown to be a man of thought and action, not one of feeling and faith. The only thing he had faith in was himself. Hadn’t everyone else in his life failed him in one way or another?
His family life may have looked wonderful on the outside. Two supposedly loving parents, both doctors who were highly respected in their fields. But Max had been just a fashion piece to them. Neither his mother nor his father had really cared about him, and the only time they had had any opinion of him it had been negative.
When he’d chosen to go into law enforcement instead of medical school after college, they had practically disowned him. But he didn’t need them or anyone else, for that matter. He’d learned long ago to rely only on himself.
By the time the two of them drove into Pikeville, it was early evening. After they settled into their adjoining hotel rooms at the Pikeville Inn, Max went to Sydney’s room to discuss their next steps. He found her pacing back and forth.
“I should tell you something,” Sydney said.
“What?” Max asked. He looked over at her. Her lips were pursed and her eyebrows narrowed. He had no idea what she was going to say.
“I didn’t bring this up right away because it didn’t really seem relevant,” Sydney said. “But I’ve had some time to think it over, and now listening to everything you’ve said about the FBI and the lack of connection between Kevin and his cousin Lucas, I just need to put it out there.”
“What is it?”
Sydney started pacing back and forth again. “Maybe the FBI is right. Maybe this doesn’t have anything to do with Lucas trying to protect Kevin.”
“Why do you say that?” Max asked.
Sydney glanced away and then made eye contact with him. “Because there’s another reason the East River gang could be after me.”
Sydney looked directly at Max. It was time to talk about something she really didn’t want to discuss. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this earlier, but it didn’t really occur to me. I was so focused on Kevin and the trial.” That wasn’t the only reason. She was afraid and ashamed to talk about it. But now she saw she had no choice.
She was about to share a big part of herself with this man. Would he understand? Could she trust him with her painful past?
“What is it?” Max asked.
“It’s a long story, but I need to explain it all for it to make sense.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Still she hesitated. “It’s not something I normally talk about with anyone, but I feel like you need to know.”
“Take your time.”
She sat down in one of the hotel chairs, and he took a seat next to her. Hoping she had the strength to reveal her darkest secret to a man she barely knew, she began her story. “I started self-defense training five years ago.”
“What happened to make you start?”
She paused and took a deep breath before she answered. “I was dating this guy. Things were going well. But then he began to question my work and become very controlling. He put me down and called what I did a hobby that shouldn’t interfere with what he expected me to do for him around his apartment. Then when I’d get home late from work, he’d become irate.”
He crossed his arms and leaned back. “And that led to worse things happening, right?”
She nodded, fighting off the emotion that came flooding back over her. “One night he’d gone out with his friends. He’d had a few drinks, and when I questioned him about whether he should’ve driven home he got really angry. I knew he had a temper, but this was the first time I was actually afraid of him.”
“I’m worried about what you’re going to say next.”
“It’s
