I heard.”
“Please. I have a son. He needs me.” Maybe she could reason with this man. It was doubtful. But maybe. She didn’t have many options right now.
She quickly soaked in the man’s features. Gold tooth. Snake tattoo stretching up his neck. She’d never seen him before. He had to have been contracted by someone—one of her husband’s former friends.
“I wasn’t hired to be compassionate. I was hired to bring you in—dead or alive. Dead would be less of a hassle.”
The man punched her in the gut again. The air rushed from her lungs. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out something shiny.
A knife, Samantha realized.
Any hope she had for surviving disappeared faster than her last paycheck.
Dear Lord. Help me!
Just then, a siren screeched in the distance. The man startled at the sound.
Adrenaline surged in Samantha. She had to fight for her life. To fight for her son.
Finally, the scream that had been lodged in her throat escaped. She pushed the man away with a strength that surprised even her. Then she sprinted toward the store.
She ran, not looking back until she reached the inside. There, she sagged against the wall.
She glanced outside, just in time to see the man scowl at her. He climbed into his car and squealed off. She was safe. But for how long?
She had to get Connor and run. Where? She didn’t know. What would she do once she got there? She had no idea.
But staying here was not an option.
* * *
“I know people think I’m crazy, but I’ve got to do this.” John Wagner leaned back in his chair, not liking the tension across his chest. He’d felt this tension for far too long now. “I’ve got to make some life changes. I’ve been in denial about it for a long time.”
“I think it’s a good choice,” his friend Nate said. “Even if people think you’ve lost your mind.” His friend grinned as he leaned against an empty table in The Revolutionary Grill. It was Tuesday night, the one night of the week the grill didn’t open. That’s why John always stopped by, every week on the same night, to hang out. Nate and his wife owned this place.
Today would be John’s last visit for a while, though. In the morning, he’d leave for Smuggler’s Cove where he would begin a new adventure. He’d worked at the Coast Guard Training Center here in Yorktown for the past five years.
Now it was a time for a fresh challenge: restoring nine cabins on the remote island of Smuggler’s Cove, located in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. John was looking forward to some new scenery and new faces. Mostly, he was hoping his soul might be restored right along with the old cabins.
Since Alyssa had died, nothing in his world had felt right. This life change was his last-ditch effort to find some peace, to make things right with himself. He prayed to God that would be the case. If this didn’t work, what would?
Finally, John took his last sip of coffee and stood. He raised his cup in acknowledgment of all the Tuesdays he and Nate had done this. “As always, thanks for the coffee. You guys will definitely be what I’ll miss the most about this place.”
“We’ll be out there to visit you in a week,” Nate added. “Work fast.”
“You know how to put the pressure on, but there’s no one else I’d work as hard for.” It was the truth. Nate and his wife Kylie had been loyal friends to him. He’d do anything for them.
Just then, the back door of the restaurant flew open. John’s gaze traveled through the kitchen, swerving in the direction of the sound.
A woman stood in the back entrance, her eyes wide. Blood trickled from her forehead, her lip was busted, her gaze looked frantic.
Nate rushed toward her, his eyebrows furrowed together in worry. “Samantha? Are you okay?”
The woman nodded and touched her forehead.
That’s right, John realized. It was Samantha, the woman who was renting the room above the restaurant. He’d hardly recognized her in her disheveled state.
John had seen her around a few times. She was hard not to notice with her trim build, soft blond hair that fell to her shoulders and the mysterious air about her. She kept to herself, but her gaze was always searching her surroundings, as if she was on guard or looking for someone.
She’d spiked John’s curiosity, but that was as far as it had gone. Ever since Alyssa, John knew he didn’t deserve the chance to even consider a relationship. Besides, Samantha seemed like a closed book, someone whose body language screamed, “Keep your distance.”
John joined his friend, scanning for trouble out the backdoor window. Before he even reached Samantha, he could see her trembling.
“I’m fine,” Samantha muttered. Her gaze fluttered to Nate and then John. “Just a little...an—an accident.”
John was sure those injuries were from anything but an accident. Had someone done that to her? Anger surged in him at the thought.
He’d seen firsthand the devastation that happened when people didn’t treat others as humans. Alyssa had been a prime example, and his heart still broke at the memory.
“That must have been some accident,” John muttered, soaking in her injuries.
Samantha shrugged. Her gaze fluttered wildly about the room, and she gripped her purse. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk now.”
“Can we help you get cleaned up, at least?” Nate asked. “I can grab my first-aid kit, put some ointment on that cut.”
She shoved a hair behind her ear. “I’ll be fine.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper. Her tremble was more noticeable when she extended her arm. “Here’s the rest of my rent for the month. I’m afraid I’m going to have to take off. Family emergency.”
“Anything I can do to help?” John asked, even though it wasn’t his business to ask.
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m just going to grab my things and pick up Connor. We’re going to hit the road tonight.”
Nate shifted, worry wrinkling the corners of his eyes. “You can’t wait until morning?”
Samantha shook her head. “I’m sorry. But I’ve got to go now. This can’t wait.” She paused and sucked on her lip for a minute. “Look, you and Kylie have been really kind to me. I don’t know how to say this, but please be careful. Be safe. Especially safe.”
“What’s going on, Samantha? I don’t like the sound of that.” Nate, a seasoned Coastie, had always been tough, strong and fair. Right now, he sounded on edge.
John wanted to step in, to say more, to help in some way. But he didn’t know the woman,
