She whipped her head back as she heard a door creak open, but it wasn’t the basement. She listened to the creaking floorboards above. He was in the living room. She froze still, worried he’d hear her or see her scampering out of the window, if she could get the damn thing open!
Finally the footsteps moved out of the living area and sounded as though they were headed for the stairwell leading up to her room. With rapid breaths she turned back to the window and pushed with every ounce of strength she possessed. It eased open with a groan. She shunted it a couple more times until it was wide enough for her to wiggle through.
Pulling herself up was hard work and she was astounded that she had the strength to do it. Her fingertips felt like they were bleeding as she clung to the rough concrete and ran her feet up the wall. Slithering through the small opening, she clutched at the grass of their lawn, pulling and clawing until she was out.
She scrambled behind the bush at the corner of the house.
A light flicked on upstairs, illuminating the front lawn. He was checking her bedroom.
She stayed crouched in the shadows, trying to focus on the simple act of breathing and not let her mind go wild. Insanity was pushing its way in, trying to paralyze her. She couldn’t let it. Her parents were dead. Dead! And now their killer wanted her too.
Her bedroom light flicked off. The lawn around her fell into darkness and Lucy did the only thing she could.
She ran.
She had no idea where she was supposed to go. If that man knew her name and all about her family then he probably knew her friends too. She instinctively knew to stay clear of Maria’s house. She had no other family and there was no way she was endangering any of their family friends.
It had always been the three of them. When two only children get married and have only one child, once their parents die, that’s it. And that was the case with the little Tate family. They were it.
Except now only Lucy remained.
Sobs worked their way out of her as she propelled her body down the dark street. She couldn’t bang on anyone’s door asking for assistance. Her parents had just been murdered by someone powerful. An officer of the law! That’s what he’d called himself!
Worse still, he was crooked and she was screwed.
As her feet pounded the pavement, ducking into the shadows at any opportunity, Lucy knew one thing. She was on her own. And if she was going to survive at all, she needed to keep running.
Chapter 5
ZACH
March 2014
I always left for school early on Wednesdays. I liked to fit in a morning swim before school. I found it relaxing and a much more enjoyable form of exercise than running. It gave me time to think and it was basically the only time I was ever alone. I love my family and friends more than anything, but they all talked… a lot. The beauty of silence was lost on all of them except Elliot. He knew how to sit and just not say anything.
I grinned as I thought of my deadpan friend. The guy hardly ever smiled, came across as gruff and aggressive, but I could count on Elliot Strickland for anything. He was gold, just the kind you needed to excavate and it had taken me three years of middle school to do that. Now that I’d won him over, he’d be loyal to me for life. That’s just the kind of guy he was.
Flicking on the indicator, I turned towards school, noticing a runner as I did. Her strides were long and steady. She had a really nice style. I couldn’t help admiring her as I slowly drove past. Her short, blonde ponytail swung like a pendulum. She maintained a quick pace too. She’d leave me in the dust for sure.
I glanced in the rearview mirror as I passed her and nearly swerved into the other lane.
Dani?
Wow. She just kept on surprising me. What was she doing running to school?
Where did she live?
I really wanted to stop and pick her up, but she was dressed for running and I guessed she didn’t want to have it cut short by me. The little backpack strapped tightly to her back told me she was heading to school and would no doubt shower up there and head to class.
I tried not to think about her showering up as I pulled into the parking lot.
I was determined to prove my friends wrong. This wasn’t about love and attraction. It was about intrigue. My mission was to work out Danielle Harrison, not score a new girlfriend.