CHAPTER ONE
EVIE SCOTT GLANCED at her rear-view mirror. Nothing. Not a single car, bike, or pedestrian appeared in her view. Did that mean there was no one following, or that they were good at staying hidden?
The nerves ate at Evie. Every time she stepped foot outside, even for a short grocery run, a small voice would whisper that he was there, watching, waiting, ready to take her back. Keep her hostage again.
Detouring from home slightly, Evie played a juggling act between watching the mirror and the road. Eventually, enough calm settled inside her to pull into her driveway.
Taking a deep breath in, Evie glanced up at her small rental. Home. At least her home for now. It was only last week that Evie had been sitting in a coffee shop two towns over searching the internet for her next stop. It was there that she’d spotted the old house in the small town of Marble Falls. The house was cheap. So cheap most people wouldn’t have spared it a second glance. For Evie, though, low cost meant affordable. Accessible. And that meant another couple months of anonymity. She could pay the upfront money in cash, and that was all she needed.
She would only be here for a couple of months anyway. Comfort didn’t play a role in Evie’s existence. Survival was key. She would find a job, keep to herself, and move on. It was lonely. The alternative, Evie knew, was much worse. She would take lonely over that any day.
Pulling the door handle of her old Honda, the hinge rattled, threatening to come apart. That was a worry for another day. Evie had bought the Honda at her first stop ten months ago. Even though the car was falling apart, it still cost more than she had. She was grateful the salesman took pity on her and sold it for almost nothing. He must have sensed her desperation. Or seen the bruises on her arms and face.
Stepping out of her car, Evie felt the sun beat down on her as she went to retrieve her groceries.
“Hey there, neighbor.”
Gasping, Evie spun around, hitting her head on the roof of the car. The pain didn’t register though. As she looked way up at the tall stranger, the color drained from her face. Military. He was definitely military.
The man appeared to be about six foot three, with blue eyes and muscles straining the fabric of his blue shirt. The real giveaway was the cut of his short blond hair. For some unexplainable reason, the cut always stayed with them.
A buzzing started in Evie’s ears as she took a small step back. Her vision started to fuzz slightly. The stranger now appearing more of a blur than a man.
No. She couldn’t pass out. The chance that he was working for him was too high. He would surely take her to him. Even if she didn’t pass out, how would she escape? He was huge. She didn’t stand a chance.
The big man frowned and took half a step away from Evie. That confused her. To take her, shouldn’t he have moved closer? “I live next door to you, in that house just over there.”
Blinking a few times, Evie tried to ward off the haze and understand what he was saying. His body language didn’t seem to be threatening, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a threat. She hadn’t thought Troy was a threat and look how that turned out.
Glancing around the yard, Evie half expected Troy to jump out from behind a tree. When there was no one, she turned back to the stranger.
The man in front of her appeared to gesture to the house next door. Glancing where he indicated, she struggled to comprehend the words he was speaking. The fear inside of her refusing to settle. Turning back to the large man, she forced herself to focus on his words.
“I just thought I’d pop over and introduce myself. See if you need a hand with the groceries.”
With a frown, Evie looked back into the trunk of her car. Taking a moment to consciously try to regulate her breathing. She had spent months practicing her breathing and warding off the panic attacks. No way was she going to let it get the best of her now. Tuning into her training, she closed her eyes for a moment.
When she opened them, she felt the air entering her lungs at a slower rate again and was able to reason. Looking up, she noticed the man was indicating to the house next door. He lived there. So, not a threat. Just a neighbor. A neighbor who clearly had a military background, but not a threat to her. Not right now.
Confusion swirled inside Evie. The man didn’t seem fazed by her lack of response to him. Instead, he just stood there and seemed to be patiently waiting. Clearing her throat, Eve worked to find her voice. The embarrassment of standing there for so long replacing the fear.
“Um, thank you, but no. I, ah, don’t need help right now.”
Hearing the tremble in her own voice, Evie struggled to hold the man’s eye contact. Taking a breath, she waited for him to leave. When the shoes she was staring at stayed where they were, Evie had to stop herself from nervously fiddling.
“My name’s Luca, by the way.”
Glancing back into the man’s deep blue eyes, she had to stop herself from staring. They reminded her of the sky just before it rained. Beautiful.
“I’m Evie.” Her voice sounded quiet to her ears. Would he have even heard her?
“Nice to meet you, Evie.” The smile on Luca’s lips sent warmth to Evie’s cheeks.
When he smiled, he wasn’t so intimidating. He might even be able to fool people into thinking he wasn’t a threat. Evie knew otherwise. His body spoke of power and strength. Most women, Evie was sure, would be all over Luca. Once upon a time, Evie probably would have too. That was before, though.
“It’s good to have a new neighbor here. The place has been empty for a little bit,” Luca continued, glancing up at the house. “Are you from out of town?”
Forcing words from her throat, Evie nodded before she spoke. “I just moved here from a few towns over.”
Evie had learned a while ago that being vague while sticking close to the truth was usually the safest course of action.
Her neighbor cracked another smile, and her heart stuttered. He was possibly the best-looking man she had ever laid eyes on.
“Well, if you need anything, feel free to pop over.”
Without waiting for a response, Luca gave Evie one final glance before heading back to his place. The moment Luca’s eyes broke contact, Evie felt like she could breathe again. As she watched Luca walk away, she noticed the muscles from his legs stretched through his jeans. He was all power. There was also a lethal grace about him. There had been another man in her life that had walked like that. He had almost destroyed her.
At that thought, a shiver worked up her spine. Turning back to her groceries, Evie forced her mind to shut down any thoughts of her neighbor. He was military. Evie could feel it. She needed to stay away from him. Period.
“Never again,” Evie whispered as she pulled the bags out of her car and headed inside. She would never allow herself to be someone else’s victim again.
Dumping her groceries on the kitchen counter, Evie turned to padlock the front door. It had been the first thing she had installed the day she’d arrived. It gave her the illusion of safety. Illusion, because she knew no deadbolt in the world would stop Troy if he found her. Time.
That’s why she’d installed it. She’d installed new locks at each house she’d rented. If he found her, she needed time to get away. What she would do with that time, she wasn’t sure, but Evie prayed that if it came to that, she would figure it out.