Becca drove to Lucille’s with the morning sunlight shining bright in her eyes. She’d been up a little late cleaning. Rowan had been right: the blood hadn’t come out of the car seats. Or the blanket, or her sheets, where he must have bled through his bandage. They’d all have to be trashed. The car’s interior she covered with Emma’s car seat and hoped she wouldn’t notice. Maybe it would fade over the years by the time Emma didn’t need the booster anymore.

 

They knocked on Lucille’s door, Emma gripping her little pink bag of animals tight. “Mommy, when is Rowan coming over to play again?”

 

“I don’t know. Now that he’s all better, we might not see him again.”

 

“I liked playing with him,” she whined.

 

“I know, sweetie.”

 

Lucille opened the door and Emma ran inside to set her things down.

 

“How’s your mom?” Becca asked.

 

“Doing okay. She’ll be home tomorrow. It was a close call, though.”

 

“Glad she’s doing well. I should be done the usual time today.”

 

“We’ll see you tonight, then.”

 

Emma ran to her and squeezed her legs before Becca went to her car.

 

Had Emma gotten attached to Rowan that quickly? She’d asked plenty of questions after he had gone, and Becca had plenty of her own questions. Had she herself gotten too attached? What did the kiss mean? What did she want it to mean? Was he even the bad boy type if he were so kind and considerate and did so well with Emma? Maybe he was into something bad and maybe he was a fighter, but did that make him instantly like her ex? And the biggest question of all—what now?

 

He’d said he’d call and return her things. She was glad they had that excuse out there to talk again. She had no way to get a hold of him. No phone number, no address. Just his name. He could be halfway to California for all she knew. But he knew where she lived and had her number. He could get in contact with her anytime he wanted. Would he?

 

She parked and entered the gift shop. After talking things over with Penny, she went about her work for the day, straightening displays and ringing up customers. After a few hours, Penny called her to the back, where the office was.

 

“Thanks for this note in the inventory items,” Penny said, pointing to the note Becca had left when she’d closed the last time she worked. That felt so long ago now. Like part of another life, pre-Rowan.

 

“Sure. I wasn’t sure if you planned to order them or not.”

 

“I was thinking maybe it’s time you learned to do the inventory and ordering. You’ve been doing so well and it would take a lot of work off me.”

 

“I’d be glad to learn.”

 

“I knew you would.” Penny smiled at her. “Is your friend doing better today?”

 

“He is. Thank you for covering for me. I wouldn’t have done it if he weren’t hurt so badly. But he couldn’t even walk by himself most of the day.”

 

“It’s no problem. I think that was the first time you called off anyway. I appreciate your reliability.”

 

Penny showed her the inventory form, then took her out into the store to show her how she liked to track the counts. After a few minutes of instruction, she watched as Becca checked and tracked a display of mugs.

 

“Perfect,” Penny said. “Well, I’ll let you get on that, then.”

 

Becca happily went through the store, checking item counts and marking them down. She’d worried calling out to care for a sick friend would put her in a bad light, but now that Penny was giving her a new responsibility, and one an assistant manager would do, it seemed she still had faith in her after all.

 

Becca looked up when the bell over the door rang, as was her habit. She watched for a moment to see where the man headed and if he looked like he needed help. He walked through the store, not pausing to look at the items. Something in the way he looked around with determination in his eyes put her on alert. Her heart jumped and she walked quickly to the back room.

 

But from there, she couldn’t see into the store. She waited several minutes, waited for her heart to calm. This is silly. It’s just a customer. He probably knows what he wants is all. Jenny was at the cash register and she’d ring him up and it’d be fine. She listened to see if she could hear Jenny talking or the cash register printed a receipt. After several minutes, when she’d felt officially stupid for hiding from this customer, she took a breath and went back out to the floor.

 

The man walked up beside her and Becca almost jumped across the room. Her heart pounded as she kept walking.

 

He leaned in and said quietly, “You need to be more aware of your surroundings.”

 

Then he brushed past her and left the store. She stood there for a minute, watching. She stood there so long that Jenny asked if she was okay.

 

She shook it off and went back to her inventory. But her mind wouldn’t settle, even if the jolt of adrenaline had started to. Who was he and what did he mean be aware of her surroundings? What wasn’t she aware of?

 

Well, it seemed she would listen to him whether she wanted to or not. For the rest of the day, every customer, every little sound, made her look around. She felt paranoid. This had to be connected to Rowan, right? Or could it be Nick hunting her down? Had he only been waiting? Had it taken him this long to find them?

 

That night, she didn’t sleep well and she started to wonder if maybe she shouldn’t have her own gun and learn how to shoot.

 

###

 

Rowan stood at the head of his basement, looking out at his boys. They all wore their Jagged Rebels leather jackets, like they always did. He’d need a replacement as soon as possible. It wasn’t right for the leader to be the only one without it. Still couldn’t believe those bastards had trashed his. He’d had it for years. It was all broken and perfect and everything.

 

“I don’t know how much you’ve heard or how much you’ve assumed,” he said, “but let me set the record straight: Abram was pissed when I started making cheaper deals and taking his coke business. He was pissed before that when we recruited so many new members and grew to have ten more than he does. And the other night, he took his anger out on me. Him and six of his guys set me up and beat me, leaving me for dead.”

 

“We thought you were dead, man,” Ricky said. “Why didn’t you call anyone?”

 

“Couldn’t. Didn’t have my phone and I could barely move.”

 

“So what’s our plan?” Jameson asked. “They won’t stop when they find out you’re alive. If they wanted revenge, they’ll just keep going until you’re dead.”

 

“You need protection,” Nate said.

 

Rowan nodded. “We’ll need to hit them where it hurts. The Screaming Griffins aren’t like the Jagged Rebels. If we take out Abram, they’ll fall apart.”

 

“They’re barely together now,” Ricky said.

 

“Exactly. It’ll be easy to take down anyone else who comes at us if Abram is out of the picture,” Rowan said.

 

“Who were the other six?” Nate asked.

 

“Not sure. I only saw two or three of them and I didn’t know them. I might recognize them, but at this point, I want Abram. We’ll worry about decimating the rest of the club once we get him.”

 

“And I already decided I’m staying here for a while,” Nate said. “You need one of us with you at all times. You should’ve had someone there that night.”

 

“You’re right,” Rowan said. “I want you to all be in teams as much as possible until we get this settled. Who knows when he’ll attack next or where or who he’ll come after this time. I’ll be laying low for a while. Hopefully he won’t know I’m still alive until he sees my gun in his face.”

 

“When are we doing this?” Jameson asked. “I see no point in waiting and drawing it out.”

 

“No,” Rowan said. “But we do need a plan. Do we get him alone like he did to me, or just gang up on a few of them? Where do we do it? And where are we going to put the bodies? All this needs to be planned before we can act. When we just go off and kill someone, that’s when people get caught. I’m not drawing it out, Jameson, but it needs to be done right.”

 

Jameson and several of the guys nodded.

 

“So, let’s make a plan,” Nate said.

 

Rowan listened to them talk, but his mind kept drifting. Was Becca still at work? She’d driven by him pretty late that night. Did she always work that late? Was there any way Abram knew about her? Maybe he should call just to see if she was okay. He should probably wash her clothes first, so he had that as an excuse. He didn’t want to scare her into thinking someone might come after her.

 

“So, if one of them attacks first?” Ricky asked.

 

“Obviously you do what you gotta do,” Nate said.

 

“Let’s make a plan for that right now, too,” Rowan added.

 

How quickly could he get the money to her for the car and his damages? If he sold his bike this week, which he would and had already talked to a guy about it, then if he pulled off a few more deals, he could hand her a stack of cash like he wanted to. He could wait a few days to call her. Her number was saved in his new phone and he’d almost texted her or dialed it when he entered it. But he hadn’t.

 

Actually, maybe he should text her. She didn’t have his phone number and if something did go wrong, she might need to contact him. He took out the phone and went to her name. He typed a quick and simple message. Hey, this is Rowan. Just wanted you to have my number in case you ever needed it.

 

Her response came back much quicker than he expected. It was only a simple, Thanks! but knowing she’d typed it made him feel close to her again for that second. He put the phone back and saw Nate giving him a questioning look.

 

He listened to the conversation. He hadn’t missed anything. He must’ve been smiling. He really needed to get ahold of himself. This crap with Abram was too important to mess around with. His life was at stake here. He couldn’t be thinking of Becca all the time. He had to be on guard and paying attention at all times. Hard as it would be, he had to try to keep her from his mind. And the sooner he got this cleared up, the sooner he could go chasing after her, hoping to make her his.

 

###

 

Becca stared down at her phone, wondering if she should call him. Or text him back. Was the guy in the store that big of a deal? Was she overreacting or was this something he needed to know about? She paced in her living room for a few minutes, watching Emma sleep through her open door.

 

She really had no weapons in the house and the deadbolt might not be enough. If they wanted to come after her, couldn’t they kick down the door or shoot through it? Was there any way they could climb up and get in the windows?

 

She yawned and felt the burn in her eyes. She hadn’t slept well last night and tonight might be a repeat, though now it was out of fear. After checking the deadbolt and the lock again, she slid the couch over in front of the door. She’d have to slide it back before Emma saw it. Or maybe she could say she was just cleaning behind it and forgot to move it back.

 

She scooped Emma into her arms and set her down in her bed. That way she wouldn’t have to worry about her being in the next room. Emma would be right there beside her all night. Before getting into bed, she swept the house, checking the locks on the windows, peeking out through the curtains to see if anyone was out there or if anything suspicious was happening.

 

When she had checked all there was to check, she got into bed. But soon after she closed her eyes, she knew it wasn’t going to go well. She kept seeing the man from the store, following her, telling her to watch out. After an hour of lying there, worrying, she grabbed her phone. She could just text him. If he were asleep or busy, he wouldn’t have to be disturbed. He could get back to her when he could.

 

She thought about what to say. Hey, there was a strange man in the store today and now I’m totally freaked out. No matter how she put the words together in her mind, they sounded lame and paranoid. In the end, after typing out, then deleting an entire message, she set the phone back down without sending him anything.

 

It would be fine. He’d only told her to watch her surroundings. Maybe he was even trying to help her. And she was watching her surroundings now. Watching them like someone was out to kill her.

 

###

 

She awoke tired, which was not a shock. All morning she dragged. Every step of getting Emma ready and getting them out the door seemed to take twice as long. She was running late and rushed Emma into Lucille’s before speeding off to work.

 

She was watching now, not only for cars that might be following her, but for cop cars hiding. The last thing she needed was a speeding ticket. But she also didn’t want to be late after Penny had increased her responsibilities at work. Finally, the gift shop came into view and she let out a sigh of relief. Her clock said she was only two minutes late and there had been no cops.

 

She hurried inside and dropped her things in the backroom before settling to look over her task list for the day. Finish the inventory and start the ordering were at the top of the list. Becca let out a big yawn and rubbed her eyes. Come on, coffee. She took a long sip from her travel mug and hoped the caffeine would kick in quickly. She needed to be able to focus today. She could not mess up her first inventory and order.

 

Lunchtime came and went and Becca was starting to feel even more sluggish. Of all days, why did she have to end up on the early shift today? But, tomorrow, she was closing so she could sleep in. Thank goodness. She desperately needed the extra hours of rest.

 

She went to the backroom to get fresh coffee and nearly dropped her mug. Standing there, watching her approach, was the man from yesterday. Her hand shook as she went into the backroom and poured the coffee. She sat for a minute at the table they used for breaks and meals. Her whole body felt trembly. He was back.

 

But she couldn’t just sit there all day until the end of her shift. She went right to the front counter, where Jenny was. She looked back and the man was still watching her from across the shop.

 

“Has that man been here long?” she whispered to Jenny.

 

“I’m not sure, why?”

 

“He’s watching me and it’s starting to creep me out.”

 

Jenny looked at the man, who quickly looked away. “Maybe he just thinks you’re pretty?”

 

“I think it’s more than that. Just keep an eye on him, okay?”

 

Becca picked up her clipboard and went to do the final item for inventory. She tried to ignore the man watching her. An hour he stayed there, hovering, watching. She thought about calling the cops, but he hadn’t actually done anything except watch her. Was that a crime?

 

Finally, he left. She felt the relief wash over her and continued on, placing her first ever merchandise order with precision. At least one thing good had come of him showing up. She no longer felt tired or sluggish. The adrenaline had her wide awake and focused.

 

By the time she left for the day, she was feeling much better. The exhaustion was starting to return, but she was heading home. She could even take a quick nap if she wanted to. As she walked to her car in, she saw him again. At first, she wasn’t sure. The day’s light had faded into evening, and he was in the shadows, but his eyes were on her as she moved across the parking lot. Her stomach plummeted and instantly she was shaking.

 

She got into her car and drove off, checking her rearview mirror constantly to see if he was still there, standing at the edge of the parking lot, leaning against a black sedan. She did her best to memorize the car. Then, through her entire drive, she glanced in the mirror, panicking, expecting him to show up at any moment and attack her.

 

Becca pulled into Lucille’s and there had been no one seeming to follow her. She didn’t see the black sedan or the man; she hadn’t felt followed at all. She got out and looked around before going to the door. Nothing unusual. Nothing out of place.

 

She went to the door to get Emma and hurried her into the car. Again, while driving home, she watched, waiting for someone to appear. But she pulled into her apartment parking lot and there had been no strange cars. Maybe everything would be okay.

 

She got out of the car and closed the door. She was about to walk around to the other side to get Emma out when she felt a hand across her mouth and something hard press into her temple. A gun, she realized. Someone was holding a gun to her head. His hand was rough against her smooth lips and she smelled the leather of his jacket. But it was too dark to see him, even if he wasn’t behind her. Was it the man from the gift shop?

 

She stayed surprisingly calm. She couldn’t scream, so she didn’t try. With Emma so close, she didn’t dare do anything to attract attention to her. She went very still, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would jump out of her chest.

 

“Where is Rowan Luther?” the man growled in her ear.

 

He removed his hand from her mouth and she said in a wavering voice, “I don’t know. I don’t know where he lives.”

 

“I know he was here. Now tell me where he is!”

 

“I don’t know!” The tears ran down her face and she tried to think. Did she know where he was? No, she really didn’t know his address, or where he worked. She had his phone number and that was it. She hardly knew anything about him.

 

“I’m going to ask you one more time. Where. Is. Rowan Luther?” He pressed the gun harder into her head. It throbbed where he pushed it.

 

“I don’t know!” she sobbed. “I barely know him.”

 

The man dropped the gun and grabbed her wrists, twisting them up behind her back and yanking her into him to hiss in her ear. “If I find out you’re involved with him in any way, you will see me again. And next time, I won’t let you go without a bullet in your head.”

 

He pushed her head hard and she stumbled forward. When she turned around, he was gone. She paused for a moment to be sure, then nearly ripped Emma from the car.

 

“Mommy, look at what I did to Cuddles!” She held the bunny up, waving her around in her new dress.

 

“Uh-huh, that looks great, sweetie.” She whipped her head around as she hugged Emma tight and ran toward the building. She took the stairs two at a time, and turned to lock the door behind them.

 

Emma was staring at her, her little eyes wide with questions.

 

“I think there was a bee chasing us.”

 

“A bee?” Emma squealed and looked around frantically. “Did it get in?”

 

“I don’t think so. I think we’re safe.” She hoped. She glanced out the peephole, but saw no one. “What if we moved the couch over in front of the door so the bee can’t get in?”

 

Emma nodded her head, hard. “Good idea.”

 

Becca pressed her back against the end of the couch and shoved. Her mind spun. Emma. She had to focus on Emma so she could think. Were they safe here? If she’d already been attacked and the man didn’t come up and they knew where she worked, was there any point to leaving? And if they did leave, would they only bring trouble on whoever they went to? That wasn’t fair to Penny or Lucille, and she really had nowhere else to go.

 

Of course, the person she wanted to call was the person she probably shouldn’t call. What would happen if she called Rowan? Would they really come after her? Would they even know she’d contacted him?

 

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

 

Okay, dinner. Let’s focus on dinner and hold it together until we figure things out. She went to the kitchen and pulled packages from the refrigerator without much thought.

 

She browned the meat on autopilot and mixed in the Hamburger Helper. She needed something easy to cook tonight, so a boxed mix was the way to go, something she’d never have gotten away with if she was still with Nick.

 

Dinner was on the table and she sat across from Emma, eating like a robot. It was now seven p.m. Emma went to bed at eight-thirty. Another hour and a half until she could sit down and figure this out. An hour and a half until she could totally lose it.

 

She felt on the verge. Holding it all in was working somewhat because she was likely still in shock. But when she sat down to think this through, when she focused on it, there would be no turning back. And she could not do that in front of Emma.

 

After dinner, she gave Emma a bath, then got her to watch TV for a little while. She paced the floor, trying to keep her mind on other things. Like what she had to do at work tomorrow. What new gift item could they add to bring in new customers? How would she set up the display?

 

She watched the clock and when it was 8:20, she said, “Okay! Bed time!”

 

Emma groaned and yawned, then followed her mother to her bedroom. Becca picked her up and hugged her tightly before lying her down and pulling the covers up to her chin.

 

“Sleep tight.” She leaned over and nuzzled her nose against Emma’s.

 

“Love you, Mommy.”

 

Emma’s little voice, so innocent and sweet, almost pushed her over the edge. She smiled and kissed her forehead before getting up to turn out the light. She flipped on the night light, then closed the door.

 

Becca sat on the couch, now off center from the TV, and stared at her phone in her hand. If she called him, would she endanger herself? What about Emma? Would she endanger him? Or was this like in the movies where the bad guy said don’t call the cops and all you want to do was yell at the person to call the cops and it would fix everything?

 

She rubbed her finger over the place at her temple where the gun had been pressed. There would be a bruise. She looked at her wrists and noticed there was a bruise there, too. Then she thought of all the man said and how Emma had been so close and the tears started.

 

She was doubled over on the couch, sobbing, trying to breathe, trying to cry as quietly as possible so as to not wake Emma. It took almost an hour for her to calm enough to breathe and think again. When it came down to it, the only person who could help her was Rowan. She had to risk it.

 

She picked up her phone, blew her nose, and dialed his number.