Chapter One
Elise Oliver jolted upright in her bed, imaginary critters scrambling over her skin. What was that sound? Was someone inside her house?
As her heart thumped in her ears, silence stretched around her. She was certain she’d heard something. The noise had jostled her from her slumber and electrified her senses.
She waited. Breathed in and out. In and out. In and out. For the past week, she’d feared this very moment. Yet, shock still coursed through her.
Dear Lord, give me strength right now.
She reached into her dresser and grabbed her gun. She checked the magazine. The bullets lined up like an army.
Elise thought that would comfort her more, but it didn’t.
What would Daniel tell her right now? Elise knew. He’d tell her she couldn’t sit here helplessly and wait for this to play out on someone else’s terms. Being proactive could save her life.
That was when she heard it again. Somewhere from within the depths of her house, a creak whispered warning of approaching danger.
Someone was here, and Elise knew exactly what they were coming for.
She lowered her legs to the floor and rushed to the corner behind her bedroom door.
Just in time. The creaks moved closer. The intruder was almost to her second-story room.
She gripped her gun and crouched behind the door. This wasn’t the best hiding place, but finding another spot was off the table. This would have to work.
Elise squeezed her eyes shut. How was this nightmare even real?
But she already knew that answer also. She just wasn’t ready to accept it.
The floor moaned outside her door. The wooden boards in this old house had always been like a blabbermouthed friend. Right now, however, Elise was thankful for their spilled secrets.
Elise’s lungs tightened as she saw the shadow under her doorway. This was it, the make-or-break moment. The instant where she would either prevail or where the bad guy would win.
For Daniel’s sake, Elise couldn’t let the bad guy win. She had to fight with everything in her.
The silver handle turned, and, in slow motion, the door opened.
Elise’s gaze shot to her bed. She must have instinctively pulled the blankets back across the mattress. In the dark, it almost appeared she still lay there.
Good. That would buy her some time.
She grasped the gun tighter, praying that she wouldn’t have to use it. She’d never pulled the trigger on an actual person before, only on a target at the shooting range. She’d dedicated her entire life to helping people heal. She hated the thought of causing someone harm instead.
But this intruder, though he was faceless, was not a good person. He was dangerous. Deadly. He needed to be stopped.
A man dressed in black slipped into her room.
Elise knew the man could overpower her. She had a gun. So did he, probably. Not only that, but this intruder was most likely better at using his weapon and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger . . . whereas Elise would. That put her at a disadvantage.
Sweat trickled down her forehead and back. Elise wished she could disappear. That she somehow wouldn’t be found in her hiding spot. But wishful thinking would get her nowhere.
The man stepped closer to the bed. Something about the way he moved made Elise think he was a professional. This was a man who knew what he was doing, who knew how to be stealthy, sneaky.
That made him even more dangerous.
He paced to her bed and reached forward.
He was about to find out Elise wasn’t there.
Elise held her breath.
She had to make her move.
Now.
She skulked from around the door, careful not to hit the creaky spots on the floor. Slowly, carefully, Elise slipped into the hallway. She gave one last glance over her shoulder.
The man in black hadn’t looked back yet.
Still gripping the gun, Elise tiptoed forward. She just needed to make it to the stairs. If she could get out the front door, she could run to her car.
She could do this. She had to do this. Ever since Daniel had died, she’d felt like she was in a daze. But the past week had reignited something in her. She now had a mission. A reason to continue forward.
She slipped farther down the hallway. She still didn’t hear the man behind her. Certainly, he’d realized she wasn’t in bed now and would begin searching.
Her foot hit the stair. As it did, Elise looked back.
The black shadow appeared in the doorway.
She swallowed a scream as a jolt of panic rushed through her.
Run!
She scrambled down the steps, desperation fueling her actions.
Behind her, the man grunted as he sprinted after her.
Elise reached the first floor. Only a few feet, and she’d be at the front door. If she could just run outside . . .
As she lunged for the handle, the man tackled her. Her head hit the wood floor, and the gun skittered from her grasp.
“Where is it?” The man straddled her, his weight pressing on her lungs.
Elise glanced across the floor and saw her gun lying a few feet away. Just out of reach. What was she going to do?
Think, Elise. Think.
The man leaned down until she felt his moist, rancid breath on her cheek. “Where . . . is . . . it?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elise forced the words out through gritted teeth.
He would know that was a lie. Elise knew it was a lie, but she needed to buy herself more time.
“You’re going to give it to me. Now.” He grabbed her hair and yanked it until Elise yelped.
“Get off me.” Elise tried to thrash but couldn’t. He’d rendered her immobile.
“You’re not the one calling the shots here.” His low voice seemed to slither from his lips as his scorching breath flooded over her ear and face. Elise held back her tears as she felt her hair being ripped from her scalp.
She yelped again.
This man enjoyed seeing people suffer. It went against everything Elise believed in. The reality of what he might do sent a shockwave through her system.
She had to think of a way out of this. Unless she gave him that information, this was only the beginning of her pain.
“Okay.” Elise gasped, her scalp burning. “I’ll give it to you.”
He loosened his grip on her hair. Silence stretched, as if he contemplated his next step. Finally, he shifted, and the pressure on her chest eased.
Elise sucked in a deep breath, grateful for relief.
The next instant, the man jerked her to her feet. His strong grasp dug into her arm until she cried out in pain, and a metallic taste flooded her mouth. She must have bitten her cheek.
She dared to look at the man again. All she saw was his massive size. The rest of his features were concealed.
“Where is it?” The man bared his teeth like a dog threatening to fight to the death.
Elise had to think quickly. To think about survival. “It’s in the kitchen.”
“I looked there.”
This must be the guy who’d ransacked her house two days ago.
“I hid it somewhere people wouldn’t find it.” Elise’s voice trembled as she said the words, as she questioned her choice. He’d kill her when he discovered the truth. Her mind raced.
“I looked everywhere.”
“Not everywhere. My husband taught me a few things.”
“Show me.” The man dragged Elise into the kitchen, her feet unable to keep up as she stumbled forward.