CHAPTER ONE
The day had dawned bright and sunny. It was starting to look like winter would soon be releasing its icy grip on Missouri’s famous Ozark Mountains.
Birds were singing as they flitted from tree to tree, as if they were a welcoming committee for the pleasant change in the weather. But for Della, it felt as though her chest might explode.
Heart pounding, she was desperate for a lungful of breath, but she knew she had to keep going. Had to keep running. She couldn’t stop. The sound of heavy footsteps crunching on the gravel behind her pushed her to keep desperately putting one foot in front of the other. This was one race she couldn’t lose.
Della’s feet were pounding against the packed gravel road. She knew every tree and bush along the road as though it were her own yard. Her house was just up ahead but she wasn’t sure she was going to make it. As her feet repeatedly struck the ground, she could feel the hard impact ripple through her legs and body. Exhaustion weighed her down, making her legs feel as though they were filled with lead, but she couldn’t stop. He was right behind her.
Knowing that home was close enough to see, she tried to find a little more speed. She tried to coax a little more strength into her legs. He couldn’t catch her. He just couldn’t.
“I’m right behind you,” he called, his voice taunting.
That did it. She found another burst of speed as the fence fell away beside her. All she needed to do was make it to the mailbox. The sound of Bryce’s laughter echoed down the road as she made a run for it.
He’d dared her to jog down the road to where the big redbud tree was located and back before he jogged the same route. To be fair, he gave her a fifty yard head start. If she won, he had to cook dinner for a week. If he won, she had to deal with him sitting in the back room of her vintage used items store every day. There was no way she wanted that. Even if she and Bryce had started to grow close.
“You’re not. Beating. Me,” she puffed as she ran the rest of the way to the mailbox. It was a good thing it was buried securely in the ground because as she reached it, she practically collapsed on it.
The sound made by the water dripping off the melting snow and running all around them was the only other sound besides their heavy breathing. With the remains of the last snowstorm melting in the warm morning sun, Bryce had thought it was a good morning to get out of the house and get some exercise. Moose, her big St. Bernard who had been running along beside her, had his tongue hanging out, but otherwise didn’t look too worse for the wear. Unlike how Della felt.
Bryce caught up to her moments later and chuckled. “I knew you just needed a bit of motivation.”
Della huffed and shook her head. “I’m not doing this every morning. I’m not one of those people who likes to punish themselves.”
Bryce laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going to go around one more time. Why don’t you go take your shower and figure out what I’m ordering this week.”
“Hey, you’re supposed to cook,” she reminded him.
“For your sake and mine, we don’t really want that,” he laughed before jogging off.
Della and Moose headed up the driveway to the house, Della still working on slowing her racing heart. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, and eventually found her breath. Now that she was finished with her run, she had to admit she felt a lot more awake than she had when they started. Although she had a feeling she was going to be reminded of what she’d done when her body acknowledged it later in the day.
When they were back inside her house, she kicked off her shoes and headed toward the shower. She hadn’t sweated this much in years. Moose stretched out in front of the couch and began to snore almost as soon as he lay down. Della smirked as she climbed the stairs. Apparently, she wasn’t the only out of shape member in the household.
Once she was showered and wearing fresh clothes, Della went in search of her phone. She’d left it behind when she’d gone on her jog, but now she was ready to kick back and play a few rounds of her favorite game while she waited for Bryce. As she flopped down and put her feet up on the coffee table, she saw that she’d missed a call. She checked the voicemail button.
“Hey, Della. It’s Jared,” his low voice said. “Calling in official sheriff’s capacity. We’ve exhausted all our leads and can’t seem to find who was in your store that day,” he went on.
Della’s mind flashed back to that day. The man, his threat, how he’d managed to get in her store without her noticing.
“But don’t worry, we’ll still keep an eye on the area. If this guy makes the mistake of coming back, we’ll get him next time.”
Next time. How could she explain that she didn’t want there to be a next time? She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not yet, but she was more than a little scared now. That wasn’t just an idle threat. Someone had snuck into her store, Fox’s Finds, and cornered her. They could have killed her if they’d wanted to. The idea sent shivers down her spine.
“I’m sorry I don’t have better news,” he went on. “I’m just as disappointed as I’m sure you are, but don’t give up hope.” His voice was softer now. “I’ve got you,” he practically whispered before he hung up. The words were so quiet she wasn’t so sure she’d heard him right. She considered playing the voicemail over again when the front door opened. A panting Bryce strode through it, sweat running down him.
Della pretended not to notice how his shirt clung to him as he headed to the stairs. “Pizza,” he said, out of breath.
“Pizza?” she questioned.
He nodded. “I want to get pizza from that place in town,” he said as he stopped and leaned on the banister. “The one with the white sauce and stuffed crust.”
“Oh,” Della said, remembering she was supposed to be thinking about dinner for the week. “Okay, that sounds good.”
She didn’t want to tell Bryce about the voicemail. Not yet. He wouldn’t be happy that the Sheriff’s Department hadn’t found the guy. The promise that Jared was on it with the full force of the Sheriff’s Department had kept Bryce from hunting for the guy himself, but just barely. Would she be able to stop him once he found out?
Della silently made matches on the game on her phone until Bryce returned from his shower. She could smell his body wash from across the room, not that she was complaining. It seemed as though it was impossible for this man to smell bad. Even when he’d been sweating she hadn’t noticed a whiff of any odor. It was maddening.
“I think I’ll call the sheriff today and see what he’s found out,” Bryce said as he sat down. He was dressed more casually than usual, a salmon-colored shirt over a dark blue tee. His jeans looked as though he’d starched them at some point. He tugged on his socks before pulling on his shoes.
“About that,” Della sighed. “He left a message for me this morning.”
“And?” She could tell that he expected good news, and she regretted having to be the one to burst his bubble.
“He said they’ve exhausted everything. They’ll keep up the patrols but other than that he doesn’t know what else to do at this point.”
Bryce swore. “How could that be? He was right there,” he said, clearly frustrated.
“I know, but I’ve learned that sometimes that’s how these things go. There’s just nothing left to follow.” Della didn’t like the idea of whoever it was getting away either, but what could she do? It wasn’t like Jared hadn’t done all he could.
Bryce shook his head. “I’ll go see him this morning and double check,” he said firmly, his mouth a grim line. “Maybe he missed something.”
“I doubt it, but I guess you could see,” Della said carefully. Meanwhile, she sent a quick text to Jared. I think you’re going to have a visitor this morning. She pressed send and thankfully Bryce didn’t notice.
“It’s our only lead. We can’t let it dry up,” he said, as though he was trying to convince himself. He stood up, went to the window, and looked out, as if he might find his answers in the yard.
Della’s phone buzzed. Thanks for the heads up. I kind of expected it, Jared sent back.
You do whatever you feel is right, she texted back. While she wasn’t a fan of Jared and Bryce getting into it over the subject of her safety, she’d gotten used to it. They were both stubborn and used to being listened to, which was a horrible combination, but somehow they always managed to remain civil. How, she wasn’t sure. She just hoped it continued to work while she had someone on the loose out there who wanted her dead.
“I really should go with you to the store, though,” Bryce sighed, conflicted.
Della waved her hand. “I’m sure I’ll survive one morning by myself,” she said idly. “Besides, I haven’t done anything to make the guy come back.”
“Except the fact that the sheriff and I are still tracking him.” She noticed his choice of words and a shiver ran through her. Bryce could be a little spooky sometimes, she thought.
“Do you really think he’s going to know you won’t be with me this morning?” she challenged. He’d been with her every morning since she’d been cornered and attacked in her own store. Although she’d been absolutely terrified at first, with time she’d started to relax a little.
She was still wary, but she wasn’t jumping at every shadow anymore. And yes, it was comforting to know that Bryce, an FBI Special Agent, who was on special assignment from his usual duties, was in the back room of the store every day.
“I guess if I go see the sheriff now, I should be at the store shortly after you show up,” he said, more to himself. “I know that the man who attacked you hasn’t done anything since the original attack, but I don’t want to get lazy and open a window of opportunity until we’ve had time to discover who he is.”
Della was starting to feel as though they were baiting a mousetrap, and she was the cheese.
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