Chapter One
Gina Ricci hurried through the cool fall night, pushed by a mounting sense of dread at her core. Normally she enjoyed the short walk home following an evening shift at the animal shelter, but this time something wasn’t right. She could feel it in her bones. On the air and in the rain.
She pressed a palm against her gently rounded middle, reminding herself that her deranged ex-boyfriend, Tony, couldn’t reach her, or her unborn child, here. “It’s okay,” she whispered, steeling her nerves and comforting her baby. “I did everything right this time, and there’s no way he’s here.” The words had become a mantra after moving to Great Falls, Kentucky, her fourth stop in two long months of hiding. She’d learned to deal in cash only, and rented an apartment with a building manager willing to forgo the background and credit check. Found work, solitude and a doctor who’d see her without health insurance.
This time, Gina had hope.
She flipped her hood up against the finely misting rain and hurried along the sidewalk toward her building. Around her, the small downtown streets had begun their nightly transition, as quaint shops closed and local honky-tonks opened.
Gina counted her paces, thinking of the cool sheen of water floating on the breeze instead of all the things that could go wrong. Her muscles were tense but fatigued from a long day of work at BFF Rescue, and she could use a nice relaxing shower. Six hours of helping animals and humans find their next best friend forever through photos often left her tired and sweaty, not to mention covered in hair. She loved grooming and outfitting prospective pet adoptees, then uploading their images to the rescue’s website. There were no photos of sad animals behind bars on her watch. Gina made sure every picture was dating-app-worthy and showcased the dog’s or cat’s personality. She even added a nice bio for each animal that included their likes and dislikes. “Loves kids!” for some. “Cranky old lady in search of silence and servitude” for others. If she could, she’d take every pet home with her, but despite her new apartment, Gina was one step away from homeless too.
Her family would be horrified if they knew what she was going through, and she missed them so much it hurt. But it wasn’t about her, or them, anymore. Not since the moment a doctor had told her she was pregnant, and she’d known instantly she’d guard the child with her life, to the very end. Especially from its father.
If Tony knew there was a human in the world he could legally control for the better part of the next two decades, he’d stop at nothing to get his hands on that kind of power. Gina had lived under his thumb, and in fear of his fists, for two long years. She wouldn’t allow her child to go through that for a second. Even if it meant never seeing her folks or sister again. Though she promised herself that one day, when she was settled and it was safe, she’d find a way to let them know why she’d had to leave. Because they loved her, she knew they’d understand.
Her building was quiet as she approached. No signs of trouble on the sidewalk outside or in the foyer as she darted in and headed for the stairs.
A low rumbling of voices caught her ear before she reached the second floor, and her silent tread faltered midstep. She was accustomed to hearing her neighbors’ muffled voices, music and television through the impossibly thin walls, but this particular voice sent a cascade of gooseflesh over her skin. Tony.
Gina spun on instinct, fleeing back the way she’d come and sending a stream of continuous prayers into the ether. Don’t let him find us. Don’t let Mr. Larkin tell. Her apartment manager was old but kind, and she suspected he knew she was running from something. There was understanding in his eyes on the day they’d first met, and she was counting on him now.
SHE WOKE HOURS LATER, to the sounds of her phone alarm and a dozen barking dogs. The scent of animals hung in the air. Groggy and stiff from a night on the cot reserved for extralarge breeds, she shook herself back to life and got moving. The receptionist, Heather, would be in soon, along with the volunteers who walked the dogs and cleaned the kitty litter. Sleeping at the shelter wasn’t exactly permissible behavior, not that Heather would tattle, but she’d have a ton of questions. And Gina had already told her too much about her past.
She shuffled toward the restroom, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and dragged the go-bag from her locker on the way. Ten minutes later, she was dressed in a change of nondescript clothing, teeth brushed and dark glasses on. A sleek blond wig and gray headscarf added to the completely new look. She grabbed a granola bar from the vending machine to satisfy her grumbling stomach, then headed to the nearby café, desperate for some hot tea and a place to think.
Gina was immediately thankful for the glasses. Gray clouds and rain had given way to a beautiful, clear blue sky and near-blinding sunlight. The crisp mountain air and peaceful smiling faces made it hard to believe she’d really heard what she thought she’d heard the night before.
And hope began to rise in her core.
The café line was long as usual, but always worth it, and Gina fell easily into step at the end. She fished a few ones from her nearly empty wallet and inhaled the sweet aromas wafting through the open door. Four dollars and change would have to cover it today, at least until she got back to her apartment. The bulk of her money was safely hidden in her grandmother’s small sewing kit. She’d learned the hard way early on that accessing her bank accounts somehow tipped Tony off to her general location. His money, and his family’s influence, had made it nearly impossible to hide this long, but Gina was a quick study, and her baby’s future was at stake.
“Chamomile latte,” she told the barista when it was finally her turn.
The older woman didn’t bother looking up as Gina paid with her crumpled cash, then put the change in an overflowing tip jar.
She could practically taste the warm, foamy drink already. A few sips of her favorite latte would clear her head and bolster her nerve before she made the trip back to her building. Hopefully a chat with Mr. Larkin would put her mind at ease.
“Name?” the woman at the register asked, cup and marker in hand.
“Heather,” Gina said, giving the first name that came to mind.
She moved to the other end of the counter to wait on her drink, scanning the busy café for signs of anyone who might be watching. Satisfied she was safe, her gaze rose to a television mounted on the far wall. A breaking-news banner rolled across the screen. The sound was muted, but closed captions were on, and Gina held her breath as she read the gut-clenching words.
Murder in Great Falls... Unknown shooter left one man dead in his home just after 9:00 p.m.
The camera panned wide, bringing her building into view behind the reporter. A body on a gurney was rolled onto the sidewalk, then piloted into a waiting coroner’s van.
Her stomach lurched, and she ran to the ladies’ room, arriving just in time for her meager breakfast to make a reappearance. Tears welled in her eyes at the possibility it was Mr. Larkin on the gurney. Could it be a coincidence she’d thought Tony was arguing with her building manager last night, and someone was dead this morning? She splashed cold water against her burning face and pressed a wad of damp paper towels to the back of her neck, attempting to pull herself together and stave off the churning in her stomach.
Tony was undeniably a monster, but could he also be a murderer? The fact that she wasn’t sure twisted her unsettled middle even more. She had to let the authorities know it was possible she’d unwittingly led an unstable man to her building, and his visit had resulted in someone’s death. It was the right thing to do, even if, hopefully, she was wrong.
To be safe, she’d make the call anonymously. On her way out of town.
Resolve gathered inside her and straightened her spine. She’d collect her tea, find out what happened at her building, then make a call to local police, if needed. From there, she’d gather her things and leave. Her heart broke at the thought, but she shoved the emotion away. She’d prepared for this, knowing the day might come. And if she was lucky, no one in this town’s sheriff’s department had already been bought by Tony or his family. Maybe then, if he was guilty of murder, he would finally be punished.
Gina willed herself to open the bathroom door, a small, naive part of her clinging to the hope it was all just a coincidence. That she’d overreacted last night. Tony wasn’t in town, and whoever had been shot at her building had nothing to do with her.
“Heather,” the barista called as she stepped into the narrow hall.
The familiar pang of doom skittered over her skin once more, stopping her short. Paranoia and fear were debilitating some days. Stir in her wildly unpredictable pregnancy hormones, and it was a cocktail for disaster. Clearly this was going to be one of those days.
She shook away the panic and forced her feet forward. She had information to glean and a call to make. Possibly another immediate relocation on her schedule.
A familiar laugh stole the air from her lungs.
Tony appeared at the counter, speaking congenially to the cashier in a smooth, practiced tone. His pressed polo shirt, high-end watch, shoes and jeans screamed of wealth and casual confidence. Everything from his expression to his stance was meant to put the cashier at ease. It was the poison he injected before tying someone to his web.
Gina backed up slowly, ducking into an alcove beside the bathroom door.
“Heather?” the barista called again.
Tony’s head snapped up this time, his smile fading slightly as he scanned the room.
The cashier said something, and he returned his attention to her, setting a sheet of paper on the counter between them. He smiled, then reluctantly, after another look around the crowded space, left.
Gina’s heart thundered against her ribs and in her ears. Fear clenched her chest and gripped her throat. He’d been so close. The barista had been calling her name. Not my name, she remembered, thanking her lucky stars for the habit she’d gotten into weeks ago. Heather’s name.
She returned to the ladies’ room and sat on the filthy floor, knees up and head down, forehead resting on her palms as she struggled to calm herself so she could leave.
She counted to five hundred before her heart rate returned to somewhere near normal and she trusted her legs to hold her again.
“Are you okay, honey?” an older woman asked as Gina pushed onto her feet.
“Yes.” She forced a bright smile, bracing herself against the wall for support.
The white-haired woman was, shockingly, the first to enter the ladies’ room since Gina had slid to the floor.
“Morning sickness,” she said, setting a palm against her middle.
The woman’s gaze dropped to Gina’s stomach, and a smile erased the concern from her face. “It gets easier, dear,” she said. “And one day these moments will seem like little more than a dream.”
Gina held on to those words as she exited the restroom, taking her now-tepid tea from the counter with shaking hands. She cut through the waiting crowd of patrons, eyes fixed on the counter where a cashier had spoken to Tony at the front of the café. She craned her neck for a look at whatever he’d left there, then gaped as the flyer came into view.
An image of her in Tony’s embrace centered the page above bold text that put a bounty on her head.
Missing Person: Gina Ricci
Age: 26
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 145 pounds
Last seen in West Liberty, Kentucky, on August 8, wearing cutoff jean shorts and a red tank top. $5,000 reward for information leading to her recovery.
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