I escaped the man’s grasp and tried to turn to face him, but his arm came around my neck, and he pressed a knife against my throat.“You’re coming with us,” his voice growled into my ear. “Don’t try anything, or I’ll kill you right here.”As he pressed the sharp edge of the blade hard against my skin, fear made my heart pound.Amy was right. It wasn’t safe to be near me, and my wedding to Victor would have been a target for these thugs.Now, because my feelings had been hurt and I felt sorry for myself, I may never see Victor again.I could have let the baker make the cake and donated it to Amy’s shelter. But my drama-queen fit of self-pity put my life in danger.Anna! Did they hurt her because she was with me? I hoped not. She’s a wonderful and caring person, and her parents need her.“Where’s my maid?” I asked, refusing to move until they answered my question.“We don’t know anything about your maid,” my captor growled. “Now, walk, or you’re dead.”I stubbornly held my ground and tr
I imagined myself standing next to Victor on the beach at sunset, saying my vows in front of a priestess, and a smile bloomed on my face.“That’s such a romantic idea,” I said. “Let’s do it.”Getting married on the beach wasn’t my dream wedding, but I would be marrying my fated mate at one of our favorite places.“We’ll start making plans tomorrow,” Victor said. “I’ll call the local courthouse to find out how we get a marriage license.”“I can wear one of my sundresses,” I mumbled. “There’s no time to have something made.”“You don’t want a nice gown getting full of sand anyhow,” Victor said. “That white dress with the tiny flowers you had on is pretty.”“Yeah, it is,” I agreed. But something didn’t feel right. “Let’s get some sleep and plan everything tomorrow after we take a walk on the jetty.”Snuggling in Victor’s arms, I imagined myself as Mrs. Victor Klein until sleep carried me away.I woke up first and headed to the kitchen to get the coffee started. I checked the refrigerator
For a long moment, I didn’t know what to say. Alex’s firm, almost angry tone was new to me. What had he heard about Victor and me to make him respond to me like this?“We’ll be there in a few hours,” I assured Alex. “But I don’t think it’s fair to blame us for everything that happened.”“We will talk about it when I see you,” Alex insisted, but his tone was milder. “Would you like me to send guards to bring you home?”“I think we can get there without help,” I replied.“Then I’ll see you and Victor in a few hours,” Alex said. “Sweetheart, I understand you needed to get away, but the problems here aren’t going away on their own.”“I was afraid after being attacked outside the bakery.” My voice shook with emotion. “We weren’t thinking clearly.”“I understand, honey,” Alex said. His voice had completely thawed. “Why don’t I come to you so we can talk?”“That would be nice,” I said, barely holding back tears.“Let me talk to Victor for a moment, and I’ll be there soon,” Alex assured me. “
Alex looked at Victor. “Do you agree to my being co-leader?”Victor nodded. I sensed his pride was severely bruised, but he was trying not to show it. I sent him a loving smile and comforting thoughts.“Very well, Councilors,” Alex told Councilors Getty and Chen. “I accept the role of co-leader of The United Association of Alphas effective immediately.”“Good,” Councilor Chen said. “Please get to work on stabilizing the present situation.”“If you can,” a smirking Councilor Getty said. I wished I could wipe that smirk from his face. He was another greedy, power-hungry Alpha that Amy and I always despised.“Keep us informed of your progress or setbacks, and let us know if we can be helpful,” Councilor Chen added. “Good luck.”“You’ll need it,” Councilor Getty laughed boisterously before ending the video call.Victor stood and ran a hand through his hair. He was suppressing his frustration and anger well. “I’m sorry to have ruined your retirement, Alex. I know you were looking forward t
The first floor looked normal, but an eerie stillness made goosebumps rise on my arms. The only sound was the staccato beeping of smoke alarms coming from all directions.A wide sweeping staircase rose in front of me. It felt ominous, but the kids were up there, and they were in danger. I hurried up to the second floor, taking two steps at a time.At the top of the stairs, the smoke was thick enough to see it floating lazily in the air. I coughed several times and pulled the neckline of my shirt up over my mouth and nose. It helped me breathe a little better.I forced myself to stay calm and reasoned that the kids must be in a room to my left and toward the front of the house.Hurrying down the hallway, I stopped at each door that faced the street and threw the doors open.“Hello, Piper,” I called. “I’m here to help you and Lane get out of the house. Where are you, honey?”“In here,” the girl's voice said from further down the hall. “Hurry, please. I’m scared, and it’s hard to breathe
My legs shook as I forced myself to stand my ground. Had Gisele turned on me too?But she was smiling when she walked to my side. “How brave you are, Miss Wilson. Those children were lucky you were nearby.”“Good job, Daisy,” another woman said. Similar words were echoed throughout the crowd.They were being nice to me!It had been a long time since I’d felt acceptance from other Alphas. I must admit it felt much better than being slandered and shunned.“The blue jeans you like are on sale today,” Gisele said. She clapped her hands together and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to see you today, Miss Wilson. If you need help finding anything, please let me know.”I was stunned yet grateful to have Alphas begin to thaw toward me.“And you were worried they’d be mean to you,” Amy whispered.I grinned at her. “All I had to do was run into a burning building. I wonder if this means I can return to school.”“Hi, Daisy,” Victoria Beecham said as we looked through the jeans. Amy and I went to school
The attorney consultation room at Denhurst Women's Correctional Facility is a dismal concrete block room painted gray.The battered wooden tables and chairs are as uncomfortable as they look, and the sound of the metal door locking behind me sent a chill up my spine.It made me wonder how much worse the prisoner’s cells were.The defendant in the child murder case sat across the table from me and her public defender, Allen Cross.Allen is a good lawyer. He cares about justice, but he’s burned out by the misery he sees every day and the unrepentant criminals he is expected to defend.Marlee Krebs is one of his clients. She is accused of poisoning her own baby.Despite being the only one who could have put antifreeze in her seven-month-old baby’s bottle, Marlee insisted she didn’t do it.“You have to help me,” Marlee pleaded. “I would never hurt my baby. I loved Lexi with my whole heart. All I ever wanted was to marry and have kids.”“If you didn’t do it, how did antifreeze get in your
“Dr. Mancini, do you mind repeating what you told me while I record it?”Something insidious was happening, and Marlee’s life depended on me to expose it.“Not at all,” he replied.Dr. Mancini repeated what he told me about Lexi dying from MMA. He confirmed he sent the report to the DA and spoke to the coroner, who agreed with him that the baby girl died from natural causes.He then told the camera how his report and test results disappeared from Lexi’s medical records.“Can we try to find the hard copy in the storage room?” I asked. “If you tell me where it is, I’ll look for it.”Dr. Mancini shook his head.“Due to medical confidentiality laws, no unauthorized persons can enter the medical records storage room. I’ll request copies and let you know when I get them.”“Unless they are gone from the paper file, too,” I said.“I hope not.” He shrugged. “But it’s possible. I’ve never had files go missing before.”I needed that report. If the DA has a copy, why was he still charging Marlee w