Dillon drove along the winding road leading to his place and parked his truck under the large birch tree. He took the keys out of the ignition and headed toward the back door. When he stepped onto the stoop and reached for the doorknob, it wasn't there. The door was partially open; he paused and listened for any sound coming from inside.He heard birds fly from a tree nearby but nothing else. With caution, he pushed the door open with his boot. He peeked inside, and again nothing; no sounds, no one around. Moving further into the room, everything appeared normal, nothing disturbed, so he continued to his bedroom on the bottom floor beside the only bath in the aging house.Grabbing his duffle from the closet, he placed it on the bed, and then went back to the closet for his hanging clothes. He folded them in half and put them inside. After a trip or two from the dresser for underwear and shorts he was packed. He'd always packed light, not wanting to be caught having to carry a heavy b
With a big breath, Avri straightened her shoulders and pulled her suit jacket down. It had been a hell of a day! When she turned to face Dillon, she was a new stronger version of the woman who had walked into the room a few minutes ago."Okay, where's Mitch? I need to start cleaning this mess up. I will not be forced out of my own home." She left the room and headed down the stairs in search of the Sherriff. She found him in her first-floor office. He looked grim with a scowl on his face."What's wrong Mitch? What did you find?" Avri asked as she looked around his shoulder."I knew you kept important papers here, but I didn't know just how important. This is a copy of a prison record of a gang boss, and it might be something like this the intruder was trying to find."But why didn't he take it if it's what he wanted, the reason he did all this?" She swept her arms throughout the small room. The file cabinet's lock had been drilled out and papers and folders were tossed everywhere.
Avri jumped, startled when her cell phone rang. Not many people knew her number; her clients usually called her office. She glanced at her son sound asleep on the other bed in her hotel room, then at the phone screen. Not recognizing the number her only thought was that it had to be Mitch. Maybe he'd found some evidence indicating who'd wrecked her office and house.She pressed the answer button. "Hello.""Avri, it's Mitch. Did you get settled in okay?" the Sherriff asked."Yes, I feel pretty secure right now and Drew is sound asleep. He thinks we're on vacation." Avri chuckled."Good. Unfortunately, your vacation may be a little short lived. I have some bad news." Mitch's voice lowered, as if whispering the last few words.Avri's hand clutched her chest, as her stomach dropped and her heart pounded in her chest. "What is it, Mitch? Tell me.""We located Josh Hawkins. Unfortunately, he was already dead when we got there.""Oh no. What happened?""We arrested Dillon for the murd
A few long hours later, Dillon stirred cream into his steaming cup of coffee while waiting at Rosie's for Avri. His arraignment had gone smoothly. Avri had done a great job, and he'd been released but only into her custody. There was no bail since he presented no threat of fleeing, all according to Avri, who presented his case of having no income and no passport.Little did she know, Dillon had saved all his money, made some great investments with substantial returns, and had his passport and new identity ready to go if necessary. He'd learned in the past to always have an escape plan. His only difficulty was leaving Avri again. He wasn't ready; he wasn't done with her; didn't know if he ever would be.He glanced out the window at Rosie's where he waited for Avri, his eyes zeroing in on the wide-open spaces beyond the parking lot. Having enough money to live anywhere didn't make his choices any easier. He'd lived on his own on the run before, and he could do it again. Part of him wan
Avri's words struck a nerve in Dillon's gut. He needed her, of all people, to believe him. Pondering this as he drove his truck to his house, he dreamed of all the nights of passion with Avri: at his house, at her house, in the mountains, on a horse, riding his bike. She was always with him. He didn't see himself as a solitary man anymore.After loading and securing his bike to the bed of the truck, he drove the short distance to Avri's house. A kid and a younger woman were leaving the house when he pulled in the drive and parked. He grabbed his bag from the bed of the truck and moved toward the porch.Avri stood at the top of the stairs, tears welling in her eyes. When she saw him, she went inside? He followed her and closed the door behind. After dropping his duffle bag on the floor he hurried to Avri and, placing his hands on her shoulders, gently turned her around to face him."What's wrong, Avri? Did something happen? Were you threatened?" Dillon asked each question, one right
Silence prevailed in the truck as Dillon drove to Avri's house. Outside, rain threatened. Dillon's thoughts were on investigating Josh's real name and searching through his remaining personal effects. He recognized him as a cruel, callous man when he met him, and he'd known all along Josh was a rat; he could see it and he could definitely smell it; right from the beginning.Josh had to have some kind of connection to someone in this town, and he was going to find out who, and when he did, they'd wish he hadn't.Pure fury flew through his body. He fisted his hands on the steering wheel and stomped on the gas.After he slid off onto the berm as he rounded a turn, Avri grabbed the bar above the door to stay seated. "Slow down, Dillon, before you kill us both. I can't help you if I'm dead."Dillon glimpsed at her and saw she held on for dear lifeone hand on the strap and the other holding her briefcase and purse on the seat. Fear was evident on her face, her eyes wide, and her body sti
Dillon sat at the kitchen table, listening to the gurgle of the coffee pot, inhaling the strong brew wafting through the house. He was restless and couldn't sit still. So he went to the side window where he could see Elliott's house. Is a client after Avri for putting them away, and Josh, because of his association with her, was simply a victim who wouldn't talk? What would someone want so much they would tear apart a local lawyer's office, house and car, not to mention, murder her boyfriend?Okay, so it's definitely not a local. They don't attack their own. So, Josh was an outsider; had only been here a few months but made enough contacts to put his life in jeopardy.Something glittered in the sunlight and drew his attention to Elliot's back patio. He zeroed in on a small camera located above the glass sliding door on the deck, leading inside the house.Elliott had said he would have Avri's house covered with his cameras. I wonder what he captured. He reached for his cell and calle
Avri heard something ringing in the background and stood still. Her eyes opened and she gazed into Dillon's stark blue eyes. When his lips left hers, she acknowledged her cell phone ringing. She backed out of Dillon's embrace and pulled her cell out of her back pocket, but it had stopped ringing. She stared at the number on the screen while the caller left a message.After the phone emitted a beep indicating she had a message, she listened to the voicemail. She turned her back to Dillon.A man's gravelly voice said, "I know where you live, where you work and all about your son. Don't call the police. You have something that's mine, and I want it back. You've been warned."The call ended. Fear consumed her, and her body filled with fury. I have something someone wants? What? What could it be? And whoever it is knows about Drew. How can I protect him? He's just a little boy.Dillon's breath was warm on her neck as he studied her face. "What is it, Avri? What's happened?"She shook h