Forgotten Past. Mary Alford

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       TWO

      Somewhere close by, a ringing noise woke Faith from a sound sleep. She had forgotten to turn off her phone.

      She sucked in a handful of frightened breaths as the phone continued to shrill. Three more rings followed by dead silence and then the real trepidation set in.

      Ollie let out a low growl and moved closer to Faith’s side.

      “It’s okay, boy.” If only that were true, but dread settled on her shoulders like a prickly blanket because she had been here before. This was the third call. At this point in the past, she’d be tossing everything she owned into the back of her car and running before he had the chance to make his next move. Only this time he’d changed the game. He’d sent her roses already. So why was he stepping up the threats now, after two years?

      An eternity passed before her eyes adjusted to the darkness. Over the staccato beat of her heart, she heard it. The sound of a car’s engine. Someone was outside.

      Panic pumped adrenaline through her body, propelling her out of bed. She clutched Ollie close and tiptoed over to the window. Her bedroom faced the ocean instead of the driveway. She could see headlights shining off the side of the house and out toward the water.

      She didn’t know what to do. She’d stopped trusting the cops long ago. The Austin police hadn’t believed her when she’d first reported the calls to the detectives handling her case. They’d all but accused her of making the whole thing up to get attention. Or worse.

      Faith crept downstairs with Ollie tucked under her arm. She didn’t dare turn on any lights. She had practiced getting around the house without them many times.

      When she reached the great room, she inched the drapes apart. A pickup truck sat motionless in her driveway. Lights turned on bright. The engine revved up. It sounded as if the person inside had the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

      Faith groped her way over to where she’d left JT’s business card. Using the light from her phone, she called the cell number listed there. After the third ring, he picked up. At the husky sound of his voice she let go of the breath she’d been holding.

      “JT Wyatt.” Too late, she wondered if she might have awakened him from a sound sleep.

      “I’m sorry to call so late, but I didn’t know what else to do. There’s someone outside my house.” Panic infused its way into every syllable she spoke.

      “I’m on my way. Where are you?” He didn’t hesitate to offer his help.

      “I’m in the great room.”

      “Good. Stay there and don’t open the door until you hear me call out to you.”

      The phone went silent. He hadn’t waited for her answer, but it didn’t matter. Just knowing he was on his way was a tremendous relief.

      She double-checked the front door to make sure it was securely locked and then went back to the great room, expecting the showdown she had known was coming since that night two years ago.

      * * *

      JT shoved the phone back into his pocket and raced toward Faith’s house. He’d been down the beach from her place when the call came in. After tossing and turning most of the night, he’d finally abandoned sleep altogether around four a.m. It was still dark outside when he’d decided to take a walk, mostly because there were too many questions running through his head. He’d begun working the details of her case from the minute he met her. Saw the terror in her eyes, the way she reacted to him. Added to that were the clues he’d seen lying around her house, and there’d been plenty. She’d gone for overkill with three locks on both doors. A state-of-the-art security system, stun gun, enough pepper spray to stop a small army.

      All those things pointed to someone who had gotten good at being on the run. Faith McKenzie was in big trouble. The kind of trouble that didn’t go away on its own, but convincing her to let him help her wasn’t going to be easy. She was about as closed up emotionally as anyone he’d ever seen.

      When he reached the edge of her property, he clicked off the flashlight he’d brought with him and stopped long enough to listen for any unusual noises. He could hear a truck engine coming from the front of her house. JT circled around to the drive. The truck’s headlights bounced off the side of the house and JT ducked behind a nearby shrub. The driver didn’t appear concerned about all the noise he was making, which told JT he’d done his homework. The closest house to Faith’s was his and he was a quarter mile down the beach. Far enough away for the noise from the ocean to drown out the sound of the truck.

      JT couldn’t see the driver. It took him only a second to realize why. The windows of the truck had been tinted dark and there didn’t appear to be any dash lights on. Someone had deliberately disconnected them to prevent anyone from seeing inside the truck.

      JT counted to three, drew the Glock he carried in his jacket pocket and then stepped out from behind his cover. The vehicle didn’t move. The engine kept on revving.

      “Get out of the truck. Now,” he shouted but the driver ignored his command. Something was definitely off. JT skirted around the back of the truck to the driver’s side and knocked on the window. Nothing. He tried the door and it opened without effort. There was no one inside. Someone had placed a brick on the accelerator pedal to ensure that the engine ran at full throttle.

      JT reached inside and turned off the ignition and the truck coughed to a sputtering death. Why had someone left it idling in her driveway?

      The hair on the back of JT’s neck suddenly stood up with the realization that this had been a setup. Whoever did this was deliberately trying to lure Faith outside. They’d probably been watching her movements for a while.

      The headlights would provide enough light for the person to see that JT wasn’t Faith, which meant...JT slammed the door shut and charged for the cover of the shrubs as the first barrage of bullets split the silence.

      He counted off five rapid rounds from what sounded like an AK-47. The bullets kicked up dirt and bits of gravel. He could feel them pepper his back and legs. He dove for the closest bush as another barrage of bullets flew past his body. A couple hit the side of the house and lodged in the siding.

      JT crouched low to the ground and scrambled toward the back of the house while the shooter continued to fire. He made it to the back deck and inched up onto the porch out of the shooter’s line of sight. Faith was in the great room located in the front of the house. He’d told her not to open the door until he called out. With the noise of the ocean and the steady repeat of gunfire, she’d never hear him.

      He grabbed his phone and hit Redial.

      She answered right away. “JT, what’s going on? I heard gunshots. Are you okay?”

      He drew much-needed air into his lungs before answering, “I’m okay for now but I’m at the back of the house. I need you to get to the door and unlock it as soon as you can. Hurry, Faith, I’m not sure if he followed me.”

      JT rushed to the back door. If his assailant came after him now, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

      “I’m almost СКАЧАТЬ