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the isolation she felt. Thanksgiving wasn t far away. She d weathered the loneliness before, but
this year it hit her stronger, was more gut-wrenchingly precise. God, she didn t want a pity party,
but with the festive, cozy air of a winter storm in the air, it would have been nice to have a
family waiting at home for her. A wild vision entered her head of Dace coming home to her, a
smile on his face.
She d planned to spend the long Thanksgiving weekend alone, enjoying the peace and quiet. She
wouldn t deviate from that plan now or get herself worked up thinking about Dace in an
impossible future.
Something wrong? Hannah asked.
Not a thing. Liar.
Just outside of town, Dixie Miller s old, run-down garage rose up at the end of a dirt road
surrounded by pine trees.
I wonder if DK is home. Hannah s voice oozed with derision.
God, I hope not. He s just too creepy. A shiver raced over Mary s skin. Snow came down
heavier, and a gust of wind battered her small car.
Maybe one of the other guys in the shop will be there. I like dealing with them better.
She couldn t blame Hannah s reaction to Dixie s good-for-nothin boomerang son. Awkward,
petty, argumentative and in serious need of some medication, the forty-five year old man had
lived with his mother for ten years. He claimed it was to look out for his widowed mother.
At least he s a good mechanic, Mary said as they pulled into the driveway.
Several cars resided in the front lot, maybe repaired and ready for owners to return.
Hmm, that s weird. Hannah pushed her glasses higher on the bridge of her nose. There aren t
any lights on in the shop.
Or the house.
I don t see my car out front. Hannah sighed. Mary parked and Hannah left the car. I ll be
right back.
Mary waited, her thoughts swirling around when and if she d see Dace. Man, she couldn t
believe how fast he d wormed his way under her defenses, how he made her forget her past.
Okay, she hadn t forgotten her past at all. That s why she needed to sleep with Dace, get him out
of her system, realize what she felt for him couldn t be anything but temporary. Satisfied that
she d seduce him one way or the other before Thanksgiving, she smiled.
Her cell phone chirped and made her jump. She dug around in her purse and answered on the
third ring. Hello?
Hi.
Dace? She couldn t mistake that sexy voice for anyone else.
You expecting another guy to call you?
She heard the teasing in his voice. Would it bother you if I said yes?
Yeah. It would. But it shouldn t. I m only your friend, remember?
Dace, jealous? Those treacherous, wild feelings dancing inside her blossomed to full life. So
what s up?
This storm. I heard you ve been let go early.
And not a moment too soon. I m over here at Miller s shop waiting for Hannah to pick up her
car.
Be careful. The roads are already getting slick. Call me when you get home so I can be sure
you re safe.
I will. You re very sweet to care.
Of course, I care. Listen, I don t know if I ll even get off shift on time to see you tonight.
I expected that might be the case. She sighed. Oh, well. Such is life, eh?
Yeah. I wouldn t want you driving in this later tonight anyway. If I do get off I could stop by
your place. Soft, husky vibrations filled his voice and stroked over her skin like a gentle touch.
That is, if you want me to.
Oh, yes. That would be great. I could make us some dinner. Her eyes snapped open. Dace,
I...
She stopped cold as Hannah walked out of the front door, DK Miller s arm locked around her
neck, a gun pointed to her head.
For what seemed an eternity, Mary couldn t register what she saw in front of her. Until she heard
Dace s voice prompting her, and a cold, cold fear iced over her soul.
Mary? Are you there?
Oh, my God.
What? His voice turned sharp and hard. What is it?
Before she could speak, Miller pointed the weapon in Mary s direction and fired.
* * * *
Dace heard the crack of gunfire and glass shattering, and jerked the phone from his ear at the
piercing sound. He d just walked out of the convenience store toward his squad car when Mary s
shocked and frightened exclamation had stopped him dead outside the doorway.
He gripped the phone and put it back to his ear. Mary! When he didn t get an answer he
dashed toward the squad car as fast as he could without falling on the ice. Mary, answer me!
Are you all right?
He heard another gunshot, then a scream. Never in his years as a deputy sheriff or a United
States Marine had his soul filled with dread as it did in that moment. Mary!
No answer. He switched the cell phone to his other ear, yanked open the police cruiser door, and
jumped inside.
What the fuck is going on? Kelso asked sharply, his eyes hard with concern.
Something s happened to Mary. She took Hannah over to Miller s to get her car. She said, Oh
my God, and then I heard a gunshot.
Son of a bitch! Kelso slammed the car into gear and roared out of the parking lot, back tires
fishtailing on snow and ice, siren blaring.
Dace called in the situation to dispatch and they alerted SWAT. He kept the cell phone to his ear
and tried periodically to get an answer from Mary. The line went dead.
God, Kelso. Dace swallowed hard. If anything s happened to her...
He couldn t finish.
Kelso drove as fast as he could without wrecking the cruiser. She s fine. She s going to be
fine.
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