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  A loud cat call followed by a wolf whistle pulled Nicole out of the spiraling thoughts of her mother and back into the moment. Taking a second to steady her breathing she put her hands on her hips, then slowly turned in the direction of the annoyance. Quickly she spotted a familiar face and the tension in her shoulders relaxed a little.

  “Luke Sparks, I thought I was going to get to teach some dog a lesson about being polite to ladies but now I see I would be wasting my breath,” she called out teasingly. Memories of the previous night started to jump around in her head. Thoughts of the passion in his eyes as he watched her dance caused her face to blush.

  Luke crossed the street to the sidewalk where Nicole had stopped. She couldn’t stifle the fluttering in her stomach as he came near. She was sure most girls had the same reaction to him. He stood close to six feet tall, had dark blond hair, deep hazel eyes, darkly tanned skin and a body that, even with his light brown police uniform on, any woman could tell it was sent from God. Aside from all that eye candy stuff he was just a polite Southern guy. He’s the kind of man who will give you the shirt off his back and enjoys the chance to prove chivalry is not a thing of the past.

  Despite his Greek God looks and charming personality, Nicole tried to think of him like an older brother even though there was only one year difference in their ages. Luke had instantly taken her under his wing when she joined the police force three years ago. They worked as partners quite often on under cover jobs and proved to be a great team. She did not want to risk losing what they had with a short-lived fling no matter how amazingly attractive she found him.

  “Shoot Nicole, I was hoping to buy you some breakfast, but since you’re so moody this morning, I think I’ll head on into work,” he said with a slight smirk to his lips.

  “That’s a kind offer, Officer Sparks, but maybe next time you want to ask a girl to breakfast you shouldn’t start out by yelling ‘Hey good looking’ to get her attention.”

  “Come on it’s two friends having breakfast, nothing more. I’ve already given up on you as a dating candidate. I know, I know, your rules about dating a co-worker, yaddy, yaddy, yah. I’m not trying to violate that,” he said as he moved a step closer, reaching out to lightly touch her arm, then letting his hand fall back to his side. “I’m just looking to unwind a bit with a friend over a good meal,” He pleaded. “Plus I think we need to talk about what happened last night.”

  His words sent a jolt of nervousness throughout Nicole’s stomach. Oh no, is he going to start asking questions about how I knew what the jerk at the club was up to? What am I going to tell him? Or maybe he wants to talk about the fire between us last night. God, I can’t deal with this right now.

  “Thanks Luke but I’ll have to pass. I’ve got a lot going on today before work and I really want to finish my run.” She turned and started back down the street. “See you later!” She tossed the words over her shoulder with a slight wave then put her ear buds back in her ears not waiting for a response.

  “Yeah, later.” Luke sighed as he watched her jog away. He couldn’t help but admire the view even though he knew she would be mad at him if she turned around and saw him enjoying it. After she was out of his sight, he made his way back across the street to his patrol car. “If she would just give me one chance.”

  Chapter 3

  Nicole turned up the volume two more notches on her iPod hoping that by blaring “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes loud enough, it would take her mind off Luke and put it back on her work out. She told herself having the music this loud was not safe running etiquette, but it also wasn’t safe to let her mind wander down the path leading to Luke…hot, sexy, could-drown-in-his-dark-hazel-eyes…yummy Luke. No, no, no Nicole! she mentally chastised herself.

  Taking a left at the top of the next hill, she turned onto an old country road she seldom ran, thinking a change of scenery would help her focus. Quickly, the road seemed to be swallowed up on both sides by massive pine trees and old oaks, with only the occasional dirt drive breaking the landscape like subtle clues to a hunter that people actually lived in this area. Nicole barely took notice of the change, instead focusing on regulating her breathing as her legs started to scream from the strain.

  “Lucky me, this is gonna be sweeter than I dreamed. Stupid girl is running right to me. She just saved me a lot of trouble. I’m so damn tired of these wild goose chases.”

  Nicole stopped dead still in her tracks. Immediately, all her senses went on high alert, body slightly crouched and wide eyes scanning the woods around her. Those thoughts in her head definitely did not belong to her, but where did they come from and were they about her? There was no one around, no houses, no cars, nothing but grove after grove of trees and the empty road on which she was standing. No sign of the person to whom this rough, raspy voice in her head belonged. There was a snap of a twig off to her right, then the crunching of dead leaves. She quickly lunged to her left, to the opposite side of the road from the direction of the sound, ducking behind the first tree she reached.

  “Did she see me? She couldn’t have but… Maybe he was right about this one. Hold still for a few seconds, that’s all the time I need and then we will know.”

  Fear gripped Nicole but she surged forward again, reaching another tree a few feet deeper into the woods. She pressed herself hard against the sap-covered pine tree that was too small to completely shelter her from sight. She stole a quick glimpse back across the road catching sight of the sun reflecting off metal. She pressed tighter against the tree as she tried to analyze what she had seen. Was that a gun? Why would someone be out here with a gun? It’s not hunting season…Was it aimed at me? What the hell? Holding her breath, she listened for any sign the stranger was trying to get closer to her. Time seemed to be in slow motion, she heard a click… then a loud boom made her jerk reflexively. A burning sensation shocked her right arm. She felt the warm trickle of blood as her arm began to throb with the beat of her heart, and she instinctively covered it with her hand.

  Someone just shot me! Her mind snapped back into reality. She pivoted on her toes as her police training kicked into high gear. Two more shots rang out, whistling past her, as she ran deeper into the woods using a serpentine pattern to throw off the gunman’s aim. She dropped off a steep hill and lost her footing but quickly got back up, ducking behind a large, fallen oak tree. “Damn me to hell for leaving my gun at home, stupid, stupid, stupid! What am I gonna do now, throw my IPod at him and hope he has A.D.D.!” she scolded herself between panted breaths. She strained her ears listening for the gunman, while trying to map out her next step. The warmth of her blood flowing down her arm reminded her that the crazy man was set on killing her.

  “I’m sure I got her, saw her drop down. She’s not the one. I‘m not getting a reading from her and I know a scare like that would’ve done the job. Better finish her off.”

  His thoughts rang out loud and clear in her head, sending a cold chill down her spine. She could hear the ominous sound of the underbrush crunching beneath his feet as he closed the distance between them. Blood dripped from her fingertips painting the dead leaves red. “Yep, this is one hell of a bad morning.”

  ****

  Luke drove his patrol car the short distance to the end of Main Street. The road ended at the town’s only red light. When the light changed to green, he took a left pulling into the Chevron station to fill up with gas. This station was a hangout for the town gossips and anybody with time to kill. Luke always thought it was the perfect spot for police officers to sit and chat with the town’s folk. He had gotten some of his best crime tips sitting on the old worn-out, white bench in front of the station. This little town didn’t have much in the way of violent crimes, such as murders and rapes, but it did have a drug trafficking problem that seemed to be on the rise as of late. Sometimes the best way to get a lead was to strike up a conversation with one of the chatty old men who seem to know everything about everybody in this little town.

  He began filling t
he car with gas, thinking he would grab something to eat from the deli inside, after all, his previous breakfast plans had fallen through and he still needed to eat. His mind drifted back to Nicole as he tried to figure out what he was doing wrong. “We would be great together. We have a lot in common, we work together and I know she’s at least a little attracted to me. I see the way she looks at me sometimes even though she tries hard to hide it.” Frustrated, he leaned back against his car and crossed his arms over his chest as the gas continued to pump. “I just can’t figure her out, it’s like she’s afraid of letting me close. She should know by now she can trust me. We’ve watched each other’s back in life-threatening situations tons of times. Why doesn’t that matter to her?” The gas handle popped out, signaling the car was full and putting an end to his wallowing in self-pity.

  Luke paid for his gas and the much needed breakfast- judging by the loud grumbling of his stomach. He walked back outside, spotting one member of the usual crew sitting on the bench.

  “Hey Sparks, you put in a long night or just getting started?” asked Jimmy Reed, who was a retired logger in his late sixty’s even though he looked to be about eighty. Time was rough on a man who spent sun-up to sun-down in the woods from the young age of eight.

  “A little of both Jim. How have you been?” Luke asked making polite conversation. “Pretty good, I woke up this morning so I guess that’s a good start for an old codger like me.” He flashed a sly, toothless grin at his own twisted humor. “You got time to sit a while and chat with me?” he motioned a shaky hand toward the empty spot on the end of the bench.

  “Sure, if you don’t mind me eating my breakfast while we talk.” He took a seat as he removed the paper from his bacon-stuffed biscuit. “So what’s new?” he asked, deliberately taking his time chewing so Jim would feel obligated to fill the silent space between them.

  “I’ve been seeing a bunch of out-of-state tags coming through our little town lately. I can’t imagine what anyone would be here for. All we’ve got is one lake and a bunch a nature trails but I’m no expert on travelers.” he shrugged. “I guess some people want to see every inch of this great, big, ol’ world.” He paused as if in deep thought, eyes a million miles away. He looked up again, taking in the passing cars on the road in front of where they sat. “Yesterday I saw three shiny, new, black SUVs, all with dark tinted windows and New York plates. They stopped in to fuel up here.” He pointed an arthritic finger in the direction of the gas pumps where Luke’s patrol car still sat. “Only the drivers got out pumping the gas and they were in dark blue suits that screamed government to me. Now you tell me Luke, if that doesn’t strike you as strange. The government has been sticking their nose in too much if you ask me.”

  “Yep, Jim, that is kind of fishy but what can we do? We can’t question every person with an out-of-state tag.” Luke said “Besides some people do come here for the forest and the lake, both are beautiful and our town has always been glad to share them with the world. Maybe you’re just getting paranoid in your old age.” Standing up, he dropped his empty wrapper into the trash, then stretched out his long, lean body trying to relieve some of the stiffness of his muscles.

  Jim shrugged his shoulders, “Could be, I guess. I just don’t like people causing trouble around here. Why, just this morning some guy stopped in and walked straight up to me like he knew me.” His gray brows shot up into his wrinkled forehead. “He started asking me questions about Nicole. He said he was an old friend, but I knew better.” He snorted as he leaned back causing the bench to squeak. “I’ve known that girl all her life, her daddy and her granddaddy too so I wasn’t about to tell a bad seed like that anything about our sweet girl.”

  “What was he asking?”

  “First he asked if I knew her, and I told him yes, then he asked where she lived and I told him it was none of his damn business.” Jim laughed as he slapped a hand down on his knee. “If you could’ve seen the look on that man’s face! He was so shocked an old geezer like me told him no, he got back into his truck and left without another word.”

  Luke stood with his hands in his pockets as he gazed around the parking lot. A sinking feeling knotted his stomach as he thought about who the man could be. Maybe just an old boyfriend looking to rekindle things with Nicole. “Maybe it was just someone she knew,” he sighed as he turned his attention back on Jim. “Guess I better get going, I’ve got to start my patrol. I’ll see you around.” He straightened his shoulders trying to hide the unease he felt by the news of this stranger as he started toward his car. Reaching for the door handle, a sound of one shot from a high-power rifle froze him in place and sent his heart into double time.

  “That’s strange, I would just about bet my good leg that bang was inside the town limits, Officer Sparks and, if I’m not going senile, that’s the same reason Sheriff Thompson wrote me a ticket a few years back,” called out Jim, with a mocking “Uh oh somebody’s in trouble” tone to his voice.

  “It was only one shot, Jim. If I remember correctly, you emptied a whole clip into a stop sign, two streets over from the court house,” he said jokingly, trying to calm the uneasy feeling that had crept under his skin with the one gun shot. Opening his car door, he stepped in, but before he had time to shut the door, two more rapid shots fired off in the distance. Luke knew the area it was coming from so he jumped into his car, turned on the sirens and floored it onto the road.

  He raced back through town, headed in the direction of the shots. A panic began to well up inside of him, but why? This is a normal part of a policeman’s job, right? He had been on calls like this time and time again but for some reason, this felt different. The closer he got to where the shots were fired, the more fear gripped him. His hands began to sweat and his heart lodged in his throat. Thoughts of Nicole started to push to the front of his mind, flashes of her face played out before his eyes, the floral scent of her perfume filled his nose and her presence permeated the space around him. It was so vivid that he thought she could easily be sitting in the passenger seat of his patrol car. “It has begun,” he gasped.

  As he approached the next road, he felt a pull in his soul as if he were being tugged by an invisible rope to turn that direction. Not questioning these strange feelings any longer, he followed the path laid out for him. Lights flashing and sirens screaming, he barreled down the worn country road until he spotted a familiar figure slowly stepping out of the woods. Luke slammed the car to a stop and jumped out. It was only when a few feet away, that he saw the blood trickling from underneath her hand.

  “My God, Nicole! What happened to you?” he sputtered, reaching out for her as she weaved on her feet, looking like she might pass out any second. Her clothes were dirty and torn, her hair sprinkled with bits of twigs and leaves, and she was ghostly white.

  “Let’s just get in the car and go! I don’t know where he’s at but he can’t be far. We should be able to catch him if you’ll stop babying me and get your ass moving.”

  “What are you talking about? Who are we catching? Are you saying someone did this to you on purpose?” He rambled off the questions, not sure which one was most important but knowing that he demanded answers to all of them. Nicole pushed past him moving toward the patrol car still idling in the middle of the road.

  Luke ran around to open the door for her, still determined to get answers, but trying to suppress the urge until they were moving again. As he reached for the door handle, Nicole’s knees buckled but he managed to catch her before she hit the pavement. He swung her up into his arms holding her tight against his chest.

  “Nicole, you are going to the hospital, you don’t realize how bad you’re bleeding, honey. I’ll call the situation into the dispatcher so they can send another officer out here, then we will figure out the rest later.” He placed her gently into the passenger’s seat then brushed her hair off her sweat-drenched forehead.

  “No, I’m fine, just get the creep that did this to me, Luke! Now get in the car and drive, he couldn’t have
gotten far.” Her voiced quivered as she tried to remain firm, her words coming out more a mumble than a demand. She grabbed onto Luke’s arms as he tried to put the seat belt across her. “Luke…” Then her arms dropped to her sides and she passed out.

  Chapter 4

  Beautiful rolling hills in varying shades of green, dotted with blankets of small violet flowers, surrounded her. The sky was a pristine blue without a single cloud floating by. Birds sang cheerfully as if it was the first day of spring. Nicole didn’t understand where she was or how she had gotten there but she loved this place. Her heart soared with the happiness of a homecoming.

  A white cotton sun dress kissed the top of her feet as a gentle breeze filled the air with the scent of sea water. Her hair was loose, hanging in long perfect spirals to the middle of her back as her bare feet reveled in the softness of the deep green grass beneath her. She closed her eyes, turning her face toward the sky as she breathed in deeply, trying to drink in some of the beauty and serenity into herself.

  When Nicole opened her eyes, she was under a canopy of giant oak trees with the occasional Wych elm towering high and stretching wide. The trees created a natural wall all around her casting everything into shadows. The soft pillow of green grass had been replaced with a mixture of yellow and brown weeds like the brittle grass you find in the middle of December in the South. The only touch of beauty in this dark gloomy place was small yellow flowers which sat on top of five leaves that formed a star beneath the bright petals. They looked out of place among the lifeless undergrowth.