Page 3 of Unbroken

Dani rested one hand on the counter and turned to Maya. “I don't honestly know. Sometimes I think we're great, then other times he ticks me off and I wonder why we’re together. I swear, if he wasn’t so good in bed…”

Maya knew exactly how Dani felt. She’d had an on-again, off-again relationship with her boyfriend for nearly two years before she finally broke it off for good a few months ago. She loved Aaron, but they made better friends than a couple. She hadn’t dated anyone seriously since then, always too busy with work or school to devote any real time to a relationship.

She thought of the man who’d come in yesterday morning. Aiden. She was a little disappointed he hadn’t been back to the coffee shop since. It was irrational, she knew, considering they’d talked for a whole two minutes while she poured his coffee. But she’d sworn there was some kind of spark there, and he’d hinted that he would come back. But he hadn’t.

Maya tuned back in to her conversation with Dani. “I think every couple goes through that phase. But if things are meant to work out between you two, they will. Don't decline an amazing job offer on the off chance that you and Ryan stay here and live happily ever after.”

Her mouth twisted. “Why is this so hard?”

Maya cracked a smile. “Adulting sucks, doesn't it?”

“No kidding.” Dani let out a little laugh at the same time her phone dinged with an incoming message. “Speak of the devil,” she said.

Maya watched her friend’s fingers fly over the keyboard as she responded. “Why don't you take off?” she suggested. “I can handle the rest.”

Dani’s eyes flicked to Maya. “Are you sure? I hate to leave you here by yourself.”

“It's no big deal.” She waved off Dani’s concern. “We're pretty much good anyway. I'll get the dining room cleaned up a bit, then head out.”

“If you don't mind…” Dani affected her best puppy dog eyes, and Maya couldn't help but laugh.

“Just go already.”

“You're the best.” She bounced happily on her toes before grabbing her purse from under the counter and throwing a wave over her shoulder as she left. “See you in the morning!”

Maya waved as she watched her friend cut across the parking lot to her small silver sedan, then locked the door once more. She straightened chairs and wiped down tables as she made her way around the small dining area. Once she put all the cleaning materials to rights, she locked up the cash register and turned off the lights. As a safety precaution, the morning crew would handle the bank deposit, so she left the slip on the counter for tomorrow’s employees.

She left through the front door, throwing a quick glance around before locking up and heading to her car. Employees had to park on the side to leave room for patrons to park right in front of the shop, so she headed in that direction.

As she rounded the corner of the building, a large figure stepped out of the shadows. Her breath suspended in her lungs, and her muscles went completely rigid before her brain sent out the signal to run.

Just as she started to turn and bolt away, the man's arms came around her torso. She kicked frantically, her arms pinned at her sides where he held them tightly. Unable to form words, a series of low grunts left her throat as she thrashed against his hold. Finally, she opened her mouth to scream, hoping it would draw attention. As if he knew what she intended, the man's forearm moved up and constricted around her neck.

He leaned back, forcing her back to arch, and the motion put strain on her throat. Black spots danced before her eyes as she struggled to draw in a breath. Two seconds passed, then three. Her lungs felt tight, like they were burning, and the man tightened his hold a fraction. The blackness around the edges of her vision slowly bled inward, and she lost the fight to stay awake as her body went limp.

CHAPTER

THREE

A sick sensation twisted Aiden’s stomach into knots as he stared at the coffee shop. To think he had just been here yesterday. Now she was missing, apparently abducted after her shift last night.

He glanced at the other agents and policemen standing in the parking lot in front of the coffee shop. “What are you thinking?”

“She never made it to her car,” one officer said. “It’s still locked, and her purse and keys were found on the sidewalk this morning by the manager.”

The local police had called the FBI first thing this morning as soon as Maya Danvers had been reported missing. Normally, they would have waited since she was of legal age, but considering the circumstances, they weren’t taking any chances. They were treating it as an abduction.

Like the previous three victims, Maya had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Three months earlier, Kelly Greene had been the first woman to disappear from the Chicago area. Her boyfriend had reported her missing when she hadn’t come home after work.

A month later, Jacqueline Howard had gone missing. The young nursing student lived alone, and she hadn’t shown up for her shift at work. After a couple of days, authorities found her house empty. They still weren’t entirely sure when she had been abducted or from where.

The third, Caroline Alsept, had disappeared the previous month, reported missing by her parents when she hadn’t come home. No one had seen her since.

When the locals got the call about Maya, they had immediately assumed the worst. It appeared that whoever was targeting these young women had crossed state lines, elevating the case from state to federal level. That was where the FBI came in.

There were enough similarities between the victims to believe it could very well be the same person who had taken them. Speculation had been flying around all morning, everyone trying to guess who the man could be and what had happened to the women.

Maya’s car sat at almost a ninety-degree angle from the front door, and unfortunately, none of the cameras pointed in that direction.