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“No. Personal.” She doesn’t say anything else.
“Damn it, tell me what you aren’t telling me,” I bark into the phone.
“Don’t yell at my wife, son. Just because you fucked up with your girl, don’t take it out on mine.” Greg’s voice comes across the line. I feel bad for yelling at her, but I couldn’t stop my emotions. I’ve craved Leisel. I had to push her away and physically shut myself off from her.
“Sorry.” I sigh. Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my nerves. I focus on each inhale and exhale. With each exhalation, I relax my muscles.
“Son, I know you’re upset, but you chose this. You need to fix it,” Renee says softly. She truly is the closest thing I have to a mother, and I hate that I hurt her with my anger.
“I’m sorry. I do need to fix it. What do you know?”
“I only have suspicions and rumors. I think she might have moved on.”
“I’ll take care of everything and fix it.”
“Okay. Good luck.”
I know we’ve been on the line long enough, but I want to talk to her more. We take a few minutes to visit. I learn what is going on with my family there before I tell her goodbye and hang up.
I pick up my office phone and call my pilot to set up a flight to Alaska. My heart thumps hard in elation. I’m going to see her. I can touch her. Kiss her again. She isn’t going to move on without me. I won’t allow that. She is mine and will always be mine. The Hierarchy found her even though I walked away from her.
CHAPTER TWO
LEISEL
I turn the key and the car sputters for a moment and then dies. I slam my hand against the steering wheel in frustration.
“Come on, you pain in the butt.” I huff as I try the key again. The engine sputters and then finally catches. “Thank goodness.” I have to get something better, but I can’t afford it right now. I have so many bills, including all the ones associated with the store. If the bank would just give me a consolidation loan, it would be so much easier. I emailed Renee to get her help with that. Between the crappy summer and low sales for the winter, the bookstore is barely bringing in any revenue.
I flip on the heat to high then head back inside the cabin. Without Renee letting me stay here for free, I’d be screwed. I open the door and hear Gideon crying from his car seat. I hated leaving him by himself, but I didn’t want to take him out into the below zero temperatures while I started the car.
“It’s going to be okay, my little man.” I coo to him, and he gives me a toothless smile with his chubby cheeks. He’s so sweet and such a good baby, but doing it all by myself is hard at times. I tickle his chin like he likes and lift him up in his seat. He’s over the fiftieth percentile in growth, so he’s really heavy for me to carry. I grab his diaper bag and the breast pump so I can pump while I’m at the bookstore today.
As I walk out the door, I’m glad the exterior lights flip on as soon as I open the door. I pull it closed and make sure it closes tightly before I engage the lock. Moving to the back door of the used car Renee left for me, I open it and lock Gideon’s car seat into the base before I get into the driver’s seat. I drive the short distance to my mother’s place, where she’ll watch Gideon for me. Sometimes I take him to the bookstore with me, but today I’m doing inventory and starting the end of the year preparations. Christmas was just two days ago, and I need to get it done before the week closes. It’s not so bad because I’ve been preparing the whole month. I have my employee, Charley, coming in to help out too. She’s usually part-time, but this week I have her working full-time to help me out.
Thirty minutes later, I pull up to the back of the business that was once a dream for me to take over. Now, however, it’s full of the memories of the man who broke my heart. When the lawyer showed up a year ago with the papers giving me ownership of the store, I thought he would come. I gave the lawyer the message I’d been trying to get in touch with Ilan for months at that point, but he didn’t show, and he didn’t message me back. The silence was enough that I realized he’d made his choice. I wasn’t anyone special to him. I was a means to an end, a warm and willing body.
After locking the car, I flip on the flashlight on my key chain. The exterior light is out. I must have forgotten to leave it on. I’m almost to the door when I’m hit from behind. My body slams into the heavy door, and I cry out. My hair is pulled from the back. Memories of the last time I was in this same position flash into my mind. I’m almost lost in a panic attack until I hear someone yell.
“Hey, what are you doing?” It’s one of the business neighbors.
“I’ll be back. Next time I’ll kill you,” the man behind me says. He yanks my hair again before slamming my head against the door and releasing me.
Crumpling to the ground, I cry and wrap my arms around my legs. Blood slowly runs down my face.
For a few months now someone has been leaving me threatening notes and voicemails. Okay, so maybe it’s been more like a year. I’ve lost count of how long it’s been. I have no clue who it is or what’s going on. In the beginning, I thought it was the previous manager. I thought she’d hired someone to come after me. Her husband had attacked me and Renee. He almost killed her before he was killed. But the notes that are left don’t make sense. They say I’ll suffer for the misdeeds of others. I don’t know what that could mean. Killing Gretchen’s husband was the only way to save Renee and me. The state troopers questioned her, and she denied trying to hurt me. I’m scared I’m going to have to run soon to protect my son, but I don’t know where to go. My mother is sick. She and her husband will be moving away soon to get better care for her. I’ll be all alone then.
After I had Gideon, I had to take some time off from the store. I only have one employee, so I could afford her salary. The store has picked up since the issues from almost two years ago when the previous manager was caught embezzling money from the business. Talkeetna isn’t my hometown, but this bookstore was once my dream. I admit I’m only holding on to it because I’m hoping he’ll come back.
“Hey, are you okay? Police and medics are on their way,” a voice says, and I jump and scream in fear. I look up and recognize the face.
“Sorry,” I apologize and then push myself up. “I’m okay.” My legs tremble for a moment before they hold me.
I turn and unlock the door. I’m glad to see the bookstore is not damaged in any way when I step inside. My attacker was here for me, not the store.
“Let them at least look you over, Leisel,” the owner of the general store a couple of buildings down says before she pulls up a chair. “I heard the thump when they bounced your head off the door. Do you know who attacked you?”
I shake my head.
