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Chapter One
Kendra Zelner hated the desperation that gnawed at her gut even more than the hunger pains. It’d started the night she’d taken her eight-year-old brother, Noah, and run. But it kept her moving, kept her alert—and made her do things she never would’ve imagined she could do.
She was desperate all right. For herself, but more so for Noah, who hid behind a blue Cape Cod house just a few blocks from the bus station, and almost a block away from the car she hoped to steal. No, borrow—it’s not like she planned to keep it.
She’d never done anything like this in her twenty-four years. She knew not only the distinct differences between right and wrong, but the subtle ones as well—even if her parents hadn’t been around to teach her.
Damn Robert for lowering me to his level.
There was nothing subtle about what she planned to do. It was just after five on a Monday morning, and the Boulder, Colorado neighborhood slept through the crimson dawn. She cast her gaze around once more, stress-worn nerves threatening to send her and her shaking hands back into the shadows. But she didn’t have a choice, they had to keep moving; Robert had made sure of that.
The rusted maroon four-door was just one of numerous cars she’d checked, but the first with an unlocked door. She opened the passenger side and gave a brief glance at the empty ignition. No, she hadn’t expected to find the keys, but still, she’d hoped. Pushing aside the absurd notion that anything could be that easy for her these days, she opened the glove box and then gaped at the contents.
Keys and a wallet.
It was like God was telling her to go right ahead. Her hand paused above the keys as her conscience contradicted her mind.
More like the devil.
She swallowed, cast another nervous look around, and snatched the wallet instead. Flipping it open, she counted the blessed money inside: twenty, thirty, thirty-five. Not much, but certainly enough to get her and Noah something to eat before they made what would hopefully be the final leg of their journey.
Noah hadn’t eaten more than a couple crackers since yesterday’s lunch; it’d been the dinner before for her. Despite unlimited credit lines, she’d found out the hard way her cards were worthless as Robert had used them to track her and Noah to California.
The thought of their half-brother having found them so easily made her shiver even more than the cool, damp Colorado air. She shook her head to clear the unwelcome vision of Robert from her mind so she could stay one step ahead of him.
****
Fresh from a hot, start-the-morning-right shower, Colton Lawe ran a towel down his chest before wrapping it around his waist. He grabbed another and used one end on his hair as he made his way to the kitchen.
The aroma of fresh brewed hazelnut coffee filled the air, prompting an appreciative, “Mmmm.”
His mother was a saint. She knew what he liked and no matter how tight money stretched, she always stocked the treat for his frequent visits, knowing he never allowed himself the luxury. He silently praised her for setting the programmable coffee pot, knowing he’d be up early for work.
He glanced out the window while reaching for a mug. The brilliant hue of the blood-red sky to the east made him pause as something his father used to say echoed in his mind. ‘Red skies at night, sailor’s delight; r
ed skies in the morning, sailor’s warning.’
A sad smile lifted the corners of his mouth. Craig Lawe had never been a sailor, but it hadn’t kept him from repeating those words whenever he saw a crimson sky. Even now, eight years after the accident that had left his father a comatose paraplegic, whenever Colton recited the phrase during a visit, he swore he saw a spark of recognition enter his father’s green eyes. Eyes so like his own, sometimes it felt like looking in a mirror.
He shook off the weight that threatened to descend whenever he thought of his dad, and poured a cup of coffee before returning to the window. A light layer of frost covered the grass that’d sprouted in the ever-increasing warmth of May. It would melt soon, as another nice day was expected—or so the weatherman on Channel 5 had predicted last night.
From the corner of his eye, Colton saw movement through the window. He paused and scanned the yard, but came up with nothing. Straightening, he began to turn away—until he saw it again.
His gaze zeroed in on a slight figure leaning into his car. What the hell…? He’d locked the doors last night, he always locked his car doors. Yet, someone was rifling through his glove compartment and—
Shit! He’d left his wallet in there! Colton slammed his coffee down. Hot liquid sloshed over onto his hand.
Shaking it off with a rough curse, he sprinted out the door. The frosty cement steps iced his bare feet, lending added volume to his, “Hey!”
The thief jerked his head up, banging it on the roof of his car. Make that her head. Colton pulled up in surprise when large doe eyes widened in a distinctly feminine face. In that split second pause, she bolted.
Colton hollered again and gave chase along the chilly sidewalk.
Man, she’s fast!
About twenty yards into the chase, Colton felt his towel loosen. With his next step, it dropped from his hips. He jerked to a halt. In the process of reaching for his towel, he realized the girl had stopped to watch. Disjointed thoughts whirled in his head.
Towel. Thief. Naked.
A flush of embarrassment spread through his body when her gaze dropped. A quick smile played across her lips and fiery heat exploded in his cheeks. He snatched up his towel, only to glance up again to discover the girl had disappeared.
He frowned, wondering if he’d imagined the whole thing. Imagined her.
Colton’s gaze lit upon the open car door, and he was grimly assured he hadn’t imagined a damn thing. He also saw that, while his spare keys lay on the floor of the passenger side, his wallet was gone. Damn it! He was positive he’d hit the automatic locks last night…but then again, his confrontation with Cassie had left him pretty worked up.
A growl vibrated his throat. If he hadn’t caught the little thief when he did, would he have been minus his wallet, the keys and the car? Not that the car would’ve been much of a loss, but it got him where he needed to go.
“Little witch,” he mumbled, slamming the door, keys in hand. The red sky mocked him as he took the steps in two strides and entered the house. He headed straight for the bathroom to get dressed, contemplating his luck.
Never all that good to begin with, lately it seemed worse than ever. The bills for his father’s care were mounting, his casual thing with Cassie had taken a nosedive last night, and now his wallet had been stolen.
He couldn’t afford any of it—literally.
As far as Cassie was concerned—Casual Cassie Blake—Colton hadn’t wanted a girlfriend, and she’d assured him at the onset of their ‘relationship’—if that’s what one would call it—that the last thing she wanted was a boyfriend. A fact she’d reiterated by dating a new guy every other week while still showing up at his apartment for sex every once in awhile.
Things had been fine until last night when she’d sprung that ‘women’s prerogative’ crap on him, revoked the arrangement she’d initiated, and demanded the commitment she’d scoffed at so often over the past year. They’d argued. She’d pleaded, and finally cried. He’d left feeling a little guilty, but more annoyed than anything. He was not going to put up with her pressuring him. He didn’t plan to get married, not in this lifetime, and she’d known that up front.
