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If that were the case, why had she come to speak with Gran’s spirit? “I’m worried for you. Is the father of your child going to help?”
“No. He doesn’t believe it’s his.” She turned and went back to staring out the window again.
Dania had seen a lot of young women in trouble in the ER. It had always seemed unfair that Dania had wanted a child so badly and hadn’t been able to conceive, but those young women who shouldn’t shoulder the burden of bearing a child on their own could easily get pregnant.
And then, when Dania finally had, her world had collapsed. The only good thing that had happened during her nightmare was giving birth to Jacob.
Tempted to tell Hayley what she’d gone through, she stopped herself. Talking about it might open a door to discussing Matthew’s murder. Dania didn’t want to go over that with Hayley. Although she knew her, she didn’t know her well enough to share such a horrible incident in her life. An awkward silence settled between them.
Why hadn’t Hayley said anything about Dania being convicted of killing her husband? It had been in the papers for quite some time. She surely knew what had happened. For that matter, why hadn’t she asked Dania why she was here instead of in prison?
Unless Hayley already knew. Dania’s escape had been on the news.
Now Dania understood why Brett had been so suspicious. Not that he knew Hayley’s backstory but that the young woman had merely turned up, which made her a suspect in his mind. It should have been the same for Dania whether she knew Hayley or not. Clearly her life had changed a great deal in the time that Dania had been in prison.
People changed.
Circumstances changed.
Dania peered out the window in the direction Brett had disappeared. “Do you know who Brett is chasing?”
Hayley said nothing, didn’t even turn in her seat.
Fear rifled through Dania. Brett could have run right into a trap, and there was nothing she could do about it.
* * *
Brett stood in the shadows, watching the big guy go from one window to another, looking in each one. Dressed in dark clothing and a ski mask, he blended into the night. He made his way to the glass door, just as Hayley had. Was this where they’d planned to rendezvous?
Jasper once again started barking. Poor dog had been stuck in the house for a while. He must wonder what was going on out here.
The animal didn’t seem to faze the hulk of a man. He probably planned to kill him once he got inside. With gloves on his hands, he squatted and took a screwdriver from his pocket. He pried at the bottom of the glass sliding door, preparing to tilt it.
He’d obviously broken into houses before. Brett pulled his gun and stepped out of the shadows. “Hold it right there.”
The man stopped.
“Drop the screwdriver,” Brett ordered.
He stayed crouched like a loaded spring ready to be tripped.
“I said, drop the screwdriver! Now!”
The guy let the tool fall to the ground and acted like he was going to comply but then swung around and leaped from the patio deck, taking off at a dead run. Not wanting to shoot him, Brett shoved his gun in its holster and gave chase. As the trespasser came to the fence, he reached to grab the chain link and slipped.
Brett tackled him, holding him facedown on the ground. The guy writhed and bucked, doing his best to shake Brett off, but Brett had wrangled guys on the fifteen-most-wanted list. He knew how to hold him. Brett quickly patted him down, checking for weapons, but he couldn’t do a thorough job. And without cuffs, he had nothing to subdue the guy with except his gun, which he really didn’t want to pull again. If Brett drew, he might be forced to shoot. He didn’t want to kill the man. There were so many questions that needed to be answered. He grabbed the guy’s hand, and his glove came off.
For a moment, Brett questioned what he saw. The guy was missing his ring and pinkie fingers. Matt’s killer!
The man bucked again and threw an elbow punch, hitting Brett in the nose. A starburst of pain dazed him only a second. The attacker twisted and rolled out from under him, getting free. Like a leaping spider, the man jumped to his feet and bounded over the fence.
Cussing under his breath, Brett scrambled and followed him, but the creep had disappeared. Worried he’d gone after Dania in the Pathfinder, Brett raced to the vehicle to check. Jerking open the driver’s door, he scanned the back seat.
“Are you okay?” Worry framed Dania’s face.
Seeing that she was all right, he spat out, “Did you see him?”
“Yes.” She pointed. “He ran from the cul-de-sac and disappeared in back of the brick house on the corner.”
