Witness Protection

Nick’s face was stoic. His jaw set. Determination creased his forehead now dark with ash. “You’re in serious trouble.”

“Start talking or I’m going to scream.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Or, better yet, take me home.”

“No can do. And you needed help.”

“Damn it, Nick, you’re creeping me out. You have to give me something more.” She didn’t know why he’d shown up. Nothing made sense. “At least tell me where you’re taking me. I deserve to know what’s happening.”

He kept one eye trained on the rearview mirror as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a badge. “I’m a US Marshal.”

All those times he’d stopped in the bakery and led her to believe he was flirting with her caused a red blush to crawl up her neck. A piece of her had enjoyed his attention, too. What an idiot. Was he monitoring her situation the whole time? “You’re a radiologist.”

His lips parted in a dry crack of a smile. “You don’t believe me.”

“Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“It would’ve blown my cover.”

BARB HAN lives in North Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, has three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She’s passionate about travel, and many of the places she visits end up in her books.

She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at www.barbhan.com.

My deepest gratitude goes to the men and women of the US Marshals Service for their many sacrifices. A heartfelt thank you to my editor, Allison Lyons, and my agent, Jill Marsal, because you make dreams come true. I’m still pinching myself. Brandon, Jacob and Tori, you guys inspire me every day. I love you with all my heart.

To my husband, John, you are the great love of my life.

And this is one heck of an adventure.

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

A clink against the back door of the bakery sounded again. Sadie Brooks lost her grip on the twenty-five pound sack of flour she’d held. It struck the floor and a mushroom-shaped cloud of white powder formed over the bag’s lip.

Creek Bend, Texas, was a far cry from Chicago, she reminded herself. No one from her past knew where she was. No one could hurt her. No one cared. And she was no longer Laura Kaye.

It was four-thirty in the morning in a town that rolled up the streets by eight. The noise was most likely a cat rummaging through trash. No big deal. Nothing scary.

“Only you and me are crazy enough to be up this early,” she said to her two-year-old rescue dog, Boomer, while forcing air in and out of her lungs. He didn’t so much as crack an eyelid. “And I think we both know I mean me.”

Working when everyone else slept suited Sadie just fine. She’d had very little use for daylight or people ever since she’d been kidnapped two years ago.

Yes, she still flinched at every noise. Constantly checked over her shoulder at the slightest peep. But she was always ready. Always expecting the worst. Always on guard. And yet, the past year had been peaceful. There was no reason to believe anything would change save for the all-too-real feeling in the pit of her stomach screaming otherwise.

Being constantly on alert felt a lot like parking and then leaving her high beams on. Pretty soon her battery would run out.

Boomer whined in his sleep. Her protector? Now that was funny. She’d rescued a big dog for protection. She got the Scooby Doo of golden retrievers. All he wanted to do was eat, and he wouldn’t scare away a cat. But he did make noise and his low-belly bark sounded fierce. Sadie figured it was good enough to make anyone think twice.

As she bent over to pick up the sack of white powder, another noise sent a chill skittering across her nerves. Boomer’s head cocked at the unmistakable snick of a lock. Her heart drummed against her chest.

Using the lock was good, right? That meant someone with a key was most likely standing on the other side of the door. She thought of Claire, her very pregnant boss who was her only friend. With her baby due any day, she would be asleep right now.

Boomer, shackles raised, stalked toward the stockroom to investigate.

“It’s okay, boy.” She scoured the area looking for a weapon just in case. Was there anything she could use to defend herself? To protect Boomer? She moved toward the nearest counter.

A sparkle caught her attention. Light reflected from the blade of a knife. Her fingers shook as they curled around the black plastic handle.

Then everything went dark. No lights. It was too much of a coincidence to think the breaker could’ve been tripped. This blackout was on purpose.