Forcing herself to move through the bitterly cold wind, Shaye passed the bookstore, where several students walked out carrying bags full of Christmas gifts. She noted that for the first time in her life, she really didn’t have anyone to buy a present for. As she glanced in the window, Shaye noticed a display of sweatshirts, T-shirts, and shorts bearing the Royal University logo.
Pushing through the revolving door, she went inside to browse. Finally, she bought two pairs of boxer-style shorts, each with Royal written across one leg. After paying for them, she had one of them gift wrapped. It would be the perfect gift for both herself and Colleen. Since arriving at Royal, Colleen had teased Shaye about how she always wore shorts. Now Colleen would have an excuse to wear them also.
Once she was finished at the bookstore, Shaye went back to her room. Her tickets had been slipped under her door, and she glanced through them to see that she was due to fly out of Richmond on Thursday afternoon.
Shaye packed all of her things for her trip, leaving her closets almost bare. After she was done, she lined up her suitcases at the end of her bed, setting the present for Colleen on top of them. As an afterthought, she picked up the stuffed dolphin she had taken from Chase’s apartment and packed it in her swim bag. As she left for practice, Shaye glanced around her room, struck by the odd sensation that this was her home.
* * *
With her wet hair tucked under her scarf, Shaye hurried toward her building. Practice had ended early, and she hoped to catch Colleen before she left so they could do some shopping together. As she rounded the corner, she saw her car parked in its normal spot, exhaust coming from the tailpipe.
When Shaye saw Colleen walking out of their building toward the car she broke into a run to catch up. “Colleen!”
Colleen was twenty feet from the car when she saw Shaye and stopped to wait for her. Seconds after she did, an explosion rocked the ground. The force of the blast knocked Colleen to the pavement as Shaye’s car was engulfed in flames. Shaye skidded to a stop, still over a hundred feet away.
As flames and smoke poured from what was left of Shaye’s car, several students rushed to Colleen’s aid. Shaye stared at the flames, feeling suddenly panicked. She knew the car was meant to explode with her in it. Chase’s last words echoed in her ears as she once again became Christal Jones. “Chris . . . Rush . . . Don’t let him find you . . .”
She turned and ran behind the nearest building. Terrified, she glanced around to regain her composure.
She made her way past several buildings, finally going inside another dorm. As she heard voices approaching, she slipped through the door into the laundry room. Finding herself alone, she dialed Pratt’s number. Her heart beat faster as she waited anxiously for him to answer. It rang several times before Shaye hung up and tried again. Again, no one. Unable to reach him, Shaye tried calling Doug’s number. No answer.
“Now what am I supposed to do?” Shaye asked herself silently. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Get yourself together.”
Shaye dropped to her knees. “Heavenly Father, please guide me to safety, and please let Colleen be okay.” The short, simple prayer did not offer any immediate solutions, but she did feel comforted as she rose.
Shaye thought of calling Matt, but she had never memorized his phone number. Looking out the tiny window in the laundry room, Shaye saw darkness falling over the campus. She glanced over and noticed an empty backpack perched against a dryer, apparently left by the person currently doing laundry.
Quickly, Shaye emptied the contents of her duffel bag into the backpack. Then, swinging the backpack over one shoulder, she put her duffel bag next to the dryer and slipped outside through the back door.
Trying to blend in with the few students on campus, Shaye walked in the general direction of Matt’s apartment. After walking around several blocks to make sure she wasn’t being followed, she went to Matt’s building. Before approaching his door, Shaye stood in a stairwell, watching the parking lot for anyone or anything unusual, though she doubted she would recognize her would-be assassins anyway. She dialed Pratt’s number one more time, but again no one answered.
Her heart pounded wildly. What if they were inside waiting for her? Maybe Matt had already left to go home for the holidays. How was she going to explain everything? Mustering up all of her courage, Shaye knocked on Matt’s door.
Several minutes passed, and Shaye’s concern grew. What if Matt got hurt because of her? She was turning to leave when he opened the door. Their eyes met, and Shaye was speechless. She could feel her whole body trembling with fear. Once again, she glanced behind her.
“What’s wrong?” Matt gently pulled her inside and closed the door behind him. “You’re shaking like a leaf.”
“I have to get out of town,” Shaye said quickly. “Please, can you help me?”
“Let me get my shoes on.” Matt disappeared into his room, returning moments later with his suitcase in his hand.
He led the way out to his car. Shaye followed nervously behind him, grateful he hadn’t stopped to ask questions. Suddenly, a horrifying thought struck her. What if a bomb had been planted in his car too? Matt pulled out his keys and disengaged his car alarm.
“Does your alarm go off just when someone tries to get into the car?” Shaye asked tentatively.
Matt shook his head. “It has a touch sensor. Even a strong wind will set it off.”
Shaye nodded, feeling a little safer. Matt opened the car door for Shaye and put his suitcase into the backseat. Shaye climbed in, clutching the backpack. She continued to look around the parking lot as Matt slid behind the wheel and started the car. As they passed campus on their way out of town, Shaye could still see the smoke coming from her parking lot.
Matt noticed it too as they passed by. “Something’s burning over there.”
Shaye nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.
“What happened?” Matt looked concerned as he pulled onto the highway.
“My car . . .” Shaye sniffed back some tears. “It blew up.”
“What?!” Matt looked over at her as an ambulance sped by. “What do you mean it blew up?” He glanced back toward the campus. “Was anybody hurt?”
“Colleen was pretty close when it exploded. I don’t know.” Shaye’s breathing caught in her throat.
“We can stop—”
“No,” Shaye cut him off. Abruptly, she began to sob uncontrollably, hugging her knees to her chest as they drove down the dark Virginia highway.
Matt drove silently for the next half hour until Shaye was finally able to compose herself. She wiped her eyes and stared out into the darkness. Instinctively, she glanced behind them.
“Don’t worry. We aren’t being followed,” Matt told her.
Shaye looked at him, surprised. Before responding to his questioning eyes, Shaye took out her cell phone and dialed Pratt’s number. Again, no one responded.
“Where are we going anyway?” Shaye finally asked.
“My house,” Matt replied.
“I can’t. It’s not safe.” Panic seized her once again.
“Maybe you could tell me who you’re running from.”
“I don’t know who they are,” Shaye said quietly, looking at Matt’s face. The tenderness she had grown used to seeing in his eyes was gone, yet she couldn’t deny that he had helped without hesitation, even after she had hurt him so deeply.
“Then why are you running?” Matt asked.
“Because whoever is after me wants me dead. And they were probably tipped off by Pete.” She took a deep breath and then added, “That’s why I had to stop seeing you.”
Matt looked over at her as though seeing her for the first time. He took the next exit and drove into a McDonald’s parking lot. Sizing up the long line at the drive-thru, he parked the car. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
Shaye nodded and watched Matt disappear inside. While she was waiting, she tried Pratt’s number again. Her apprehension grew as once a
gain, he failed to answer. Never before had Shaye been unable to reach him.
Less than five minutes later, Matt returned with two bags full of food. He handed the bags to Shaye and then put the car in gear. He drove down the road a few miles and then pulled up in front of a local hotel.
Before Shaye could speak, Matt jumped out of the car and went inside. A moment later he returned and parked behind the hotel.
“What are we doing here?” Shaye asked.
“My parents don’t expect me home until tomorrow morning. I thought we could stay here tonight and hopefully you can get in touch with whoever you keep trying to call,” Matt told her. He got out of the car and grabbed his suitcase.
Reluctantly, Shaye followed him inside carrying their food and her backpack. Their room was on the first floor, near the exit. Opening the door, Matt revealed the living area to a modest suite. A couch sat opposite of a television, and a table and two chairs occupied the corner of the small outer room.
“Take whichever bedroom you want.” Matt gestured to the two doorways near the bathroom.
Shaye dropped her backpack on the floor inside one of the bedrooms and then walked back into the living area to set the food down on the table. When she turned around, Matt was standing right behind her.
“Sit down,” he offered, handing Shaye a chicken sandwich and a drink from one of the bags. “I hope this is okay.”
Shaye nodded, unable to look him in the eyes. He had come to her aid without question, yet still her mind was full of excuses to hide the truth from him. She knew she had put him in danger the moment she knocked on his door, yet the instinct to hide her past was so ingrained that she hesitated sharing her true identity with him. Hands shaking, she unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. Slowly, she ate half of her sandwich. When she looked at Matt, she found him staring at her.
“So that story that Pete kept telling everyone . . .” Matt rose from the table and began to pace, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Is basically true.” Shaye’s shoulders slumped as she leaned back, and she took a deep breath. Surely the truth couldn’t be that hard to share with the man she loved. “I had a bad feeling about going to your house, but I really never expected to run into someone who would recognize me.”
“And then Pete kept going on about you being that swimmer from Arizona.” Matt’s eyes glistened, and he turned away.
Shaye nodded. “The real reason I don’t swim the breaststroke is because I’m too good at it. If I had been able to go to Stanford, I probably had a shot at making the next Olympics.”
“What happened?” Matt asked. “What made you run away from your old life?”
“It wasn’t my choice.” Shaye stared down at her hands as she forced the words out. “I’m in the Witness Protection Program.”
“What?” A myriad of emotions crossed Matt’s face, ranging from disbelief to pure astonishment. “Why would someone like you be in the Witness Protection Program?”
“It’s hard to know where to start.” Shaye forced herself to look up at him. She took a deep breath, wondering how to explain the truth to him. “I guess you could say it was a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Matt reached across the table and gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. “Tell me about it. I want to understand what happened.”
“After my dad died, I was a real mess,” Shaye began. “The only person who really stood by me was my boyfriend, Chase.”
Matt remained silent.
Shaye pulled her knees up against her chest. “Not long before Dad died, Chase started working crazy hours. He worked undercover for the Phoenix Police Department, and his assignment made it so we hardly saw each other.”
Matt sat back down and Shaye continued. “After about a month, we both had a night off and we were going out. He was supposed to pick me up, but I convinced my coach to let me out of practice early. I went over to his apartment, and while I was there, these two guys came over. Chase sent me into the bedroom and locked the door behind me. Then I hid in the attic.”
“You hid in the attic?” Matt looked at her, confused.
“After I heard them shoot Chase,” Shaye whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. “The cops found me right before he died.”
“Shaye, I’m so sorry.” Compassion filled Matt’s eyes as he stood up and took her into his arms.
She sobbed on his shoulder, then stepped back and looked up at him, tears still in her eyes. “The FBI doesn’t exactly encourage people in protective custody to spill their life story.”
“I guess not.” Matt stared down at her, remembering all too vividly the way Pete kept talking about her. He stepped back and gazed out the window as he began to recognize his role in Shaye’s current situation. Had she not come home with him, Pete would never have seen her.
Shaye took a deep breath and sat back down at the table. “Matt, I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I just didn’t know where else to go.”
“I’m glad you came to me.” Matt took her hand. “Do you even know why your boyfriend was killed?”
“He was working with the Drug Enforcement Agency. I know it had something to do with smuggling. I heard pieces of the conversation before Chase was shot, enough to give the police a name of someone in the organization.”
“I can’t imagine Pete being involved in anything illegal.”
“There’s no guarantee that he is, but the way Pete kept talking about me . . .” Shaye suddenly felt weary.
“He may have tipped off someone who is looking for you,” Matt finished for her, running a hand over his face. “It could have been anyone he saw the weekend he stayed with us, or even someone he talked to after he got back to school.”
Shaye nodded. “The FBI hasn’t given me any information about the people who are after me. I don’t think they know much about the people who killed Chase either, so it’s hard to know who I’m hiding from.”
“If you didn’t really want to break up with me, then who was that guy I saw you with?” Matt asked, his blue eyes searching hers.
“Doug Valdez. He’s an agent with the FBI,” Shaye told him. She reached across the table and laid her hand on Matt’s. “I was in the fine arts building last week.”
Matt smiled in realization as he linked his fingers with hers. “You didn’t even know about my drawings when you broke up with me, did you?”
Shaye shook her head. “You are so talented. Even I couldn’t stop staring at them, and I know what I look like.” A hint of a smile played on her lips.
“You aren’t mad?” Matt asked softly.
“Their likeness is a little scary,” Shaye confessed. “When I looked at them, I didn’t see Shaye Kendall.”
“What do you mean?” Matt stiffened, surprised by her criticism.
“I saw the real me. Christal Jones.” Shaye stared into his eyes. “How did you see who I really was when I tried so hard to hide it from everyone?”
“I fell in love with you.” Matt knelt down next to her chair. “The real you.”
Shaye leaned toward him, and her lips met his in a long, sweet kiss. When they parted, Matt stood up and took her hands in his, pulling her up from her chair.
“Should we see if there’s anything on the news?” Matt asked.
Shaye nodded. “I hope we can find out if Colleen is all right.”
They had only been watching for a few minutes when the news went live to Shaye’s dorm, showing the remains of her car. They breathed a sigh of relief when they found out no one had been seriously hurt. The reporter stated that one person had been taken to the hospital but had sustained only minor injuries and had already been released.
“That had to be Colleen. She was the closest to the car when it exploded.” Shaye could visualize her roommate getting knocked to the pavement.
“At least she’s okay or they wouldn’t have let her leave the hospital already.” Matt took her hand.
“I’m sure you’re right.” Shaye picked up
her phone. “I’d better try to call Pratt again.” She dialed his number, with no answer.
“Maybe you should try calling a field office or something,” Matt suggested.
“Pratt told me not to trust anybody.” She paced across the room. “He never came out and said it, but I think he was suspicious of some government officials. I just don’t know who.”
“Where does Pratt live?” Matt asked.
“Albuquerque,” Shaye told him. “The police didn’t want to use the Phoenix field office since they knew I would have to be flown out of town right away.”
Using Shaye’s phone so the call couldn’t be traced, Matt dialed information. Moments later, he was talking to Pratt’s wife. Shaye listened anxiously while Matt pretended to be an old friend of the man. His eyes were wary when he hung up and turned to her. “He’s in the hospital too.”
“What happened?” Shaye’s eyes widened.
“He was shot in the line of duty.” Matt put his hand on her shoulder. “Is there any way someone could have found you through him?”
“I don’t think so.” Shaye shook her head. “Pratt told me he had my file sealed to protect my identity. The only way anyone could contact me would be through his cellular phone, and no one has been picking up.”
“He must have given you some kind of contingency plan in case something happened to him,” Matt insisted.
Shaye shook her head. “I tried calling Doug, but he isn’t answering either.”
“Don’t worry.” Matt hugged her. “Everything will work out.”
Shaye nodded, praying he was right.
Matt left the news on as he went into his bedroom and unpacked his suitcase. Moments later, he returned and offered Shaye a shirt to sleep in. She shook her head and pulled out the shorts she had just bought, then retreated to the bathroom to change.
When she came out, Matt was watching a late-night comedy on the TV and beckoned her to sit beside him. She did so, but grew tired only minutes into the program. She fought sleep for a while longer, but finally Matt urged her to go into her room so she could sleep. Slowly, she crawled into the bed. With a prayer in her heart, she hoped desperately that no one else would get hurt because of her.
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