I Know Lucy (The Fugitive Series)

by Pearl, Melissa

  I missed her.

  I wanted her back, but that was not going to happen and so life went on.

  Elliot and I had a big summer planned. We were taking the girls camping for a week while AJ went to some summer cooking school. We also had plenty of events planned at my place. My parents had left two days ago, flown off to Europe for their second honeymoon. It was actually a relief to see them go.

  The house was quiet and I liked it that way. I tipped the rest of my coffee into the sink and checked my watch. Elliot was busy with his dad today and the girls had gone off on some shopping spree. I told AJ I might stop by the restaurant for dinner, but I didn’t know if I could be bothered.

  The doorbell rang.

  I frowned, wondering if it was the girls coming to show me their purchases. Surely not. Did I really have to deal with that? That was a boyfriend’s job. I plastered on a grin wanting to be a good sport and flung the door open.

  My smiled fled, as did the air in my lungs.

  “Hi, Zach.” Her voice was whisper soft…and beautiful.

  I couldn’t speak. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, gripping the door and just staring at her. She looked terrible. Her hair was a scraggly mess down her back, her blue eyes looked tired and bereft of hope. Her lips were dry and peeling and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking as she squeezed them together.

  “I um…” She licked her bottom lip. “It’s been… Well…”

  “What are you doing here, Dani?”

  She winced as I said her name.

  “I know I don’t have a right to be standing at your door. There’s no apology big enough to make up for running away like that and there’s no apology big enough for coming back.” She grimaced. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” Her chin trembled as she sucked in a breath. “I’m scared and running’s always kept me safe in the past. But it doesn’t seem to matter how far I go, I…you…” She paused, her lips quirking to the side. “You are impossible to run away from.”

  My heart did a little somersault before taking off for the Grand Prix.

  She tucked a grimy strand of hair behind her ear with a dirty finger. “I guess I just couldn’t live with…” She blinked rapidly, looking down to the ground. I still couldn’t find my voice. I wanted to know what she had to say and I didn’t want my words getting in the way.

  She finally huffed out a breath as if summoning all her courage. “I never introduced myself to you properly.”

  My insides hitched, wondering if she was about to give me a gift she’d given no one else before.

  Her complete trust.

  Her hand jerked out in front of me, asking to be shaken. “I’m Lucy Tate.”

  At first my insides shuddered to a stop.

  Lucy.

  As in the parent killer?

  I gazed at her open expression, the peace offering her hand was providing, and I couldn’t make myself believe it. There was more to her story and I knew without a doubt that she would let me have it.

  I stepped forward, wrapping my fingers around her quivering hand.

  “Nice to meet you, Lucy.” A slow smile spread across my face as I gently pulled her into my arms.

  Lucy. I now knew Lucy.

  It was a small thought that comforted me, filled me with a burst of hope so strong my insides were sizzling.

  Her arms came around my back, squeezing tight, and my smile grew.

  I was holding Lucy and this time I wasn’t planning on ever letting her go.

  Lucy’s story continues in

  SET ME FREE

  (A Fugitive Novel, #2)

  Keep reading for a sneak peek of what’s coming on May 18th, 2014.

  Chapter 1

  LUCY

  June 2014

  The ride back to Danville had been quicker than I expected. The trucker who picked me up near Bakersfield had made a detour on his way to San Francisco, just to drop me off.

  “Thanks for the ride,” I mumbled, jumping from the cab.

  His deep brown eyes shimmered with warmth. “You take care of yourself, quiet one.”

  I grinned and flicked him a wave before slamming the heavy door and watching him drive off.

  He was a good guy. A family man who I knew all about after our three-and-a-half hour trip together. I had barely said two words the entire trip and he’d filled in the space nicely. It was a good distraction from my beehive of thoughts. My body was buzzing with so many emotions I could barely function.

  Hiking my bag onto my shoulder, I orientated myself. Trucky Derek had dropped me off on the outskirts of town. I recognized the buildings and took a deep breath before heading towards the brick house near the middle of town.

  I never usually hitched, walking was more my style. Six weeks ago I had walked out of Danville, scurried away from the love of my life because I was scared. I made it all the way to San Diego. I could practically smell Mexico, but I just could not make myself cross that line.

  I was a grimy, stinking mess when I finally admitted this to myself. I crawled behind a smelly dumpster and sobbed until my belly ached. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave him. At least I couldn’t do it without telling him how sorry I was.

  The next morning, startled awake by yet another nightmare, I stood on shaking limbs and began my trek back north. It took me eleven days to reach Bakersfield and when I bumped into Derek, I just could not refuse his offer of a ride. I knew it was foolhardy, but I had to get to Zach. The need within me had grown desperate.

  I slowed to a stop outside his house, the white door so familiar. I had walked through it for several study sessions in the little time we’d had together. His parents were so cool. I loved the warmth of his house, the comfort it provided. Sure, it did remind me of a sweet childhood that was snatched away from me in an act of brutality that left a gnarly scar on my soul. I had found that part unsettling, but it hadn’t been enough to stop me from coming back. I entered Zach’s world and fell in love with it

  I wanted those feelings back, even though I didn’t deserve them.

  Biting down hard on my bottom lip, I shuffled towards the door. My finger was shaking as I pressed the doorbell. I thought I might throw up as I waited for someone to answer the door. What if it was his parents? I ran my dirty fingers through my greasy hair and cringed. How was I going to explain myself?

  I nearly left. I nearly turned and fled on my weak legs, but the door clicked and swung open to reveal the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

  Zach.

  Man, I’d forgotten how gorgeous he was. Those gentle eyes of his, that square jawline holding his perfect features in place. I wanted to touch him so bad, but knew I had no right. I squeezed my fingers together, trying to control myself.

  I had to say something. He was bugging out big time.

  “Hi, Zach.” The words barely made it out of my mouth.

  He swallowed, gripping the door and just staring at me like I was an apparition.

  “I um…” My voice was stumbling and tripping all over the place. Why hadn’t I rehearsed a speech or something? I was usually so prepared, but for one of the most important conversations in my life, I’d thought of nothing? I was such an idiot! I licked my bottom lip, buying precious seconds. “It’s been… Well…”

  “What are you doing here, Dani?” His voice was just a little icy. Soft, but cold.

  I winced.

  He called me Dani.

  Man, I had so much explaining to do.

  I just had to get over myself and get on with it. I’m sure my heart stopped beating as my mouth opened, but the words finally began to flow.

  “I know I don’t have any right to be standing at your door. There’s no apology big enough to make up for running away like that and there’s no apology big enough for coming back.” I grimaced. I knew what coming back could mean for him. Would he let me stay if he truly understood how much danger I was putting him in? If I loved him then I should turn and walk away, but I couldn’t. Now that I was this close
to him, I wanted to launch myself into his arms and never let go.

  “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” My chin trembled as I sucked in a breath. “I’m scared and running’s always kept me safe in the past. But it doesn’t seem to matter how far I go, I…you…” I paused, my lips quirking to the side. “You are impossible to run away from.”

  It was true. He’d consumed my every thought from the second I grabbed my stuff and took off. I hadn’t been able to shake him, not even for one breath.

  I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, hating how grimy it felt. He must think I looked disgusting right now. I repulsed myself! But I couldn’t think about that. I had to get through this. He could turn me away once I’d said my piece.

  My insides hitched.

  “I guess I just couldn’t live with…” I blinked, looking down to the ground. How was I supposed to get this out? What would make him forgive me for ditching him without so much as a goodbye?

  One thought flickered through my brain and my immediate response was a resounding NO. Since my parents’ murder, I hadn’t whispered my name to a living soul. But this wasn’t just any living soul…this was Zach and if I was serious about being back, I needed to trust him…with all of me.

  I huffed out a breath and went for it before I could change my mind.

  “I never introduced myself to you properly.” I jerked out my hand like a robot and summoned every ounce of courage I possessed. “I’m Lucy Tate.”

  There. I’d said it.

  I’d finally told someone my real name.

  It was one of the scariest things I’d done in the last five years. My hand quivered in the air as I waited. I felt like a guilty criminal in court. Zach was the judge and waiting for his response was pure torture. I couldn’t look at him. My eyes jerked to the ground and I was milliseconds away from dropping my hand and making a run for it when he stepped forward.

  His fingers were warm as they wrapped around mine. “Nice to meet you, Lucy.”

  A slow smiled spread across my face as he gently pulled me into his arms. My quaking insides instantly settled. I rested my chin on his shoulder, my lips quivering as I held back tears. My arms snaked around his body and I clung to him, squeezing him until I’m sure it hurt. I never wanted him to let me go, ever. I wanted this moment to be a photograph, one we could be locked inside of, safe and secure for all eternity, but then Zach sniffed.

  His arms squeezed me a little tighter as he chuckled. “You really stink.”

  My body rippled with laughing tears. I turned my head on his shoulder, lightly kissing his neck, before whispering, “I’ve been sleeping in a lot of dumpsters.” It was humiliating to admit. I had turned myself into a street rat, refusing to pick one pocket or con anyone. I wanted to get rid of my old life and start anew, but that came with a price.

  I’d been homeless, hungry and petrified for the last month and a half.

  Zach pulled away form me, his brown eyes swimming with agony as he studied my face. His thumb gently caressed my cheek as he lightly kissed my lips and pulled me inside.

  He didn’t say a word as he gently took the tatty bag off my shoulder and placed it by the front door. I kept a tight hold of his hand when he walked me up the stairs. I glanced into the living room as we went, listening for signs of his parents, but the house was quiet. We were here alone, I could feel it.

  We reached the bathroom door next to his room and he flicked on the lights. Letting go of my hand, he reached into the shower and turned on the water. The sound of the hot spray hitting the porcelain tub beneath was music to my ears.

  Zach flicked the curtain across and came back to me. With a gentle smile he touched my face and trailed his fingers down to the top of my jacket. I could barely breathe as he slowly unzipped it then flicked it off my shoulders. He kept his eyes on my face as he reached for my shirt, lifting it over my head. The fabric dropped to the floor, leaving me standing in nothing but my ripped jeans and a tatty bra. I should have been humiliated. I should have been covering my dirty, skinny body with my bony arms, but the look in Zach’s eyes held me frozen. There was desire there, but it wasn’t lust. The compassion radiating from him kept me safe. Reaching behind me, he unclasped my bra and gently kissed my shoulder before sliding it off me. He didn’t touch me, didn’t study my naked form with hungry eyes, he just quietly undressed me…and I let him.

  Once I was naked, he kissed my lips lightly before stepping back to the shower and checking the temperature.

  “It’s good.” He slid the curtain back.

  I was still frozen. Stepping towards me with a little grin, he placed his hand on my lower back and gently pushed me towards the bath. “Get in. I’ll go get you a fresh towel and leave it on the vanity.”

  With that, he stepped from the room. The door gently clicked shut and with an astonished head shake, I stepped beneath the hot spray. Closing my eyes, I buried my head in the water, letting the droplets wash over me. As six week’s worth of filth inched its way off my body, my insides began to tremble.

  I knew I shouldn’t feel safe right now. If my past caught up to me, which it inevitably would, I was putting the guy I loved in unbelievable danger.

  Guilt wrestled with relief as I reached for the soap.

  I didn’t deserve Zach Schultz. He was way too good for me.

  But now that I was with him again, I didn’t think I could just walk away.

  In spite of the looming danger, I felt safe.

  I just needed to figure out a way of keeping him that way too.

  *******

  Thank you so much for reading I Know Lucy, if you’ve enjoyed it and would like to show me some support, please consider leaving a review on the site you purchased this book from.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  Thank you so much for everyone who has contributed to this project. I’d like to give special thanks to a few key people.

  Margery from Evatopia Press - Thank you for being open to my ideas and giving me so many good ones of your own.

  Kate from Dwell Design & Press - Thank you for another cover that captures the feel of this story so perfectly.

  Cassie & Brenda - You continue to be the feedback queens. Thank you so much for reading my work and telling me how I can make it better.

  My proof-readers - You guys rock!! Thank you so much for catching those last few mistakes.

  Inklings & Indie Inked - Your continued support, advice and friendship is such a source of strength and joy for me. Thank you so much.

  My street team - You guys are the world’s best fan club.

  My readers - Thank you so much for supporting me in this job that I love so very much. I wouldn’t be here without you guys.

  My family - I love you all so dearly. Thank you for your constant support.

  My inspiration - I have fallen in love with this story and these characters. Thanks for giving them to me and helping me create an intense, emotional story around them.

  OTHER BOOKS BY MELISSA PEARL

  The Fugitive Series

  Set Me Free (Releasing May 18th, 2014)

  The Masks Series

  True Colors

  Books 2, 3 & 4 (due for release: 2014 - 2015)

  The Songbird Series

  Fever (Releasing: June 15th, 2014)

  The Time Spirit Trilogy

  Golden Blood - Black Blood - Pure Blood

  The Betwixt Series

  Betwixt - Before - Beyond

  The Elements Trilogy

  Unknown - Unseen - Unleashed

  The Mica & Lexy Series

  Forbidden Territory

  Find out more on Melissa Pearl’s website:

  http://www.melissapearlauthor.com

  ABOUT MELISSA PEARL

  Melissa Pearl is a kiwi at heart, but currently lives in Suzhou, China with her husband and two sons. She trained as an elementary school teacher, but has always had a passion for writing and finally completed her first manuscript in 2003. She has been writing ever since and the m
ore she learns, the more she loves it. Keep an eye out for future projects.

  CONNECT WITH MELISSA PEARL

  You can contact Melissa Pearl online:

  Website: http://melissapearlauthor.com

  Blogs:

  http://melissapearl.blogspot.com

  http://yalicious.blogspot.com/

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/melissapearlauthor

  Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaPearlG

  You can also subscribe to Melissa Pearl’s Book Updates Newsletter. You will be the first to know about any book news, new releases and giveaways.

  Follow this link to sign up.

  EVATOPIA PRESS

  For more information about Evatopia Press visit http://www.evatopia.com/