by Mary Head
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Published by Kindle Press, Seattle, 2016
A Kindle Scout selection
Amazon, the Amazon logo, Kindle Scout, and Kindle Press are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.
Dedicated, as ever, to my braintwin.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Excerpt: Finding Home Again
Acknowledgments
Prologue
He stood across the street, watching her through the windows of the camera shop. She smiled and laughed, talking animatedly with the man behind the counter as she closed her wallet, slipping both it and her camera into the large bag that served as her purse.
He had followed her from campus, staying close enough to keep her in sight, but far back enough so as not to arouse her suspicion. The school was so centrally located that she usually walked to run her nearby errands, as opposed to driving, and he found it made it easier to tail her.
He had crossed the street when the sidewalk narrowed, still keeping an eye on her and continuing forward a few paces when she stopped in front of the shop, doubling back once she was inside.
Though it was just after five o’clock, it was already growing dark, winter still holding the city in its clutches, snow still lingering in dirty drifts along the edges of the sidewalk. His breath fogged in front of him as he stood in a shadowed doorway, the nearby streetlamp catching the brief plume of vapor and making it glow until it dissipated.
A flicker of movement drew his gaze from her, and he saw a young man walk into the shop from the back room, stealing a glance at her as he carried a few boxes past her to place them behind the counter. He was blond and tall, and made him think of –
The bell over the door of the camera shop jingled, and his eyes flicked back to her.
◊◊◊
Hannah Cole stepped out of the camera store, the chill of the mid-February air somehow managing to catch her by surprise, even though she hadn’t been inside that long. She shivered a little and pulled the sleeves of her coat down over her hands before crossing her arms over her chest and starting down the sidewalk.
The street was busy with both cars and pedestrians, and though it was nearly dark, she didn’t feel too anxious about being in D.C. at night. All the same, she had her phone clutched in her right hand, and a small can of pepper spray attached to her keys, which were in her coat pocket; her father being an FBI agent gave her an edge of paranoia, and the idea of better safe than sorry had been drilled into her head since she was a little girl.
Normally, she went straight home after her last class of the day, unless she had plans, but she’d had to get her camera repaired, and the owner of the shop had called her earlier to tell her it was ready to pick up. She was in a good mood, so she decided to linger in the city, and headed for the thrift store that was a few blocks away. There was also one of her favorite restaurants nearby, and since it was Friday and her dad was having dinner with some coworkers, she thought she might treat herself to a nice dinner before going home.
After a couple of minutes of walking, she had the feeling of being watched, but ignored it, thinking it was just because there were so many people around her. It grew stronger, however, becoming a creeping sensation on the back of her neck, and she stopped and turned her head sharply, frowning as she scanned the area around her.
◊◊◊
The moment she stopped, he did too, shifting into the doorway of an empty store. He shrank into the darkness when she turned around, almost certain she couldn’t see him, but grateful all the same for his dark coat and pants.
He could see her frown, her expression vaguely confused as her eyes passed over the surrounding area, and just once her gaze landed on him, lingering long enough to make him wonder if she really could see him.
Finally, her eyes moved past him, still staring all around, still looking confused. He looked around too, and saw a man standing outside of a bar, smoking a cigarette and openly staring at her. A moment later, she spotted him too, and visibly shrank into herself, her expression now a mix of revulsion and anxiety as she wrapped her coat tighter around her and turned away.
The one watching from across the street sneered, half expecting the man at the bar to start following her, but he just flicked his cigarette to the sidewalk and went back inside. Shame, the other man thought; maybe he could’ve helped loosen her up a bit.
Over the past few weeks, he’d watched several men check her out and flirt with her, and she’d regarded nearly all of them as if they were all beneath her; like she was better than them. Quite frankly, it annoyed him, made him wonder what gave her the right to think she was better than anybody, especially a man giving her the attention she no doubt wanted, even if she pretended she didn’t.
Fucking tease, he thought, his lip curling a little.
◊◊◊
Hannah searched the street around her, still feeling eyes upon her, and finally noticed the man behind her, leaning against the wall of the bar she’d just passed. He was staring at her, a lit cigarette between his fingers, and her stomach twisted as she turned away, pulling her jacket tighter around her. She was no stranger to men checking her out, but it always made her uncomfortable, and she never knew what to do other than ignore it and keep walking.
After a few steps, Hannah looked behind her once more to make sure the man wasn’t following her, and then pulled her phone from her pocket. Her good mood had soured somewhat, but she was still hungry, and with the restaurant so close, she didn’t want to go home without eating, but now she decided she wanted some company.
“Maddie?” she said when her best friend answered. “Are you still at the bookstore?”
“Just getting ready to
leave. What’s up?”
“You wanna come have dinner with me at Ruby’s?”
“Sure. Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Hannah murmured, making her way around a couple who was walking far too slow. “I’ll tell you when you get here. I’m walking there now; I’ll get us a table.”
“Okay, see you in a few.”
Feeling a little bit better, Hannah slid her phone into her pocket and hurried across the street to the restaurant.
◊◊◊
He watched as she disappeared into the restaurant, and slowed to a stop, hands in his pockets. Though he couldn’t be sure who she had called, he assumed it was her friend with the long red hair. He’d seen her several times, and appreciated the fact that at least she seemed to know what to do when a man gave her his attention.
Briefly, he considered waiting for her to come out, but realized he had no idea how long she might be in there, and decided to just call it a night.
He would see her again tomorrow.
Chapter 1
David Cole glanced out the living room windows as he started down the stairs, watching a school bus trundle along towards the stop at the end of the block. As it disappeared from sight, he tuned in to the sound of a spatula scraping against a pan, and his lips curved as he stepped off the bottom step and turned to the right. His daughter Hannah was at the stove when he entered the kitchen, and he tossed his jacket over the back of a chair before walking around the bar.
“Morning, sweetheart,” he murmured, stepping behind her to press a kiss to her head before moving to the cupboard to grab a coffee cup.
“Morning,” she replied, eyes on the eggs she was scrambling. “How late were you up last night?”
“Not – not too late,” he replied as he poured his coffee. She threw a look at him over her shoulder, and he gave her a wide smile, knowing she couldn’t stay annoyed with him for too long when he did that.
Sure enough, he saw the corner of her mouth rising as she turned back towards the stove, and he grinned, reaching for the sugar.
“Here, Dad,” she said a moment later, handing him a plate with eggs, fruit, and toast. He reached in the silverware drawer for a fork, staring all the while at his plate.
“Why can’t I ever have bacon?” he asked as he leaned against the counter, frowning and lifting a bite of eggs to his mouth.
“Because it’s not good for you,” Hannah replied, placing the skillet in the sink.
“You know, my doctor says I’m perfectly healthy,” David said, raising his eyebrows at her as she turned to face him.
“Yes, and I’m just trying to keep you that way,” she countered, her hazel eyes meeting his blue ones in a level stare as she arched an eyebrow right back at him. He grinned and speared a piece of melon with his fork as she walked past him.
“How come you’re not eating?” he asked, turning to watch her progress to the table.
“Already did,” she said, her brow creasing as she opened her schoolbag, peering inside for a moment before her face cleared and she closed it again, fastening the clasp on the front.
“Don’t you have a lab or something this morning?” David asked, chasing down a bite of toast with a swallow of coffee.
“Yeah, 8:30.”
David checked his watch and nearly spit out his coffee. “Han, you’re going to be late!”
“I wanted to make sure you ate breakfast,” she replied, slipping the strap of her bag over her head so it crossed her chest and then slinging her purse onto her shoulder.
“Well, I’m eating, so go.”
“I’m going, I’m going,” she laughed as she stepped quickly to his side to touch a kiss to his cheek. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby. Now go,” he said, giving her a gentle shove towards the back door. She disappeared through it, and he listened carefully, waiting for her to start her car. It was old, and he was just waiting for the day when it died completely, but with only a minimal amount of protesting the engine turned over and the sound slowly faded as she backed down the driveway.
It needed replacing, along with Hannah’s old laptop, but she refused to let him buy new versions of either one. Even when she was little she’d never let him spoil her, very rarely asking for things she didn’t think she needed. While he was proud of her restraint, and savored how different she was from her mother, from time to time he wanted to buy her something she wanted, something nice but frivolous, and he jumped at any chance he got to spoil her, if only a little bit.
He knew he couldn’t afford to buy her a car, at least not one he thought she deserved, and especially not with their upcoming trip to Florida after the summer semester was over, but he reminded himself that her birthday was coming up. He’d buy her a new laptop, knowing she wouldn’t say no if it was a gift, and thought maybe he’d start looking this weekend.
Cheered by the thought, he finished his breakfast and set his plate in the sink before heading to his office to finish getting ready for work.
◊◊◊
Hannah sat on the couch, one leg folded underneath her, the other pulled to her chest, her chin resting on her knee as she read the journal article in her hand. Her free hand rested on her foot, her thumb rubbing absently over the nail of her big toe. She could feel the smoothness of the polish there, a shimmery bright orange, but knew it was starting to chip, and spared a thought that maybe she’d redo her toenails later that night.
After her lab earlier that morning, she discovered her other morning class had been canceled, and since her next class wasn’t until three that afternoon, she’d decided to come home to do her reading.
It was almost eleven o’clock now, and bright sunlight streamed through the windows in the kitchen, stretching into the living room and warming her as she read. She couldn’t wait for it to be spring again, couldn’t wait until the flowers in her garden in the backyard started blooming, and the hummingbirds returned to the feeders with regularity. Her favorite part of the season was the blooming of the cherry blossoms.
Ever since she was a little girl, she’d loved the pretty pink flowers, and it had become a tradition for her and her dad to go into D.C. when the blossoms reached their peak bloom to admire the flowers, and then have dinner together.
When Hannah had taken up an interest in photography in high school, it had been incorporated into their yearly trek, and for the past several years, she had allowed her father to turn her camera on her and snap a picture of her standing under the trees. It was the one picture of her he kept on display in his office at work, right next to his computer, and he changed it out every year when they took a new one.
The peak bloom was still a few weeks away – the florets were only just beginning to show – but that didn’t stop her from being excited. There was a new dress in her closet that she had bought recently for this specific occasion, and she couldn’t wait to wear it.
Taking a breath, Hannah pulled her gaze from the article to glance at the clock on the wall.
It was getting close to lunch time, and while she wasn’t quite hungry enough to eat yet, she imagined her dad was, and her nose crinkled at the idea of what he might eat for lunch. There were plenty of good, healthy restaurants around his office, but she knew he was more likely to choose the quick and cheap, and invariably unhealthy, option.
Deciding she would make him something for lunch, she leaned forward to set the article on the coffee table, and then stood and stretched as she walked into the kitchen. It was unlikely he’d eaten yet – more often than not he either got too busy or just forgot – and it was a good excuse to visit him, not to mention a few other agents she was friends with.
◊◊◊
A short while later, Hannah was walking down the sidewalk towards the Washington, D.C. FBI field office, a small paper bag dangling from her fingers as she made her way against the trickle of dark-suited agents on their way to lunch. She waved to a couple, not knowing very many agents outside of her dad’s division.
It was
a nice day, though a bit of winter chill still lingered in the early March air, not to mention her body had a tendency to run cold, and she was grateful for her warm sweater as a breeze blew by.
She rounded the corner from F Street onto 4th, and stepped quickly out of the way of a group of people heading in the direction she’d just come from before continuing on. She was almost to the doors when a flash of color caught her eye, and she looked in its direction.
A young man in a bright blue t-shirt was moving towards the building as well, from the opposite direction. He stood out like a patch of sky visible through heavy storm clouds, and she stopped a moment, inexplicably drawn to him. She carefully set her dad’s lunch between her feet and brought her bag in front of her, reaching inside for her camera. She always carried it with her, knowing the best shots were sometimes the ones you didn’t plan for.
The man seemed to be moving towards the entrance of the building, and she hoped she could get a picture before he disappeared inside, wanting to catch this spot of color that made her think so much of the approaching spring.
He paused, his attention drawn to something across the street, and she seized the opportunity, snapping just one picture of him, stealing the moment forever.
As soon as she lowered the camera, he looked at her, almost as though he had been waiting for her to finish. She felt her face redden at being caught, and then he smiled at her. She smiled back, and for a moment it looked as though he wanted to approach her, but he looked at his watch and his shoulders sagged. She watched his lips form a murmured curse, and he glanced up at her, his expression regretful, before turning to head inside the building. She tucked her camera back into her bag as she watched him go, feeling a tiny tug of regret as well.
Chapter 2
Across the street someone else stood watching. His pale blue eyes narrowed as Hannah closed her bag and shifted it back to rest on her hip. She stood out too, in jeans and a grey sweater, long blonde hair spilling down her back.
She bent to pick up the paper bag between her feet and moved to set it on one of the stone benches nearby as she adjusted her shirt, showing a glimpse of the brightly patterned material as she tugged it down over her hips before letting the sweater fall back into place.