Anna Smith: The Invisible Hunter

ad once been a c

s memory, it f

to Galveston, his sudden attentive

"You' ve been working too hard on that N

rgized by it, until sh

hing the rain lash against the cheap motel window in

Smith, of meticulously,

h Ethan had given her for their fifth a

heavy, a

as loose. He' d promised to

ervations, her birthday one yea

ngs. Or w

insecurity about his father, Lawrence Bishop, and his

? Or was Savi just

data on a secure laptop, her face

ing, declining empire. Ethan

dest fortune by Bishop standards but significant

arity gala a year b

ing, working the roo

he ballroom. Savi Carter, in a dre

den headache and practically fled, lea

d it was a bout

from his pocket. But his pallor

way his jaw tightened, th

cion, she' d driven by a trendy new res

as parked

ater, he emerged, laughi

parked across the s

nd Ethan had caught her, his

' d leaned in, said something that ma

ong, lingering kiss that w

me, her heart a cold

elling of wine and Savi' s perfume,

xplained absences, other flimsy excu

n his home office – a space she rarely entered

a burn

ot just lust, but conversatio

ve you full control of her trust,

She needs to be... managed. O

d had chilled Am

was when the first seeds of her

, then put the phone b

lready dying, had w

ed dreams of designing and building, of a l

carefully con

suspected would be an "accident," wasn' t just revenge. It was escape. It

xpensive cologne he favored, n

r phone – not revealing she' d seen the messages, ju

business deal, Amy. Yo

ickered with something sh

elieve him, but the c

ard statements hidden in his golf b

racelet for Savi, a we

for him, the endless networking events she' d en

fool. A willin

dent with Councilm

city library. Finch, a long-time Bi

of course, hov

bout a Bishop Oil & Gas pipeline, had thrown a

taining her

for the disruption, but with a whit

ecurity, and landed a punch.

, years ago, in a college bar fight.

rotection w

e, to pull him back. "Ethan

contorted. "Stay out of this

r, his voice dripping with concern, while

ispers, the embarrassed apologies to the event organizers, t

ean up his mess, his publ

onstant vigilance, the emot

at the architectural firm she' d recently started cons

onto the floor

had a vivid flashback. Not to t

that had taken him when she was

been a place of solac

He knew her his

hosen Galveston. H

iagnosed with severe exhaustion and

. a bit of a scare after that awful business with the protes

y misplaced, was anoth

started to syste

y heirlooms, important documents to a secu

melia Hayes Bisho

e was home, n

"Spring cleaning, darling?" he' d asked

she' d replied, her v

ith elaborate lies about new international deals, mee

nodded, pretended

in his eyes. Her unquestioning trust seemed to make h

with Savi, oblivious or

investigator Caroline had hired, was

her "lack of support" for his ambitions, h

occasionally, a bouquet of flowers, a vague

nt. She' d moved past

irthday. Just week

rty. All their friends, c

y of the "perf

fond memories of their college r

n! Ten years and

aised her glass,

The contrast between the public faca

rter walked i

ure-hugging red dress, she

tered. Conver

ed, quickly morphed into overt c

ay?" He completely ignored Ameli

d. She whispered something

ispers of "Who is she?" and

constructed compos

Savi' s not feeling well. I need to get her home. Something she a

ith accusation, "You could at l

eaving Amelia standing alone amidst the wreckage of her own

iation, shar

r smile until the

y house, she sank to the floor and wept,

d to make amends with a

seen Savi wearing in a candid photo an acquaintance h

bly bought

avi' s very vulnerable, Amy. She' s had a tough lif

is utter lack of empathy

fices, her unwavering suppor

ion. Ethan had to be stopped. Not just for

looking for a specific spice, she overheard Ethan

e was speaking

oks... promising for a sudden squall... Don' t worry, it' ll look like a tragi

cold. He wasn' t just going to le

is voice, the calculate

, unseen, her h

ents for "Anna Smith." A new identity, a new li

ad told her over a secure line, her voice grim

ave for Galveston, Ethan found her in

her, put his hands

tant, Amy. Is eve

ern. She could feel the tension i

one rang. He glanced at the cal

' s about the... the new

dropping as he answered.

terical about something. A threa

tion was compl

face tight with anger

broken into. She thinks it was that activist

pen to know anything about that, would you, Amy? You seemed quit

baseless, so crue

, her voice dangerously calm. "Wh

eered. "Maybe to cause

thing to do with this, Amy, anything at all, you'

was ugly,

ere about to leave for Galv

my' s "minor scandal" from years ago –

ed, filled with innuendo about her men

ys, taken out of context, were

aign. Orchestrated by Ethan, she ha

t her as unstable, perhaps to lay the g

g by the car, impatient to

e final, ab

k. A tear for the man she had once loved,

Her resolve hardened in

n. She would play her pa

cted her to break, to

who he was deal

le. He was about to find

ards the waiting boat and the staged

ould shock him. He' d proba

ation that he had unleashed so