From Savior to Obsessed Stalker

as too late. My mother's house wa

puppet, my strings cut, moving only when pulled. The do

, as he cleaned the burns and wrappe

booking the flight for tomorrow morning," she

ht of leaving, of escaping, was the only thin

days, after she tied up some loose ends. I kne

al check-up before I left. She had to take an urgent call fr

k," she promised.

e at my feet, my passport

linic. A man I didn't recognize got out o

d politely. "Your ride

to the airport, that I didn't question it. I ass

in t

for the airport and headed toward the des

't the way to the airport," I

in the rearview mirror.

spe

the window, screaming, "Let m

he door. I hit my head, and the world went fuzzy. He slammed

kne

e smell of damp earth filling my nostril

being

y voice muffled by the thick

the sack. "You're going to die, lady

ried. "Who

n dropped. I landed with a thud

o rain down

ing buri

e voice said from above. "This is what h

d done this. She had convinced Conrad to not

screaming for my life. "I'll give you mone

coming, heavie

nding far away now. "We're profess

dn't breathe. The air in the sack was runni

mess of images. Conrad's cold eyes. Kassidy's tri

uried in a shallow grave on some forgotten mou

ain, Conrad Ellison. Not

t. I surrendered to th

.

Abby for the last twenty minutes, but her phone went straight to voicemail

ead washe

her. "Ferris, track

ace with a tiny, hidden GPS tracker inside-a gift from a paranoi

k, tight with urgency. "She's on Blackw

ordered, her voice shak

than an hour later. A pat

aunching herself at the mound and cl

er, digging frantically. Th

tore

My bandaged hands were stained red with the bloo

ice a raw sound of pure anguish

ital owned by the Brooks family.

cle, they br

to see Helene wee

d, my throat r

About the car, the men,

in my pocket, another gift from the ever-paranoid, ever-prepare

, her face a mask of cold fury. "He's

"Not yet. I want to see th

, Helene personally drove me to the a

I took out my SIM car

he receding city, a place of

as

y, big bro. She's on her way. I created t