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him. The last time she had visited Trista and Savannah had been right before Tuck came into their lives, so neither of them knew about the other. And she had never told him that she was from Indiana. At least she didn’t think she had. So he shouldn’t have any reason to head north. But something he had said played in her head like a scratched record skipping on the worst part of a song. I know how to find people, sweetheart. It’s what I do.
    A flicker of light reflected off the rearview mirror, drawing Trista’s attention. The light grew brighter and brighter until a vehicle came to a stop directly behind them. The combination of the storm and the headlights shining into her mirror made it impossible to see the driver.
    Her breathing nearly stopped when she saw the silhouette of a man walking up to her car, cutting in and out of the headlights’ beams. She grabbed her daughter’s hand and the door handle, readying herself for a fight she had hoped to avoid by running away.
    The closer he came, the faster her heart raced. Her muscles tensed. This was it. He had found her. Just like he had said he would. But this time he’d kill them. Just like he had said he would. Their screams would be muffled by the storm. No witnesses. She couldn’t let that happen.
    “Mom, who’s that?” Trista took a quick look at her daughter, who was busy watching the man approach as well. Her beautiful blue eyes were wide with fear. She turned to Trista and said, “I’m scared.” Trista ached for Savannah. More than just about anything, she wanted her daughter to always feel secure. She had to do something. Hitting her was one thing, but her baby girl, that was something she just couldn’t allow. Not anymore.
    She squeezed Savannah’s hand. “Don’t be scared, baby. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.” Savannah’s returning squeeze was weak, making Trista all the more determined to handle what was coming.
    With the shadowy figure now beside her car, her grip grew tighter on the handle. She closed her eyes, and started to count to herself. One, two, three…

Chapter 9
    Seth
    Seth approached the broken-down vehicle, grumbling to himself. He hadn’t wanted to stop, but Frank had insisted. What was with this guy? Was he seriously going to help every person they found on the side of the road? Sure, there’s a bad storm. Okay, a blizzard, but it’s not like they were driving a bus. They would never make it to Fort Wayne at this rate.
    The snowflakes seemed larger than when they had stopped at the gas station. Snow went up to his ankle with every step. And the wind felt colder, too, causing the flakes to feel like thousands of tiny razors making micro-incisions on his cheeks.
    When he reached the driver’s-side door, he lifted a hand to tap on the steam-covered window. The door flew open, slamming straight into Seth’s groin. He clutched his stomach and fell to his knees. The air had escaped his lungs. Excruciating pain radiated from his stomach. The veins in his neck felt like they would explode as he fought for air.
    A woman sprung from the car, startling him. “Savannah! Run!” she yelled. Seth looked up right as she slammed her boot into his face, knocking him back onto the snow-covered road.
    A puff of white powder shot up and covered his face. He tried to yell, but nothing came out. He gasped for air, holding his throbbing cheek with one hand and his groin with the other.
    He heard female voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. The falling snow fell out of focus, and then everything went dark.
    *****
    When Seth regained consciousness, he saw a pair of hazel eyes staring down at him. “Lexi?” he whispered.
    “Who’s Lexi?”
    He closed and opened his eyes. Lexi went in and out of focus. He closed his eyes one more time and then opened them again. A familiar-looking woman stared down at him. He looked around and noticed that he was in the back seat of Frank’s rental car. His head rested in the