An Excerpt from Hunted for the Holidays

One

Cheers erupted as Gracie Evans, Shae’s five-year-old daughter, smiled at the audience, waved and did a little impromptu dance that had nothing to do with her role as a sheep in the church’s annual Christmas pageant. Her long, dark ponytail swung, and the stage lights made her sapphire eyes sparkle. Some of the older actors glanced at the director, then continued with their lines as Gracie jumped and wiggled, her mischievous grin charming the cheering crowd. Shae applauded loudly with the rest of the families. “Go, Gracie!”

Seconds later, an angel corralled the little girl and guided her to her proper position, and Shae checked her phone camera to be sure it was still recording. As she looked back up, satisfied she hadn’t missed any of the theatrics, her gaze landed on two men dressed in dark suits standing to the side of the auditorium, their expressions harsh as they scanned the spectators rather than watching the action on stage.

No! For just an instant, recognition flared, followed almost immediately by uncertainty. Even if one of them did look familiar, who was to say it was someone from her past? Perhaps she’d met one of these men after relocating to Boggy Meadows. Still…fear flooded her system.

Because if it was someone from before… How could they have found her? They couldn’t have. It wasn’t possible. At least, that was what the marshals had assured her when they’d placed her in the witness protection program six years ago. Besides, Quentin Kincaid was in prison and would be for the rest of his life, thanks in large part to Shae’s testimony. Could he have escaped?

In some part of her mind, she equated the applause and jubilation surrounding her with Gracie and knew her daughter must be drawing attention again, but Shae had missed it, distracted by what could be a death sentence for them both. She refocused the camera on the stage, needing to capture what might be their last moment of normalcy before the past caught up with her. No use. She held her phone up to block her face but marked the men’s progress up the side aisle.

She plastered on a smile, but her cheers caught in her throat, nearly choking her. Her mouth went dry, then her shouts turned internal. She had to get her daughter off that stage and out of there.

Sweat beaded Shae’s brow. She swiped at it with the back of her wrist and glanced at the clock. Run and risk drawing attention? Or stay put until the show ended and mix with the crowd to make her escape?

Maybe the two men had just arrived late and were searching for family members, but then why were the little hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up? The goose bumps racing across her skin had nothing to do with the air-conditioning, of that she had no doubt. As she waited for the pageant to end and the actors to take their bows, Shae planned escape routes and calculated the distance to exits until the curtain was finally dragged closed.

Keeping her head down and face averted behind the bouquet she’d brought Gracie, she slung her oversize bag onto her shoulder, slid into the stream of spectators and started toward the cafeteria, where other parents had already begun to gather.

“Mommy!” Gracie ran toward her, cheeks flushed, grinning from ear to ear. “Did you see? I did a dance on the stage. It was a surprise.”

“It was awesome, honey. I loved it. You were amazing.” Shae reminded herself not to use Gracie’s name in case the men knew it. She forced an answering smile and hugged her daughter close, then handed her the flowers, shielding her as best she could.

“Thank you. They’re so pretty.” Gracie stuck her nose in the bouquet and inhaled deeply.

“Just like you, sweetie.” As Shae kissed her daughter’s head, her gaze skipped to the exits. Only one parent per child was allowed to pick the actors up from the cafeteria, which gave her a brief reprieve. But which way should she go? “Do you have your bag?”

“Uh-huh.” Gracie lifted the sparkly silver duffel bag she’d fallen in love with when she’d spotted it at the holiday fair. “Got it.”

Shae pulled the white sheep costume over Gracie’s head, leaving her in black leggings and a long-sleeved black T-shirt, then stuffed the costume they’d worked together on all week into the bag. “All right. Let’s go.”

She hugged Gracie against her leg, keeping an arm wrapped firmly around her so she could hold her close and not chance losing track of her. She watched for trouble as they inched through the doorway. With so many people milling about, actors stopping in the lobby to meet up with the rest of their families and take pictures, and a small crowd already headed toward the parking lot in anticipation of getting out ahead of the rush, Shae had lost sight of the men. But the niggle at the base of her neck told her they were still lurking, still searching.

She might not be so on edge if her handler, the woman who’d placed her in the small town of Boggy Meadows, Florida, hadn’t recently been killed in a car crash nearby. According to the news reports, it had been a tragic accident, but Shae wasn’t buying that. Maria Delarosa had had no business in Boggy Meadows unless she’d been trying to reach Shae. To warn her? She had no idea. All she knew was that she had to protect Gracie at all costs, which meant she needed to be somewhere else, anywhere else, as soon as possible. No matter what was going on, their time in Boggy Meadows had come to an end.

“Awesome job, Gracie! Ice cream’s on me.” Reva MacMillan, the director and mom of Gracie’s best friend, Katie, patted Gracie’s back and gestured toward a group of kids. “We’re all meeting up at Jimmie’s.”

“Yay!” Gracie high-fived Katie. “Can we get ice cream, Mommy?”

Shae could only offer a noncommittal grunt. She had no intention of telling anyone she wasn’t going to Jimmie’s with the cast. If her pursuers caught wind of the planned get-together and detoured to the ice cream parlor in search of her, it might give her a couple of extra minutes to gather a few necessities and run. She was already compiling in her head a list of things she had to pack and kicking herself for not keeping their flight bags up-to-date. Gracie had probably grown two sizes since she’d last filled the bags with clothes. Oh, well, they could buy what they needed once they got away.

“Mommy!” Gracie yanked her hand, staring at her with a frustrated exasperation that told Shae she’d already called her more than once.

“Huh? What, sweetie?” Shae scanned the parking lot as they finally stepped out into the muggy Florida night.

“I said, can Katie come in our car to get ice cream?”

With both girls staring hopefully, and no good excuse to say no, Shae faltered.

“Mo-ommy.” Gracie frowned. “Did you hear me?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m sorry, I’m a little distracted.” Shae braced herself for the pout. “Katie can’t ride with us tonight, hon. I’m sorry, but I need to make a stop. We’ll see you later, okay, Katie?”

Katie sent Shae a confused scowl before taking Reva’s hand.

The two girls had become close, despite Shae’s reluctance, and often spent afternoons at the park together and weekends playing soccer and attending faith formation. If it had been up to Shae, Gracie would have remained home all the time, where she could keep an eye on her, keep her safe. But Gracie, ever the social butterfly, had other ideas, and Shae did want her to have a normal life.
With that, she urged Gracie toward the car.

“We’ll see you at Jimmie’s, Katie!” Shae called out loud enough to be overheard if anyone cared to listen.

A dark sedan turned into the lot, battling its way upstream against the outgoing tide of cars.

Her heart thundered. She had to get out of there without being seen or any chance of escape would be gone. And not only would these men kill her and her daughter, they wouldn’t hesitate to take out the whole crowd of innocent bystanders in pursuit of that goal.

Gracie lifted a hand and opened her mouth to call out to a friend.

Shae pulled her closer. “Be quiet, Gracie, and go to the car.”

Gracie’s eyes went wide—Shae never snapped at her—and then she whined, “But, Mom—”

“Shh. Remember cheesemonkey?” As much as she hated to use the secret code word they’d decided upon in case of an emergency, and had hoped to get Gracie out of there without scaring her or making her react in a way that might draw attention, Shae needed her to stop asking questions and move.

Gracie’s steps faltered as she frowned up at Shae. “For real or for practice?”

Tell her the truth or let her maintain a blessed sense of innocence for just a little while longer? Vigilance was more important—which she couldn’t maintain if Gracie didn’t cooperate. She leaned close and whispered, “Real, honey. Just do like we practiced and everything will be fine.”

Gracie pressed closer against Shae’s leg. “Are we still gonna go for ice cream?”

Shae searched for which parking lot exit was least used. If she got caught up in the mess of strolling families and slow-moving vehicles, she’d be an easy target. “Don’t say another word. Just get to the car. Now.”

The dirty look the little girl shot her could have knocked her on her duff, but at least Gracie sulked quietly as she trod beside Shae, her glittery bag thumping against her leg in a steady rhythm that matched the pounding in Shae’s skull. And at least she had her head down, making it more difficult to identify her if the men stalking them had pictures. Would they recognize Gracie? Did they even know about her? Probably. But why risk coming after them at a children’s Christmas pageant? Why not grab them at home, where they would be less likely to be interrupted? If they’d managed to find her at the church she attended, surely they knew her address.

Unless their house was already under surveillance by the FBI or the marshals’ service, and the men pursuing her somehow knew it. Had that been what Maria was doing there? Had they left Shae and Gracie in place as bait? Anger welled.
She massaged her temples as a ruse to cover her face and look around. No. She refused to believe Maria would have agreed to that, would have had any part of it without warning Shae. But…Maria was dead. And she had been near Boggy Meadows when she was killed. What if someone with less of a moral compass was calling the shots?

Shae hit the button on her key fob to unlock the doors, then looked around and opened the back door for Gracie. Once her daughter was safely inside, Shae climbed into the driver’s seat, stuck the key in the ignition and hesitated. What if they’d rigged the car with explosives? Maybe it would be safer to flee on foot.

No. She had to stop second-guessing herself. Surely if they’d already rigged the car, they wouldn’t be hanging around the parking lot waiting to get blown up.

She held her breath—God, please don’t let the car explode—and turned the key. No bomb. Well, that was a relief. But that was when she spotted the two men again, weaving between cars, peeking in windows. “Get on the floor, Gracie.”

“W-what about my b-booster seat?” The one she’d felt so grown-up moving into.

“Don’t worry about it.” A quick glance in her rearview mirror showed Gracie’s shocked expression. “Cheesemonkey, remember? Get on the floor, pull the blanket from the back seat over you and hide. Do it, Gracie. Now.”

Either the code word or her tone must have gotten through to her daughter that this was no joke, because she slid onto the floor, still clutching her flowers, and pulled the blanket they’d used at the drive-in movie what seemed like a lifetime ago over her head. Shae inched forward into the line of cars exiting the lot.

“M-mommy?” The shakiness in Gracie’s usually confident voice beat at Shae. “I’m scared.”

“I know, honey, and I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything. I promise.” As soon as I lose these goons and we get on the road.

“Are the storms coming now?”

“What st…?” Oh, right. She’d forgotten Gracie had heard the weather report this morning—possibly severe storms—which had terrified her. But that was the least of Shae’s problems. Florida often had storms, though the meteorologist had said these could bring tornadoes as well, thanks to El Niño. She wouldn’t have given it a second thought if not for Gracie’s fear of thunder. But she didn’t have time for that right now. God willing, they’d be long gone from Florida in a few hours and wouldn’t have to worry about any storms. The men trolling the parking lot were a much more immediate concern. “No, baby. No storms.”

“O-okay.” Gracie cried softly beneath the blanket on what was supposed to be such a special night, a night that should have been so filled with joy.

The phone number Shae had committed to memory six years before and had prayed she’d never need ran through her head over and over again, like a mantra. Should she call now? No. She had to stay focused on escape first. The call could be made from home. Even if someone were nearby to help, they’d never make it to her before she got out of the parking lot. Besides, she wasn’t even a hundred percent sure she’d use the number. She was supposed to contact the marshals’ service any time she planned to move, but what good had witness protection done her if Kincaid’s men had found her? What if this was a repeat of the first time a leak somewhere in the FBI had led Kincaid straight to her?

When she finally made her way out of the lot, she resisted the urge to slam her foot down on the gas pedal—barely—but she didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they’d rounded two corners and she’d checked her rearview mirror more than a dozen times.

At a stop sign, she twisted around and said, “You can get up now, Gracie.”

The little girl peered from beneath the blanket, glanced around and sniffed.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Where should she start? She should have had plenty of time to talk to Gracie about her past. She’d eventually have to tell her in order to keep her safe and make sure she stayed alert when she went out alone, but she should have had years before that became a concern. How did you explain to a five-year-old that bad men were trying to kill them?

Gracie crawled into her booster seat and sulked.

And Shae took the coward’s way out and said nothing. Instead, myriad questions ricocheted around her head. Was she being paranoid? Or had someone actually found her? Certainly, there could be another reason two men in suits were scanning the crowd at a children’s pageant, then peering in car windows throughout the parking lot. Just because one of them might have looked familiar didn’t necessarily mean they were dangerous. Even if Maria Delarosa had been killed. But she couldn’t come up with any other explanation, except…

She’d been found, which should have been impossible. But Kincaid’s men had done it before, during the trial. She’d been forced to flee the safe house they’d arranged for her when one of the FBI agents charged with protecting her had betrayed them, another had been killed and another, the one who mattered to her more than anyone else, had gone missing.

Gone rogue? Gotten killed? Turned dirty? No one she’d spoken to knew.

But he’d disappeared after a yearlong relationship and one night of passion—a night Shae couldn’t bring herself to regret, despite the outcome, because it had given her Gracie, her reason for living. Clearly God had forgiven her that moment of weakness since He’d blessed her with such an amazing daughter. Now, if only He’d protect her.

Shae took the turn into her driveway too fast, hit the button to open the garage door, waited impatiently as the door lumbered open and shot inside the instant it cleared her roof level. She debated leaving the door open so she could escape quickly, then decided to close it. Better if no one saw her packing up the car. She could always back through the garage door if necessary.

“Go straight in the house, dump your bag out on the floor and stuff whatever is most important to you inside, just like we practiced, okay?” Shae swung the car door open then turned to stare at her trembling daughter. “Gracie, listen to me. Everything will be okay. I will explain everything to you, I promise, but for now, you have to trust me and do as I say, exactly as I say, immediately.”

“But, Mommy, I—”

“Gracie, please!”

Gracie nodded and opened her door, then grabbed the bag from the floor.

Shae walked beside her into the house and paused to listen in the doorway. Silence. “Go, now.”

She lifted the phone on her way through the kitchen and followed Gracie to her room. Everything seemed to be in order. Even though she knew she wasn’t handling the situation well, she couldn’t seem to get her emotions under control. For years she’d kept to herself and worked as an IT tech from home, but then Gracie had started school and wanted to play sports, make friends, sing in the church choir. Shae should have known better. And now her daughter was in danger because Shae hadn’t kept a low enough profile.

She dialed the number, listened to it ring…and ring. That wasn’t right. Someone was supposed to be available at all times in case of an emergency, in case she was discovered. She disconnected and tried again. Nothing. Her breath came in shallow gasps. It would be okay. She’d contemplated not calling anyway, so maybe it was for the best no one answered. Maybe God was leading her elsewhere.

She hurried to Gracie’s bedroom to check on her, and her heart shattered when her daughter picked up the stuffed bunny she’d stopped sleeping with a year ago and hugged it close as she filled her bag with her most prized possessions.

Shae left her to it and went to her own room. She grabbed the two flight bags, dug through one for the handgun, took the bullets from the locked safe in her closet and loaded the weapon. Then she stuck it into the waistband of her shorts and shrugged a sweatshirt over it before dropping the bags beside the door to the garage. All of her important documents were already stashed in waterproof cases inside the waterproof bag, as well as a good amount of cash she’d saved over the years. “Gracie, let’s go.”

Gracie emerged from the hallway, her bag and Mr. Cuddles clutched against her chest.

“Oh, baby, I—”

A car door slammed right outside the house, cutting her off.

“Get down. Hide. Now! And remember cheesemonkey. Every single thing we practiced.”

Gracie scrambled beneath the Christmas tree in the corner, trampling packages, then peered between the branches.

Shae grabbed a pen and paper from her desk, scribbled the phone number down, and shoved the paper into Gracie’s hand. With no time for more than a quick reassurance, Shae backed toward the door. “If anything happens to me, you run to Katie’s house. Do you understand me?”

The doorbell rang.

Gracie’s gaze shot to the door and she nodded, teeth chattering, eyes wide.

“When you get there…” Three houses down with two possible killers on her heels. And now she was bringing this mess onto someone else, someone who had only ever been kind to them, who’d become a friend. “You hide until Miss Reva gets home, then tell her to call that number and tell whoever answers what happened. She should tell them who you are and that you need help. Okay?”

“Uh…huh…”

An insistent pounding rattled the front door. “Avery!”

Shae’s blood ran to ice as she stared deeply into her daughter’s brilliant blue eyes, then yanked the handgun from her waistband. No one should know that name. She’d shed it six years ago when she’d become Shae Evans. “Get down!”

Despite her shocked expression when she caught sight of the weapon, Gracie crouched lower.
​
Hand shaking wildly, Shae aimed the gun at the door just as it splintered beneath a forceful kick.