“I was too young when we met, Daniel. I didn’t know what I was looking for in a relationship. We had some good times,” she said. “Remember the fall festival?”
All the truth, but also there had been something about Daniel that hadn’t felt right. She hadn’t really had an inkling of how off he was, but she knew that he wasn’t the kind of man she wanted a future with.
“You were so young,” he said. “The fall festival…I won you that stuffed—what was it?”
“A unicorn,” she said.
“Do you still have it?”
“No,” she admitted. “I didn’t keep anything from those years.”
“Too painful,” he said, watching her like a hawk.
“Yes.” She could honestly admit that it brought her pain and so much more when she’d looked at the items from their short dating life. She’d felt so silly and stupid for falling for a man whowas so obsessive. He’d love bombed her big-time. Showering her with attention and gifts, and when she’d told him it was too much…things had turned sour.
“Where’s your child? I think we should bring the baby with us.”
“She’s with her father. I’m just cleaning up the house,” she said. Making up stuff. Gracie would be fine in her crib in the house. Safe and warm and far away from Daniel. “He’ll be back soon. Have you seen him? He’s big and muscly. You know he’s a police officer.”
“I don’t like the police,” Daniel said.
“You should leave now before he gets back,” Ava said. She wasn’t entirely sure that Daniel would do that. “You don’t want to go back to prison, right? I won’t tell him you were here.”
“Ava, I’m not leaving without you. I’m here just for you,” he said.
“I’m not going with you,” she said. Prepared to do whatever she had to in order to stop him.
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Lifting his hand, he hit her in the head, and this time when her head hit the porch she saw stars. Tingles spread through her entire body as she fell limply to the deck.
Vaguely she was aware of him lifting her over his shoulder. Her last thought was that he’d left the front door ajar.
Chay’s first instinct was to run back to Ava. He was out the door with his grandmother on his heels.
“What are you doing?”
“Coming with you,” she said, wrapping her scarf around her neck. “You’re going to need me there if this guy shows up.”
He started to argue with her but didn’t want to take the time and having her by his side felt right. Her street was quiet, andthe blanket of snow that still covered everything made the world look pristine. But it wasn’t. He’d always known that. Somehow he’d fallen into this belief that things were all good since Ava came into his life.
“If you come with me, you have to do as I say. No going off on your own. Okay?”
“Yes. I would just sit here and worry, and I don’t want you to have to call me and let me know what’s going on,” she said. “They’re my family, too.”
He hugged her for that. She locked her house, and he got her to his truck and inside. He radioed Wes to let him know what was going on.
“Wes, it’s Chay. I’m heading back to my house. There’s a chance that a man who stalked Ava is in the area. I have to check on Ava and Gracie,” Chay said.
“Understood. What’s his name and description?”
“Daniel Wayne. I don’t have a description, but you can probably get one from Jacob Colton. Send it to me when you have it.”
“Affirmative. Let us know if you need backup.”
“I’m sure they’re fine—the storm would have hampered him getting to us,” Chay said. That was the only thing that was keeping him from all-out panic. Neither Wes nor his grandmother said a word in response, which wasn’t reassuring. It was like they didn’t want to say anything to send him into overdrive. As if knowing Ava and Gracie were in danger wasn’t his worst nightmare. Chay drove as quickly as was safe back to his house. As soon as he turned onto the drive, he saw the tire tracks. The ones that weren’t his.
He’d always been practical, but he couldn’t deny that his spiritual side warned him at times. Like when he’d known his mom wasn’t coming back to the Navajo Nation. Right now heknew Ava was in danger. When he pulled up behind her truck, he saw signs of footprints in the snow. Just one set.
Not Ava’s boots, which he could easily recognize from when they’d dug out the house.
