Not one who was innocent in every sense of the word.
He did, however, need to get the fuck out of that house. And since he was covered in head-to-toe black, and the room was mostly dark…
Michael walked toward the little girl, one slow step after another. She remained in place, the only thing moving were those big, blue eyes.
They followed him as he passed between her and the door’s wooden frame. As he left the room, he was tempted to tell her he was sorry for what he had done. But he didn’t dare for fear she’d recognize his voice.
A tall man dressed in black wasn’t much for the police to go on. A voice, however, was another story altogether. The last thing he needed was to provide the cops with their first good lead.
Michael continued walking, refusing to look back at the little girl as he left. On his way out, he shut the kitchen door softly, and though it was silly, he reached back through the hole he’d created and reengaged the locks.
His boots hit the grass, and he took off running. He stopped long enough to cut power to the signal jammer and then resumed his hurried escape through the trees. He didn’t stop until he reached his awaiting car.
Once there, he rushed to remove the stocking cap, gloves, and black jacket he’d been wearing before tossing them into a paper bag that was waiting inside his trunk. With plans to burn it the first chance he got, Michael got back into his car, started the ignition, and was back on the two-lane highway in record time.
Using one hand to steady the steering wheel, he retrieved a second burner cell from the vehicle’s center console. This one was equipped with a mobile voice-distorting machine. Something he’d purposely been sure to have on hand solely for the sake of the child.
He dialed nine-one-one and listened as it rang. The operator answered, and Michael quickly gave the woman on the other end of the line Amanda’s home address. His voice sounded like someone else’s entirely as he relayed the pertinent information.
“The woman who lives there is dead, and her young daughter is in the house alone.”
“Sir, I’m sorry. Did you say someone is dead?”
Rather than answer the question, he ended the call. They had what they needed, and the girl would be safe. As for him…
Michael used his knee to drive as he pulled the distorting device free from the phone. Once he’d tossed that back into the console’s interior, he did like before and broke the cell in two halves.
He rolled down his window, tossing one half out into the night. Four miles later, he did the same with the rest. The cool, evening breeze blew through his hair, and he gave himself a few calming minutes before making the call.
“It’s done,” he told the man from the third and final burner phone he’d brought with him before giving it the same treatment as the others.
Final phase complete.
With his eyes on the road and his gut threatening to churn with guilt, Michael used the drive home to remind himself of the benefits Amanda Owens’ death would bring. And when he laid his head on his pillow to the rising of the sun, he fell asleep with a smile spread wide across his face.
CHAPTER1
Columbus,Ohio
Present day…
Shadow satin the booth farthest from the door of the hole-in-the-wall diner where she waited. Moving her gaze in a casual yet constant and purposeful swivel, she kept a watchful eye on the diner’s entrance, the other customers inside, and what she could see of the small parking lot through the large window on her left.
The waiting sucked. Hard. Waiting meant she had no choice but to sit alone and think. And right now, especially given where she was and why she was here, granting her mind permission to wander was some sort of next-level type of torture.
She thought about her mother—her whole reason for upending her life to come here. She thought about her father and the note she’d left where he’d be sure to see it. The words she’d written still lingering between her every thought…
Dad,
I found the man who killed Mom. If the guys need help, call Rawlins. He knows I’m leaving town and has agreed to handle things until I get back.
Please don’t try to stop me. You know this is something I have to do. Tell the team to stay safe and I’m sorry.
I love you,
~A
Shadow’s heart squeezed as she thought of the team she’d abandoned to follow her quest for personal vengeance. The four-man team of highly trained, private hostage rescue specialists wasn’t merely a group of voices she spoke to through her state-of-the-art satellite comms system.
