PROLOGUE
One week ago…
He found us.
Those same three words pierced through Allison Gallo’s mind as she followed the lines of the long, darkened highway. Her chest grew tight with their taunting whispers, and her shattered heart worked even harder than before.
He found us.
She kept her eyes on a constant swivel following an invisible line between the unfamiliar road ahead and the reflection in the rearview mirror. The grip she had on the steering wheel tightened as her gaze fell from the reflective glass to the precious little girl asleep in her high-back booster.
My Maddie.
Her six-year-old daughter was the most important thing in Allison’s messed-up life. The one and only good thing that had come from a nightmare of a marriage to a man who’d claimed to love them both.
It didn’t take long after their ridiculously lavish ceremony for Tommy’s true colors to begin to show. Six months into theirmarriage—during a late-night argument in which he’d accused her of flirting with the waiter during their dinner date—Allison finally saw her husband for who he really was.
Thomas Gallo was a snake in sheep’s clothing. A chameleon who’d charmed his way into her heart before pulling the fairytale rug right out from under her feet. And now…
Allison’s worried gaze returned to Maddie’s tiny form. The tiny blonde was one of the sweetest, most innocent blessings the world had ever known. She was also the reason Allison found herself running away in the middle of the night.
Again.
A pang of guilt ripped through her knowing she was to blame for their life on the run. If only she’d left Tommy sooner,beforeher daughter was old enough to remember. If only she’d been smarter. Stronger.
If only…
Her fingers curled around the steering wheel in another white-knuckled grip. She didn’t have time to go down the if-only road. Her focus needed to remain on doing whatever it took to keep her daughter safe.
The inside of Allison’s purse began to ring, startling her to the point her muscles jumped from the unexpected sound. After a few calming breaths, she reached over the cracked leather console to the bag resting open in the modest sedan’s passenger seat.
Searching blindly, she found the untraceable phone with ease, pulling it free from the purse and checking the number on the screen…just in case. Relief flourished when she immediately recognized the number.
Finally.
Allison flipped open the phone and put it to her ear. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to call.”
“You know these things take time, Allison.” Sloane Richardson’s familiar voice filled her ear. “I know you’re anxious, but?—”
“I’m not anxious,” she bit back harshly. A second later, she lowered her voice to a quieter, softer tone. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…I-I’m terrified.” Her gaze bounced to her daughter and back to the road ahead. “When I left your shelter, I thought Maddie and I were finally be free. I actually believed we could start fresh without fear of Tommy or his men finding us, but now…”
“Allison, I know you’re scared, but?—”
“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, Sloane.” Allison cut the other woman’s attempt to offer comfort. “And I know I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for us both, but I…” Her throat grew thick with emotion as the pinprick of tears burned the corners of her eyes.
A few seconds of silence passed between them before Sloane spoke up again. “Look, Allision. I know I asked you this when you called me earlier today, but…are youabsolutelysure it was him? Because it’s not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to see their attackers everywhere they go. In strangers’ faces, or on billboards. In crowds or in line at the grocery store checkou?—”
“It was him.” Allison swallowed hard. “It was Tommy. He was standing in line when I got to work this morning.”
The pit of regret grew larger inside her stomach. She’d only recently been hired on at the quaint little coffee shop in Nebraska. The owner was a woman close to Allison’s age and was just starting to feel like an actual friend.
She should have known better. Could practically hear Tommy’s hateful voice pointing out how very stupid she’d been.
You think a woman like you can have friends? You’re pathetic. Always have been. Always will be.
Like the idiot her husband had always claimed, she’d all but convinced herself that his mean-spirited words no longer held the same level of power over her they once had. But she was wrong.
About everything, apparently.
