She sat in the car, staring into the darkness, thinking about her life. Allowing herself to dream for a moment. About what her life might have been like if she’d never metJasper or Frank. Even if that fateful night with Jasper had happened anyway, she could still be living a quiet, peaceful life with Lynn now.
And then, like a knife to the heart, another thought cut through her: what about Daphne? If not for Frank, Daphne would never have been born. And Daphne wasn’t to blame for having such a calculating bastard for a father.
Nina leaned back against the seat. She needed to leave. It had been stupid to come here at all.
Her fingers brushed the ignition button just as headlights flared into her eyes.
A taxi pulled up to the house. The door opened, and Lynn stepped out.
Nina watched her, holding her breath. What was she doing out at this hour—alone? It was almost two in the morning.
Lynn looked exhausted, digging through her bag, clearly searching for her keys. But before Nina could think any further, a second vehicle caught her attention.
A black SUV pulled up right after the taxi and stopped a few yards from the house.
Lynn didn’t notice it. She lowered her head, still searching for her keys.
Nina strained to see into the darkness, her fingers clenched around the steering wheel. An uneasy feeling prickled along her nerves. The moment the taxi pulled away, the SUV’s door flew open and two men stepped out. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothing.
She knew instantly what was about to happen.
Lynn didn’t even have time to lift her head before they grabbed her from behind.
She yelped in surprise, tried to twist free, but it was already too late. One clamped a hand over her mouth, the other clamped an arm around her waist. She fought, struggling desperately, but they were stronger. They dragged her toward the car.
Nina didn’t think. Her body moved on its own.
She snatched the umbrella from the passenger seat, flung the door open, and ran. In a split second, her past flashed before her in brutal fragments—when she herself had been just as helpless as Lynn. She wasn’t going to let this happen to Lynn.
“Let her go!”
Her voice sliced through the silence like a blade. The men cursed in irritation, one of them twisting Lynn’s arm painfully to make her stop thrashing.
Nina swung and slammed the umbrella down on one of the attackers’heads. He staggered back, swearing.
“Are you out of your damn mind?!”
But she didn’t stop. She struck again and again, with the fury that had been building inside her for years. She wasn’t going to let them take Lynn. She beat at them with the damned umbrella, screaming, doing anything she could.
“I’ve already called the police! Get out of here!”
At that, one of them snarled in rage and shoved Lynn away violently. Lynn lost her balance and fell, her head striking the concrete curb with a dull thud.
“No!”Nina rushed to her as the men were already jumping back into the SUV.
She barely caught a glimpse of the plate numbers before the vehicle peeled away and vanished into the darkness.
Nina dropped to her knees beside Lynn. She wasn’t moving. Her light hair was spread across the pavement, her eyes closed. A dark red pool of blood began to spread beneath her head.
“Lynn…”
She grabbed her by the shoulders, gently shaking her.
“Lynn, open your eyes!”
No response.
God.
