Zack’s stomach lurched. The shooter at the airport hadn’t been one of the senator’s hitmen after all. It had been shy and awkward Wallace.
Swallowing the bile rising in his throat, Zack shook off the fear taking over his body. “Joe,” he said in a tight voice, “Whitney is in danger. We need to find her. Now!”
* * * *
WHITNEY CONCENTRATEDon the dusk-colored paint as she drew the brush strokes over the canvas. Her mind focused on the painting and nothing more. When she’d first awoken this morning, her heart burst with happiness and she knew she’d never known this feeling before. Immediately, she’d wanted to paint, and the picture of what she wanted to create popped into her head.
As she concentrated on making the piece of art resemble what was in her mind, classical music playing from her iPhone filled her with peace – another feeling she knew she’d never had before. At this point in time, her life was perfect. The earbuds she’d attached to her iPhone fit snuggly in her ears.
Across the room, the sun filtered through the window in the attic, brightening the room. Slowly, warmth from the sun began to heat the room. Soon, she’d have to turn off the space heater she’d switched on when she entered the attic this morning.
A familiar classical tune came on, and she gently hummed along. She found her brush strokes were more gentle than before, which was quite noticeable on the canvas.
A shadow passed over her face, coming from the direction of the window. Since all she could hear was the music, she dismissed the eerie feeling trying to crawl over her. She reminded herself that she was in her little haven, here in the attic. This was where she’d find solitude.
The shadow moved over her again, fully blocking the sun this time. Hesitantly, she pulled her attention away from her painting to see why the window was being blocked. When her vision adjusted and she recognized the man standing very near her, she jumped from fright. Her heart beat quickly as the eerie feeling returned.
Wallace stood watching her with a hooded gaze. His hands were halfway in his pants pockets, and his flannel shirt had three buttons at his throat undone. His hair was slightly disheveled.
She pulled out her earbuds and stared at him. “Wallace? What are you doing up here?” Immediately, her thoughts turned to Zack and Joe. “Is something wrong with Zack? What about Joe?”
He threaded his fingers through his chestnut hair, pushing it off his forehead. “No, they’re fine.”
She tried to calm down, but for some reason, Wallace’s presence still bothered her. “Then what are you doing up here?”
He moved closer and knelt beside her, resting his hand on her leg. She couldn’t understand why he was being so personal with her.
“You are so lovely to watch, especially when you’re painting.”
“Uh, thank you, Wallace, but you didn’t answer my question.”
“I felt it was time for you to get to know therealWallace McQuade.”
She narrowed her gaze on him. “What do you mean? I thought I did know you.”
He shook his head. “You only knew the boy who’d been too shy while we were growing up to tell you how he really felt about you.”
Shivers of apprehension moved over her. “But... I liked that shy boy.”
He grinned, and it changed his whole expression. His gray eyes turned dark, and his eyebrows arched so much they pointed in the middle. Who was this person? In a blink of an eye, he’d changed from a Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. A very evil, Mr. Hyde.
“Whitney, I came to take you away with me.” He grasped her wrist so tightly the paintbrush fell from her fingers to the floor.
She whimpered. “Wallace? What are you doing? You’re hurting me.”
He yanked her to her feet. She struggled to pull away from him, but his grip was strong. He’d never appeared like a strong man, especially because he was so tall and lanky. He led her toward the door.
“Where are you taking me?” Her voice shook, and she wished it wouldn’t. She could overpower him. She was the one with the FBI skills, not him.
“We’re going far away from here. I’ve been saving my money for this very moment... The moment when you and I will become husband and wife.”
“Don’t be stupid, Wallace. I’m not in love with you, and you’re certainly not in love with me.”
Growling, he jerked on her arm until she stumbled against him. He glared into her eyes.
“I’ve been in love with you since you were ten years old. I’ve been keeping my eyes on you while you grew up. I know everything about you.Everything!”
Her stomach rolled. This couldn’t be happening. Why was he acting like a crazed man? Or had he been like this all along and she was too self-absorbed to notice? No, he’d been too shy. Nobody would have known he’d turned into a monster.
