Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

      —Proverbs 3:5–6

      ONE

      Annie Coleman almost dropped the phone at her ex-boyfriend’s words, but she couldn’t. She had to keep it together for her daughter. Jayden played nearby, oblivious to the sheer terror Annie was feeling at hearing Bryan’s gasping warning. “Run. Disappear…Don’t trust anyone, especially the police.”

      A scuffling noise on the other end of the phone sent her heartbeat slamming against her chest. What was going on? A swishing sound filled her ears, followed by something like a fist hitting flesh and a groan that iced her blood.

      “Thought you could get away,” a gruff voice said between punches. “You haven’t finished telling me what I need to know.”

      Annie panicked. What was going on? What was happening to Bryan on the other end? Confusion gripped her in a choke hold, her chest tightening with each inhalation.

      “I don’t want—” Bryan’s rattling gasp punctuated the brief silence “—any money. Just let me go. I’ll—” a smack interrupted his words “—forget…everything.”

      “I’m not worried about you telling a soul.” The menace in the assailant’s tone underscored his deadly intent. “Now all I need is where you hid it exactly. If you tell me now, it will be a lot less painful.”

      “I can’t—” Agony laced each word.

      “What’s that? A phone?”

      The sounds of a struggle then a gunshot blasted her eardrum. Curses roared through the connection.

      Fear paralyzed Annie in the middle of her kitchen. Was Bryan shot? Dead? she screamed silently, clutching the receiver until her fingers locked into place.

      “Who’s this? Annie? Who are you?”

      The assailant’s voice so clear on the phone panicked her. She slammed it down onto its cradle as though that action could sever the memories from her mind. But nothing would. Had she just heard her daughter’s father being killed? What information did Bryan have? How did that man know her name? Question after question bombarded her from all sides, but inertia held her still.

      The ringing of the phone jarred her out of a trance. She zoomed in on the lighted panel on the receiver and noted the call was from Bryan’s cell. The assailant now had her home telephone number! He could discover where she lived. He knew what she’d heard.

      The last time she’d talked with Bryan early this morning, he was finally paying his father a visit for the first time. What could have gone wrong with that? Why was he warning her? What was Bryan sorry about? What did he do? Why shouldn’t she trust the police? The questions started all over again, slamming one after another into her thoughts.

      “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

      Looking up at Jayden, Annie schooled her features into what she hoped was a calm expression while her stomach reeled. “You know I’ve been thinking, honey? We need to take a vacation. We’ve been working so hard this year. It’s time for us to have…an adventure.” Her daughter was all into having adventures, since her favorite book series was The Brandon Twins’ Escapades.