With a frustrated scream, the woman grabbed Annie’s hair and pounded her head against the sidewalk. Only Annie’s oversized purse kept her from serious injury. It acted like a buffer, but she still hit with enough force to make her dizzy.
Fingers scrabbled over her. Annie let out her own scream and slapped at the invading hands. She didn’t expect help, didn’t even hope for it. Not on a street full of businesses just after dawn—
The weight on her disappeared. Annie snapped up her right arm, ready to fend off another attacker.
“I’m here to help. Are you hurt, dear?” The low, muffled voice sounded female. Strong hands lifted Annie to her feet, led her away from the huddled pile of velvet, leaned her against the nearest storefront. “She won’t bother you again.”
“Thank you,” Annie whispered, her voice shaking almost as much as the rest of her. “Is she—”
“Just out of commission. Stop worrying, Annie. You’re safe now.”
“How do you—” Light from a passing truck flashed over her rescuer’s shadowed face, and Annie’s heart skipped. “Natasha—”
“Ah, you remember me.” Her grip on Annie tightened with bruising force. “That will save time on explanations. Come quietly, and I will not harm Claire.”
“What do you want with her—” She let out a cry as Natasha’s fingers twisted into her arms.
“Questions can wait. I will give you all the answers you want. Now, will you come quietly and not fight me, no matter what I ask of you?”
That ratcheted Annie’s panic. But she had no choice, no wiggle room.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll do what you want.”
THIRTEEN
Claire unlocked the back door of the shop and stepped inside. Expecting to see the aftermath of her rushed packing job, and her confrontation with Marcus, she was only partly surprised by the tidy shop.
Annie. She wouldn’t have left a mess for Claire, especially after what happened with Natasha. There were times when Claire knew she didn’t deserve the unconditional trust.
Headed for the front counter, she checked the message machine. Nothing. There had been no message at home either. She expected Annie to at least leave a voicemail telling her that Eric was gone. Claire wished him all the best—she just didn’t want to have to face him again to say it.
Kneeling, she pulled out her portable file box, set it on the counter and rifled through her various signs for the “Closed Until Further Notice” sign. She had it printed, along with the standard signs, hoping she would never need to use it.
But this time, once she walked out that back door, she didn’t expect to return.
Slipping the sign in front of her sliding Open/Closed sign, she took a final look through the front window. Another thing Annie fixed for her, calling to have it replaced while Claire recovered from Eric’s attack.
Trees swayed in the rising wind, their dark leaves fluttering, the late morning sun highlighting their rich color. Claire loved this street, had since the moment she rounded the corner off Beach and saw it for the first time, lined with trees and filled with people enjoying the sun and the eclectic mix of shops.
Rubbing one hand over her heart, she turned away, touching items as she made her way back to the counter. She tried Annie’s cell phone again, worry licking at her when it went straight to voicemail. On impulse, she scrolled through her contacts and found Eric’s number, stored there just in case. She connected, and it started to ring.
She was ready to disconnect when Eric answered.
“Claire? I didn’t expect to hear from you—”
“Is Annie with you?”
His silence notched the worry up to panic.
“I dropped her off just after dawn. I’m at the airport, and finally about to board my plane. She’s not home?”
Claire took a deep breath.
“Her phone keeps going to voicemail.”
“I’m on my way.”
“Eric—you don’t have to—”
“I care about her, Claire. Don’t make plans without me.”
Before she could argue he disconnected.
She decided to head over to Annie’s apartment; she should have checked there first before she started calling and sending other people into an unnecessary panic. Heading for the back door, she dug the keys to her rental car out of her jacket pocket. And halted when she saw Marcus standing outside the door.
With a sigh, she unlocked the door and pulled it open.
“Were you planning on facing her again?” Marcus used his height and his anger to back her into the shop.
“Stop it—Marcus, stop.” She slapped both hands against his chest. “I’m not going anywhere. Annie may be missing.”