CHAPTER
1
Goldfork, Colorado
7:35 A.M.
HE WAS READY.
Jim Doane drew a deep breath as he locked the front door of the small cedar house behind him. All the searching and planning was at an end, and now it was time to put the plan into action.
Soon, Kevin. I know it’s been a long time, but I had to be sure before I moved forward. Everything has to be in place.
He threw his suitcase into the trunk of the car, then carried his metal toolbox and shoved it onto the passenger seat. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the car.
“Doane, wait.” His neighbor Ralph Hodder was running toward him across the postage stamp–sized lawn that separated their houses. “Did you think you were going to get away before I saw you?” He was breathing heavily as he stopped beside Doane’s car. He was overweight, and even the short run had robbed him of breath. “No way, man.”
“Yeah?” He tensed, then deliberately forced himself to relax. Hodder was no threat. He was overreacting. “Do you need something, Ralph?”
“Yeah, I need to thank you. My son said that you were going to be gone for quite a while, and I just wanted you to know I’d keep an eye on your place.” He clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ll miss you. You’ve been a good friend to Matt, a real role model, and Leah and I appreciate it. Raising a teenage kid is always a headache, but having you next door, helping him work on that old car, and letting him talk to you has made it easier.”
“No problem. Matt’s a fine boy, and I was glad to help. In the end, the most precious things we have are our children.”
“You’re right there.” His smile faded. “Matt said you were leaving because you had family trouble. I hope that everything will be okay.”
“It will be fine. But it may take a little while, so I’m grateful that you’re going to watch the place.” He’d better pretend to be concerned. It wouldn’t do to let Hodder know he’d been tempted to burn the place to the ground. “I’ll call you now and then and check on it if that’s all right.”
“We’ll be glad to hear from you. I’ll have Matt cut your grass until you get back.” He stepped back from the car. “You’ve been a great neighbor, Doane. I’ll try to be one, too. Thanks for being good to my son.”
“Take care of that boy,” Doane said as he backed down the driveway. “You never realize how much you love them until you lose them. Believe me, I know.”
But that wasn’t true; he had known how much he had loved his son from the moment he had been born. It hadn’t taken loss to drive that truth home. His Kevin had been extraordinary in every way, and being his father had dominated his life.
Until that bastard had taken away his son.
He controlled the flare of rage that went through him. He could not afford anger now that the game had begun. Everything must go according to plan. All the sorrow and rage must be put away until he had the weapon he needed to satisfy it.
He checked his GPS, which was already set for Atlanta, Georgia, and pulled out his address book. He hesitated, then carefully looked around him before he reached over and unfastened the large tool chest on the passenger seat and flipped open the lid.
He needed to share this first moment of the journey with his son. They had both waited far too long. He drew back the velvet cover he had draped over the silk nest he had built in the interior of the tool chest. “We’re on our way, Kevin. I’m keeping my promise.”
The empty eyeholes of the burned and blackened skull gazed up at him.
Pain shot through him. After all these years, you would have thought he’d become accustomed to the horror, but there were still moments like this when it hit home. He remembered what a handsome boy Kevin had been and his sweet smile and the way he … Tears stung his eyes. He reached out and deliberately touched the skull. “Forgive me. I still love you. I’ll always love you.” His gaze lifted to the photo of the woman taped to the lid of the tool chest. “She’ll give you back to me the way you were.” His lips tightened. “And then she’ll give us the son of a bitch who did this to you.” He gave one last look at the skull before he closed the lid. “She can do it all, Kevin. We’ll see that she makes it happen.”
He reached forward to the GPS and typed in Eve Duncan’s address.
* * *
DARKNESS! SMOTHERING. No breath! Can’t breathe.
“Hey, wake up.” Joe’s lips brushed Eve’s as he cuddled her closer in the bed. “Nightmare alert.”
Her eyes flew open, and she stared up at him. Joe. Smiling. Safety. She immediately relaxed and drew a deep breath. “I’m awake. Sorry.”