least take something for your trouble.” Melissa held out the fistful of twenties toward Mrs. Klein.
“If it’ll make you feel better.” The old woman peeled off the top twenty and tucked it inside her pocket. She winked. “I’ll take Bernard out to breakfast with that money in the morning.”
“Thank you for everything,” Melissa said. She closed and locked the door after watching Mrs. Klein walk across the street to see that she was safely home. She texted Carolina that she’d left the party.
Melissa was relieved that the older woman hadn’t pressed to find out what was really wrong with her. She’d been mute for twelve long months, save for the conversations she’d had with the feds, and she wanted to shout from the rooftops now that she was free. But she wasn’t really free. Richard was still out there. Somewhere. Melissa shivered at the thought. She was about to leave everything she’d ever known behind for witness protection because of that man. And there was a very real possibility that she would never see Colin again. A sob tried to escape. She suppressed it.
The feds had said that Richard should be somewhere near the Canadian border by now. Melissa had been under so much duress, especially in the past two months since talking with the agents, that she could barely think straight. She told herself that was the reason she’d been misguided enough to think seeing Colin one more time would somehow fill the ache in her chest.
Everything had spun out of control. Her relationship with the feds hadn’t exactly been a friendly alliance. The only reason she’d collected evidence against Richard was because they threatened to take Angelina away from her. Ever since they’d approached her while she picked up the mail that cold January morning, she’d been walking a tightrope.
Richard had been good at covering his tracks, so culling evidence against him had been difficult. She’d eventually gathered the proof needed for the feds to get an arrest warrant. She’d risked her life, not to mention her daughter’s. And what had they done with Richard? Allowed him to escape. No one could save Melissa now if Richard got to her. If it wasn’t for Angelina, for that smiling angelic face, Melissa would’ve lost hope a long time ago.
Melissa was weary, lonely, and part of her felt like she’d never live a normal life again. At least her father was in protective custody. His health was sketchy but he was in a decent facility in the Pacific Northwest. That’s the only information she’d been given and that’s all she needed to know. She wasn’t ready to forgive her father for what he’d done to ruin both of their lives, but she’d felt the need to protect him. And now, she and Angelina would be Bethany and Claire soon. A new life, a fresh start, shouldn’t feel like such a death sentence. But it would be because they’d be living a life without Colin.
Head pounding, heart aching, she closed her eyes before leaning against the door and then sinking until her bottom hit the hardwood floor. She twisted off her wedding ring, noticing the red marks on her finger it left behind because it had always been a little too tight, and threw it across the room. Relief flooded her at getting that thing off her finger. She’d put it on so no one would question her about it. The only reason she’d held on to the ring was because she figured she could sell it if times got tight. The government had made promises to her, but who really knew if they could be trusted? They’d allowed Richard to slip through their fingers and that wasn’t exactly reassuring.
Seconds turned into minutes and Melissa had no idea how long she’d been sitting there when she finally opened her eyes again.
Her father was safe. The baby was safe. Colin was safe. And she was exhausted.
She blocked out thoughts of how much Colin hated her now. She’d seen it in his eyes as he stalked toward her. The anger was so palpable that she’d had to turn her face away. Right then, she knew that he would never forgive her for leaving. And what had she really expected? For him to tell her everything would be okay? A hug?
Maybe it was good that Melissa Rancic would no longer exist in less than—she checked the clock—an hour. Maybe it was time to turn over a new leaf. Maybe it was time to make a new life for herself and Angelina. The thought of causing Colin any more pain was like a knife to her heart anyway. He deserved so much more.
She pushed up to stand as a knock sounded on the door from behind. She jumped. Her heart leapt to her throat and her chest squeezed. That same old feeling of panic, of the walls closing in and the air thinning, threatened to debilitate her. And that same question burned through her mind...had Richard found her?
No. That was impossible. He was probably in Canada by now.
The knocks sounded again, a little louder, a little more urgent.
Her mind spun. All the anxiety crashed down around her, freezing her limbs and making something as simple as taking a breath hurt.
Hold on a second. Richard wouldn’t knock at her front door nor would anyone he sent. That was way too direct. He would slip in during the night and slit her throat.
She glanced around the room, searching for a purse or jacket. Mrs. Klein most likely forgot something and she was returning to get it. The simple explanation was usually the right one no matter how much her brain protested and fear overtook her.
Melissa flipped the switch to the porch light and checked out the peephole. The light was out. Had it been like that before? Melissa couldn’t remember. This was an old house. It belonged to her cousin’s best friend. It had a lot of quirks.
Yes. It had. She remembered a little while ago when Mrs. Klein had gone home that the porch light hadn’t been working. No way was Melissa opening that door without confirmation.
“Mrs. Klein?” Melissa said softly, and then waited for a response.
A high-pitched murmur of acknowledgment came.
As Melissa opened the door, she said, “What did you—”
And then froze.
She gasped as panic roared through her. She quickly regained her bearings and pushed the door, trying to shut it quickly even though it wouldn’t budge. There was something wedged at the base. She glanced down. The toe of Colin’s boot stared up at her.
“Not so fast, Melissa.” He pushed open the door a little too easily and brushed past her.
* * *
“YOU SHOULDN’T BE HERE,” Melissa said with more panic than anger, and he noticed that she’d positioned her body between him and the stairs. Was she blocking him for a reason? Was someone up there? Richard?
“I almost didn’t come.” Colin had followed Melissa on a whim. And then he’d sat at the end of the street trying to decide if he should knock or not. Seeing her with Richard would knife him, but maybe he needed that reinforcement to be able to finally let go. He’d been stuck in a place between still loving her and the kind of pain he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy for the past year. Seeing her dredged up feelings he thought he’d learned to live with, or live without, depending on how he looked at it.
“Why did you?” she asked.
“Is he here?” Colin motioned toward the base of the staircase, ignoring her question. That old anger from her leaving him for a flash-in-the-pan guy like Richard renewed.
She looked down and then shook her head.
He didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until that moment. Forcing himself to exhale slowly, he also noticed that she wasn’t wearing her ring anymore and she looked completely wrung out. Had the two of them been in a fight?
Colin shouldn’t want to interfere with a married couple’s business, but part of him needed to know that she was okay. “Did he do anything to you? Hurt you in any way?”
“No,” she said quickly. He couldn’t help but notice how her body was trembling.
He made a move toward her and she flinched. Another sign he didn’t like.
“Why did you come to the ranch?” He pinned her with his stare, letting his anger show in