Gripping the cart’s handle with white-knuckled fists, she prodded Zoe along and hurriedly maneuvered through the last two aisles, placing the final four items into the cart. Maybe the weather had impacted her more than she thought. Maybe the fact that she hadn’t heard any updates from her fake ID supplier in weeks had rattled her. Or maybe it was the man Mrs. Hargraves had told her she could trust. Léon. He’d come out of nowhere. He’d shown too much interest in her and Zoe. What if he did work for Burke?
She had to trust her gut. “Come on, Zoe. We need to leave.” Faith couldn’t hide the urgency from her voice.
Zoe frowned at her mother. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Nothing. It’s getting late.” She headed toward the checkout.
“It’s still light outside,” her daughter protested, hurrying beside her.
“It won’t be for long and we have to walk home.”
Zoe shifted her knapsack, heavy with all her treasures stored inside.
The checker smiled at them. “How’s it going, Faith?”
“Fine. And you, Maureen?”
The woman grinned, her face open and joyful, something Faith envied. “Can’t complain. My boy just graduated. He’s headed for boot camp.”
“Congratulations. I’m sure you’ll miss him.”
“Yep. They grow up fast. Enjoy this one while you can.” Maureen nodded at Zoe.
“I will.” Faith scooped up the two bags and glanced over her shoulder yet again. She couldn’t shake the being-watched feeling.
She had truly become paranoid. She wasn’t made for being on the run. She wanted a normal life back. She just prayed that would happen once she could afford to leave Carder.
The sun hung low in the sky when she and Zoe walked out of the store. They had a two-mile trek to the shack she’d rented.
She started out slow. Not many walked in this town. She didn’t even see a bicycle. Carder, Texas, was ranch country. Pickups ruled the streets.
The sheriff’s office loomed in front of her. She crossed away from it, telling herself that she was simply making her way to her side of the street. It had nothing to do with the fact that Burke and his family’s political allies could very well have convinced someone to put out a warrant for her arrest. She just prayed dyeing her hair brown would fool everyone long enough for her to disappear.
Whatever Burke was thinking or doing, it hadn’t made headlines in the San Antonio Express-News. Much less the Carder weekly paper.
That strange unease settled between her shoulder blades. Faith didn’t believe in ESP, but if she did, her spidey sense was going crazy. She picked up the pace.
“Mom, you’re going too fast. I’m tired.”
Faith slowed and turned around. Her daughter had taken to dragging the pack behind her. “Hand me the knapsack, Slugger.”
Zoe held it out with both hands.
Faith took it and nearly dropped the bag. She hadn’t expected it to be so heavy. “What have you got in here?”
“The books you made me bring. Plus my baseball, my favorite games, chalk and my shiny stones for hopscotch.” Zoe shrugged. “So I wouldn’t have to read the whole time.”
An incessant pounding pulsed behind Faith’s eyes, but she shoved aside the pain. “I don’t want to get caught in the rain, Zoe. Let’s hurry. I bet you can’t beat me home.” She fought to form the smallest smile.
Her daughter took off, and Faith jogged behind her.
“Stop before crossing the street,” Faith shouted.
Zoe glanced back and grinned. “You won’t catch me!”
Even so, her daughter slowed down a bit. When they settled in a new place, she’d make sure she enrolled Zoe in softball or baseball or maybe even soccer. Her daughter needed a way to work off all that energy.
By the time they reached the two-room shack she called home, Faith panted and bent over to catch her breath.
Zoe waited outside the door, shifting from one foot to another.
Faith slipped her hand into her pocket and dug out the key. She pushed it into the lock and opened the door.
Zoe rushed in, whirled around and raced back at her mother, plowing into her. The shopping bags flew out of Faith’s hands. Zoe’s knapsack dropped like a stone.
“What—”
Zoe’s face made Faith’s heart drop. “Mom, someone’s been here.”
Faith pushed her daughter behind her and peered inside the open door.
The sofa had been overturned; bookcases toppled. The few items they had left were spread on the floor.
Their place had been ransacked.
“Zoe, we need to leave. Now!”
THOMAS, INCORPORATED OCCUPIED the top three floors of the downtown Dallas office building. Oil made the fortune, but Burke’s father had diversified. They were now in distribution, energy storage and financial institutions. If you lived or worked in Texas, you dealt with one of Thomas, Inc.’s companies or subsidiaries. The business would be his someday, and Burke had big plans for the future.
For now, the company’s reach equated influence, and influence translated into power. It also meant when his father called, Burke had no choice but to appear. He inserted his executive key into the elevator panel and pressed the button to the penthouse. The elevator zoomed upward.
A finely tuned bell chimed and the doors opened. Burke exited and crossed the thick carpet, ignoring the latest administrative assistant. Bracing himself, he knocked on his father’s office door.
“Enter.”
Burke took a cleansing breath and stepped inside.
His father raised his head and frowned. “Shut the door.”
The older Thomas didn’t smile. This wasn’t going to be fun, and Burke had a feeling he knew the subject of the latest lecture. He closed the door quietly, as was expected, and strode across the room. “You wanted to see me?”
“Are you over the latest incident? Have you regained control of your urges?”
“Yes, sir.” He met his father’s gaze. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt if you’d help me out a little with this Faith situation.”
Gerard Thomas shot to his feet. “How dare you speak to me that way. Help you? I’ve saved you from going to prison more times than you’ll ever know. It’s only been two weeks since the previous problem occurred. Two weeks. Have you no discipline?”
Burke ground his nails into one palm. “I keep getting calls from investigators and lawyers. It’s...frustrating. I need to relieve my...stress.”
“Then go for a run. Lift some weights, but don’t...” His father scowled and slugged a shot of whiskey. “Your mother wants to see Zoe. I’m running out of excuses.”
“I’ll visit Mom, make up something.” Burke shrugged with indifference.
“You think this is a game?” His father slammed the glass onto his desk. “You’re too impatient. You have no self-discipline. You should have waited until we nailed down the case against Faith before serving the proposed custody agreement.”
“You’re the one who told Mother we were ready.” Burke lifted his chin. “How could I predict she’d run?”
“How