Once Hunted

“You don’t have to tell me,” he said. “You can’t work cases for a while. You need to take some time off. Don’t worry, I understand. So will everybody at Quantico. Take as much time as you need.”

He looked at his watch.

“I’m sorry to rush off, but – ”

“Go,” Riley said. “And thanks for everything.”

She hugged Bill, and he left. Riley stood in the hallway, thinking about the near future.

“Take as much time as you need,” Bill had said.

That might not be easy. What had just happened to April was a reminder of all the evil that was out there. It was her job to stop as much of it as she could. And if she’d learned one thing in life, it was that the evil never rested.

CHAPTER TWO

Seven weeks later

When Riley arrived at the psychologist’s office, she found Ryan sitting alone in the waiting room.

“Where’s April?” she asked.

Ryan nodded toward a closed door.

“She’s with Dr. Sloat,” he said, sounding uneasy. “They had something they needed to talk about alone. Then we’re supposed to go in and join them.”

Riley sighed and sat down in a nearby chair. She, Ryan, and April had spent many emotionally demanding hours here during recent weeks. This would be their last session with the psychologist before they all took a break for the Christmas holidays.

Dr. Sloat had insisted that the whole family participate in April’s recovery. It had been hard work for all of them. But to Riley’s relief, Ryan had taken part wholeheartedly in the process. He’d come to all the sessions that he could fit into his schedule, and he’d even scaled back his work to make more time for this. Today he’d driven April here from her school.

Riley studied her ex-husband’s face as he stared at the office door. In many ways, he seemed like a changed man. Not long ago, he’d been inattentive to the point of serious delinquency as a parent. He’d always insisted that all of April’s problems were Riley’s fault.

But April’s drug use and her much-too-close brush with forced prostitution had changed something in Ryan. After her stay in the rehab clinic, April had been home with Riley for six weeks now. Ryan had visited often and had joined them for Thanksgiving. At times, they seemed almost like a functional family.

But Riley kept reminding herself that they had never really been a functional family.

Could that change now? she wondered. Do I want it to change?

Riley felt torn, even a little guilty. She’d long tried to accept that her own future probably didn’t have Ryan in it. Perhaps there might even be another man in her life.

There had always been some kind of attraction between her and Bill. But they’d also fought and quarreled from time to time. Besides, their professional relationship was demanding enough without throwing romance into the mix.

Her kind and attractive next door neighbor, Blaine, seemed a better prospect, especially since his daughter, Crystal, was April’s best friend.

Still, at times like now, Ryan almost seemed to be the same man she’d fallen in love with so many years ago. Where were things headed? She really didn’t know.

The office door opened and Dr. Lesley Sloat stepped out.

“We’d like to see you now,” she said with a smile.

Riley had long since taken a liking to the short, stocky, good-natured psychologist, and April was clearly fond of her too.

Riley and Ryan both went into the office and sat down in a couple of comfortable upholstered chairs. They were facing April, who sat on a couch beside Dr. Sloat. April was smiling weakly. Dr. Sloat nodded for her to start talking.

“Something happened this week,” April said. “It’s kind of hard to talk about …”

Riley’s breathing quickened and she felt her heart beating faster.

“It’s got to do with Gabriela,” April said. “Maybe she should be here today to talk about this too, but she’s not, so …”

April’s voice trailed off.

Riley was surprised. Gabriela was a stout, middle-aged Guatemalan woman who had been the family’s housekeeper for years. She had moved in with Riley and April and was like a member of the family.

April took a deep breath and continued, “A couple of days ago, she told me something I didn’t tell you. But I think you should know. Gabriela said that she had to leave.”

“Why?” Riley gasped.

Ryan looked confused. “Aren’t you paying her enough?” he asked.

“It was because of me,” April said. “She said she couldn’t do it anymore. She said it was too much responsibility for her to have to stop me from harming myself or getting myself killed.”

April paused. A tear came to her eye.

“She said it was too easy for me to sneak out without her knowing. She couldn’t sleep at night wondering if I was putting myself in danger. She said that now that I was healthy again, she was moving out right away.”

Riley was jolted with alarm. She’d had no idea that Gabriela had been thinking any such thing.

“I begged her not to go,” April said. “I was crying and she was crying, too. But I couldn’t change her mind, and I was terrified.”

April choked back a sob and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

“Mom,” April said, “I actually got down on my knees. I promised never, ever to make her feel that way again. Finally … finally she hugged me and said she wouldn’t leave as long as I kept my promise. And I will. I really will. Mom, Dad, I’ll never make you or Gabriela or anybody worry about me like that ever again.”

Dr. Sloat patted April’s hand and smiled at Riley and Ryan.

She said, “I guess what April’s trying to say is that she’s turned a corner.”

Riley saw Ryan take out a handkerchief and dab his eyes. She’d very rarely ever seen him cry. But she understood how he felt. She felt her own throat catch. It was Gabriela – not Riley or Ryan – who had made April see the light.

Even so, Riley felt incredibly grateful that her family would be together and in good health for Christmas. She ignored the dread that lurked deep down inside, the awful feeling that the monsters in her life were going to take away her holiday.

CHAPTER THREE

When Shane Hatcher walked into the prison library on Christmas Day, the wall clock showed that it was exactly two minutes before the hour.

Perfect timing, he thought.

In a few minutes, he was going to break free.