.

       ONE

      Someone was watching her.

      Sadie Standings whipped her head around so fast that her light brown hair swung across her face, blocking her vision. Shoving her fingers through her hair to push it out of the way, she searched the area behind her. The parking lot at the local shopping mall was busy, filled with people who had stopped on their way home from work, but none of the other shoppers appeared to be looking in her direction. Seeing no one suspicious, she scrunched her eyes into a squint, desperately trying to catch sight of whoever was watching her. Still, she saw nothing.

      She should have been comforted.

      She wasn’t. Unease still pricked at her.

      Despite all evidence to the contrary, she knew that she was under surveillance. In fact, she had known since the day before when she had spotted the man with the cold blue eyes watching her as she left the post office. He was so familiar. When she had seen him, she had a flash of what she thought may have been a memory, but it had made no sense. In her mind, she could hear a cold voice calling to her, shouting, but couldn’t make out the words. Was it a threat? A warning? Although she couldn’t understand the words, the tone was harsh.

      Although it seemed improbable, she knew that she had seen him somewhere before and instinctively cringed. A chill had run through her when his posture stiffened at her reaction. Had she offended him? She didn’t think so. Since then, she’d had the sensation of hard eyes boring into her. It was like walking around with a target on her back, like the one her brother used when sighting in his rifle before hunting season.

      The spot between her shoulder blades tingled again, like a spider skittering across her skin. He was there. Somewhere he was out there, watching her. Briefly, the idea of going to the police crossed her mind, but she quickly vetoed it. What would she tell them? That she believed someone she’d bumped into was following her, but she hadn’t actually seen him following her? Oh, and she thought she might have met him before, but had no real recollection of doing so. Yeah, right. They’d think she was crazy or making the story up.

      Thankfully, she was in a parking lot full of other shoppers, so there was little chance that anyone would come after her. Still, she didn’t like the feeling of being out in the open. Hoisting her purse higher on her shoulder, she held the bag close to her body and pushed herself to move faster. The October wind bit into her skin as she practically ran the last few feet to her car. Her eyes teared at the cold. She didn’t care what the people around her thought. Every instinct inside her was screaming at her to flee.

      She held out the key fob and pressed the unlock button several times as she approached her vehicle. The lights flashed in two short bursts. Opening the driver’s side door, she threw herself inside. Her elbow slammed into the steering wheel in her haste. She ignored the sharp pain that shot down her arm. She pushed the key into the ignition with fingers that shook. The first time she tried to turn the key, it was stuck and wouldn’t move. Not now. She’d had trouble with the ignition jamming before. Thoughts of being stranded here while someone with malicious intent drew closer crowded into her mind. Clenching her teeth, she held her breath and turned the steering wheel to the left. When it clicked, she tried to turn the key again.

      Relief flooded through her as the engine roared to life. The sooner she arrived home and was locked inside her house, the better she’d feel. She was concerned that someone might try to break into her house, but she shoved that fear aside. She had good locks, and she didn’t live alone in the house her family had owned for the past fifteen years. Her brother would be home shortly.

      Pulling out of the parking lot, she sighed, allowing the tension that had built up inside her to drain away. She had half-expected someone to follow her, but no one did. Maybe she was being paranoid.

      Suddenly her confidence that she had recognized the man dwindled. He probably just had one of those faces that looked vaguely like someone she had known. Even with the doubt, she couldn’t completely shake the sensation that she had escaped from some nebulous danger.

      She was being ridiculous.

      She neared the intersection. Wow. She needed to pay attention to where she was going. She hadn’t realized that she had driven so far already. She tapped the brake to slow as she neared the stop sign.

      Her car didn’t slow. Her insides quivered.

      She pushed harder on the brake. In horror, she glanced down to see that her foot was all the way to the floorboard.

      Her brakes