Never Look Back Read Free Page B

civilization, a gun pointed at her.
    Her cell phone rang.
    Skully jolted and snatched her purse. “You ain’t answering that.”
    “Do you have to take everything away from me?”
    “I told you. I’m in charge.”
    A knot formed in her stomach. What if he kills her? God forbid, what had she gotten herself into? If only her father didn’t write that letter. Maybe her mother was better served as a memory… What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
    She sat down on the bar stool trying to figure out how she could escape.
    “You want to know why you’re here?”
    Her ears perked up but how could she trust him.
    Skully bent down to stroke her hair bringing it closer to his nostrils. “Hmm. I love the smell of lavender mixed with lime.”
    She tilted her head away from him.
    He only held her closer and whispered in her ear, “I know where your mother is.”
    Swallowing hard, she said, voice low, “My mom passed away years ago."
    He kicked the chair opposite where she sat and gave that long admonishing laugh of his. “Liar.”
    She rose from her chair and threw the box of donuts at his face. “You freak!”
    Skully’s face flushed with rage like he was ready to pounce at her. "Bitch."
    Dana dropped down to her knees and wept. The marble floors didn’t cool the mixed emotions she felt inside. There was no more turning back. Not only was her mother alive—something that up until now, she still hadn't quite accepted—her mother was in danger. They both were, and it would be up to Dana to save her.
    "You're never getting out of here." Skully stormed out of the kitchen, and the last thing she heard was the door bang and switching of the lock.

Chapter 4
    FBI Agent Kerry Wayne stared at the mishmash stack of folders on his office desk. Each folder contained data of four missing women in the last year in Manhattan alone.
    He adjusted the picture frame of his two daughters and ex-wife glad that they were safe. He was long overdue for a vacation to visit them in Aspen.
    His partner, Agent Felicia Raymond, a skinny, flat-chested woman kept her eyes glued to a corkboard connecting the locations and dates when the victims disappeared while phones rang off the hook.
    “This doesn’t make sense,” Felicia said.
     “What doesn’t?” He glanced at her.
    “These four women except for Maria Garcia were last seen near the Empire State building. Someone claimed they spotted Maria at the airport in Queens.”
    Kerry shrugged. “Could be a lookalike, who knows.”
    “Yes, but all the rest are from out of state. Maria has lived in Manhattan all her life.”
    Kerry rubbed his chin. Her newbie-ness was showing—thorough and overly eager. “Maybe she wanted to escape the cold winters. Some missing persons prefer to erase their past and start anew.”
    “I don’t know about you, but I'm starting to think there’s a syndicate out there profiling women who are between twenty eight and twenty nine years old.”
    Fear crawled inside him. His twins who were tall and skinny like them were now that age, and God forbid that should happen to them.
    Felicia nudged him and opened a folder on his desk. “Did you hear what I said?”
    “Sorry. Maybe he narrowed his search to that age group. We need to know more about these women−their hobbies, jobs and why he would target them.”
    “How do you know it’s a he?” She tossed the folders onto his desk. "These women are six feet tall."
    Kerry glanced at the folders then back at Felicia. “Okay, Felicia, looks like you don’t need a partner like me.”
    She folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. “Are you kidding me? Who do you think will protect me from the wackos out there?” She circled her way back to her desk across him.
    He tossed her a sandwich from his chair. “I’ve got your back.”
    ***
    Dana screamed until her lungs burned, but all she heard was her echo. She dashed in each room and opened the closets and found nothing. She threw a barstool against the window,