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The chief was texting her? She had given him her contact information yesterday in case he had any more questions. But this seemed almost unprofessional.
She glanced around, looking for the chief, but she didn’t see him anywhere. Interesting.
“Could you excuse me a minute?” she asked Eva and Mayor Alan.
“Well of course!” the mayor said. “You’re the guest of honor here. I know you have a lot of people you want to speak with while you’re in town. Go right ahead.”
With a touch of trepidation, she started toward the shed. She supposed there weren’t many landmarks they could meet at besides on the beach. But unease continued to grow in her stomach with each step.
Did Zach Davis know why she was really here? Would he confront her? If he was as dangerous as Paula seemed to think, would he do more than confront her? Did he have the potential to...harm her?
She rubbed her hands on her linen pants as she reached the door. The sun sank below the horizon and sent another shiver down her spine.
In other circumstances, this would be romantic. Instead, she was alone. Was she always destined to be single? The question seemed both morbid and inconsequential. Paula always told her it was better to be alone. Having no plus-one meant freedom.
But Madelyn had seen what a good relationship her mother and father had, and she wanted that for her own life. She didn’t want to see the world by herself. She wanted a partner by her side to share her struggles and to celebrate her victories.
She let out a sigh and continued trudging through the sand. She was probably wishing for too much, and that made her seem weak. She needed to be strong right now, especially if she was meeting the chief. Zach Davis was the type who could easily see through facades. His gaze made it clear that he was always analyzing things around them. That would include Madelyn. The thought made her nervous. What if he could see through her? What would she do then?
She reached the shed, but no one was there. She glanced around. The crowds from the oyster roast were on the other side of the beach, far away from this building, which was set back on the grassy banks, away from the sand.
Where was Chief Davis? She searched the crowds in the distance again but didn’t spot him.
Impatient, she peered around the back side of the building. When she did, a masked man lunged at her from the shadows.
In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes.
FIVE (#ulink_f54ab313-d02e-5678-aa6a-bb9923beb336)
Madelyn struggled against the man in black—her captor. She thrashed, trying to get out of his grip. She tried to scream, but a gloved hand went over her mouth.
“I warned you,” the man grumbled.
Just hearing his gravelly voice ratcheted her fear to the next level. She thrashed even harder. She used her elbows to catch the man’s ribs. She kicked at his shins.
It was no use. He was stronger than she was and easily overpowered her. All of Madelyn’s efforts seemed futile.
She wasn’t ready to give up, though. She craned her neck, straining to catch a glance at her captor. His face was covered with a black mask, making him unrecognizable.
Had this been Zach all along? Had he secretly followed Madelyn into town and pretended someone else shot at him in the woods yesterday? Had he disguised his voice so she wouldn’t recognize him? He was the only person in town who’d known she was at her duplex alone last night. He’d had enough time to change before coming back and trying to run her out of town as she stood there on the stoop. He could have even been down by the pier with binoculars. The dispatcher had answered when she called, so Zach would have enough time to change again. Right now he could be concealing his face and trying to scare her out of town.
The man raised her off her feet and edged her toward the shed.
No!
She glanced down, trying to get any kind of clue as to who he might be. All she could see were his shoes. Black, glossy, sandy. She tried to memorize what she could.
In one motion, he tossed her into the shed. Her backside ached on impact, and the sudden motion caused a shovel to fall, landing hard on her hand.
“Go home,” the man growled as he leered into the darkness. She could only see the whites of his eyes, and that was enough to turn her stomach with fear.
Then he was gone. Blackness surrounded her. Something scraped outside the door.
The lock, she realized. The man had locked her in here.
Coming to her senses, she scrambled to her feet. Already, imaginary spiders were crawling across her skin. Her body let out an involuntary tremble as fear rose in her.
Alone...the word echoed in her head. The thought caused adrenaline to surge in her.
She pounded at the door. “Let me out of here!”
She stopped after several minutes and listened.
Between the music playing on the beach and everyone milling around eating oysters and other seafood, what were the chances that someone would hear her? Or even come looking for her? Eva might just assume she’d gone back to her apartment. It was a logical assumption since it was getting late.
She’d call for help, except she must have dropped her purse when the man grabbed her. Her phone had been tucked inside.
She banged on the door again, trying hard to get someone’s attention. “Please, help me!”
She waited, but there was nothing.
She pressed her forehead against the door a moment, trying to collect herself before she fell completely apart. She hated the dark. She hated confined spaces. She hated being alone.
Don’t think like that. Get focused. Come up with solutions.
Had Zach Davis locked her in here? Had he lured her to the shed and tried to scare her? Maybe he knew her real reason for being in town and needed to stop her. He was the most logical choice because he had the most to lose.
But how would he have found out Madelyn’s true intentions? Had he felt intimidated because he knew she was from Baltimore?
That realization ignited something in her. If Zach thought he would bully her into leaving, he was wrong. She was going to fight until the end.
She hit the door again, harder this time. “Please, help me!”
With no one responding still, she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. She glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything inside the small space. It smelled like gasoline and oil and lawn equipment. And though it was balmy outside, the inside of this shed was stuffy and humid after collecting heat all day.
How long would she be in here? What if no one found her? This space wasn’t large enough for the grill she’d seen outside. For all she knew, no one ever came out here except for the maintenance man on occasion.
That thought made her throat tighten.
No, she couldn’t think worst-case scenarios. She had to stay positive. Worrying would only pull her under.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
She hadn’t thought of that verse from Matthew in a long time. Not since she’d been to church with her parents when she was a teenager. That had been ten years ago, yet at once the memories seemed so strong.
The ache in her chest deepened.
Would her parents be proud of her now? She couldn’t imagine them approving of her going undercover for a story. Though she considered her alias a cover and this whole scenario an effort for the greater good, her parents would consider it a lie.
Paula always said her parents sounded too stuffy and saw things too much in black-and-white. Madelyn couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that, though.
As the music continued outside the shed, Madelyn sank to the wooden floor.
Maybe Zach Davis was desperate to maintain his good reputation in the community. The only way to keep up this ruse was to get rid of Madelyn. She had no idea how he would have found what she was really up to. But he was probably resourceful.
Okay, Madelyn. Think.
She was in a shed. Certainly there were tools in here, some type of resource she could use to escape.
Blindly, she began feeling the space around her. Finally, she felt what she thought was a hammer. Could she bang her way out of here?
She didn’t have many options, so she decided to give it a shot. She pounded the tool against the wood, trying to make as much noise as possible.
“Please help me!”
Just then she heard a rustling on the other side. Had the man come back? Was he determined to keep her quiet once and for all?
She raised the hammer, determined not to be a victim.
The door opened.
The man standing on the other side caused her blood to go cold.
* * *
Zach blinked with surprise when he saw Madelyn Sawyer inside the shed with a hammer raised above her head. He thought he’d heard a noise coming from the building as he walked back to his truck. But he’d never expected this.
Madelyn looked frightened and rightfully so. Why was she in the shed with an unclasped padlock holding the door shut?
Before he could ask, she scrambled out, moving so frantically that she tumbled into his arms. As quickly as his hands went to her waist, she pulled back, obviously flustered. She raised the hammer again.
Her hands were shaking and her knuckles bleeding. Her normally well-placed hair looked disheveled. But that was nothing compared to the panic in her gaze.
The brief moment of relief in her eyes quickly turned to anger. Anger over what?
His concern morphed into curiosity.
“You can put the hammer down,” he urged, realizing how ugly this could turn.
The outrage remained in her gaze. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Madelyn. Please, put the hammer down. Assaulting the police chief isn’t the way you want to start your stay here.”
At that moment, she looked down at his feet. He followed her gaze and glanced at his tan boat shoes. Something about his footwear must have reassured her because she dropped the hammer on the ground and squeezed the skin between her eyes.
“What are you doing in the shed?” He felt like he should reach out to her, to reassure her, to offer some kind of comfort in the midst of her frightened state. But he also sensed that she would reject any touch he offered. For that reason, Zach stayed back, trying to give her space and time to compose herself as the sounds of the party continued to murmur in the background.
“I just thought I would check it out for my article.” She straightened her clothes—now stained—and raised her chin, some of her pride returning. She’d pushed aside her broken state, and determination now stained her gaze.
She started past him, but Zach grabbed her arm. Had a crime happened here? He couldn’t just pretend like he hadn’t seen any of this. He had a duty to the law. “No, really. I need to know what’s going on.”
She turned toward him, heat in her gaze.
It wasn’t the normal reaction he received after he’d helped someone. But nothing about Madelyn seemed normal. Not her uneasiness, her beauty, her interactions with him.
“A man locked me in there,” she said, her voice low and hard. “I don’t suppose you know anything about it?”
Surprise flashed through him. Was she accusing him? “Why would I know anything about it?”
She grabbed her purse, which was lying outside the shed like she’d dropped it, and reached inside. A moment later, she shoved her phone in his face. “Does this text message look familiar?”
His eyes widened as he read the words there. “That’s not my number, and I never sent that text to you.”
“Sure it’s not.”
As she started to storm away again, he gently touched her arm. Compassion echoed through him as he realized she was frightened and shaken. The implications of what had happened washed over him. “No, really. It’s not my number, Madelyn. Look at my phone if you want.”
She stared at him a moment, as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. “How do I know you don’t have two phones?”
He shrugged. “I suppose you don’t.”
“Tell me why someone would send me a text and put your name in it?”
“That’s a good question. For some reason, someone wants to ensure that you don’t trust me.”
She stepped closer, challenge in her gaze. “Is that because you’re trying to hide something?”
His cheeks warmed with irritation. She was overstepping her boundaries—big time. “You need to tread carefully, Ms. Sawyer.”
“Is that a threat?” Her hands went to her hips.
That text message had done its job, it appeared, because the woman obviously didn’t have any faith in him.
“By no means is it a threat. I just think you’re not doing yourself any favors storming into town and making accusations.”
Flames lit in her eyes just as fireworks began exploding over the water. “What am I supposed to think?”
He crossed his arms, growing agitated. “I suppose you should consider that someone must really not want you here.”
“Exactly!”
“But why?” Why would someone feel this threatened by her? That’s what didn’t make sense. He’d asked himself that question many times since her arrival in town. There were obviously things about Madelyn Sawyer that he didn’t know yet. He had to keep prodding until he found some answers. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Isn’t it your job to figure out why this is happening?”
They stared at each other another moment. Tension crackled between them. He didn’t usually have such explosive encounters with pretty newcomers in town. In fact, most people thought he was levelheaded. But there was something about Madelyn that brought out a different side of him.
“Oh, there you are!”
