Chapter 2

Cam tore shirts and sweaters off of hangers and threw them into her hard sided suitcase. “Dammit!” she said angrily and flicked away a useless tear. “Don’t you cry about this, Cam, not right now. Cry later,” she ordered herself.

She thought she’d gotten away from him. It had been a blissful three weeks here in Lake George. Summers here as a kid had been some of the happiest days of her life, and when she’d had no where else to go, this seemed perfect. She’d never told anyone about it, especially Lucas. It had been her retreat with her Grandfather every summer until she’d turned eleven.

And now it had been ruined. It was just one more thing that Lucas had taken away from her, the bastard. It had taken all of her resources to get away from Lucas. He’d neatly tucked her away ever so quietly that she hadn’t even realized it had happened. First had been the joint checking acct. They were getting married after all, what was the difference, right? “Let me just take out the money and give it to you when you need it, Cameron, it will be easier. Let me take care of the finances, Cameron. Let me buy you clothes, Cameron. Let me take care of everything, Cameron.”

She could hear his voice in her head. The cajoling, sweet voice that made her feel like a jerk when she tried to tell him she wanted to do things for herself. And one day she’d realized she was completely dependent on him. When she had tried to make him see that her independence was just as important as breathing, things had gone so very wrong.

She’d seen a very different side to the perfect man. She’d finally realized that in Lucas’ very orderly, very perfect life she was the last step to his twisted version of happily ever after. And when she’d questioned that life…she shuddered and started tossing things into her bag faster.

She couldn’t think about it, she just needed to get out of there and quickly. She collected all her toiletries from the bathroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror and stopped. She hated to see those shadows again, hated even more that just the sight of him had her running, but it had to be done. There was no way he could find her again. She had no time to…the tic-tic-tic at the window had her swearing. She dropped her cosmetic bag into the sink and peered out the window.

“Goddamn lake effect,” she snarled and scooped up the rest of her belongings and hurriedly packed her suitcase. She snagged one of her favorite pictures off the bureau and tucked it between her jeans then snapped it closed.

If she left now, then she’d be able to get on the road before the worst of the storm hit hard and fast. The only problem with the Adirondacks was the fact that the weather was beyond unpredictable. You could go from rain to sunshine in an hour and if the gods wanted to give you snow in August it could happen.

She rushed down the stairs and popped the telescope handle on her case and hooked her laptop case to it. She checked her purse for money and credit cards and locked up the cabin leaving the key under the mat. Freezing rain picked at her face like tiny razor blades. She shuddered and popped the collar on her parka. Dragging the oversized suitcase behind her, she tried to drag her scattered thoughts into a semblance of order.

She needed to focus. She’d head north toward Maine and into Canada. She’d paid a pretty penny to get new papers both license and passport to start over again and it was time she used them. She doubted that Lucas had the foresight to pack his passport.

With a clear goal in mind she tucked her suitcase in the backseat for easy access and climbed inside. The chilly wind battered her windows and waiting a precious ten minutes to defrost was not an option.

She scraped the windows best she could and cranked the heat to combat the layer of ice that had already formed with the sleet and eased her way down the rutted road broken by overgrown tree roots and uneven earth. By the time she made it to the main road her hands ached from gripping the wheel. Visibility was near impossible as Mother Nature threw a tantrum to let the world know that November was close at hand.

She could feel her tires gripping for purchase on the blacktop and forced herself to keep her speed down. Going off the side of the road on a mountain was not in her getaway plans. She snicked on the radio and let the soothing radio voices fill the silence. Her Subaru was built for crazy weather and she thanked God for its four wheel drive as she navigated the steep turns that led to the highway.

Her lights cut a narrow path through the thick night and she felt the beginnings of a tension headache start in her jaw. “C’mon just a little farther,” she whispered into her empty car. Then felt a bump from behind her.

She whipped her head around and checked her mirrors. And felt a bump again as if a...

“Oh God,” she whispered as lights behind her suddenly flared to life.