Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
She covered her face with her hands to steady herself, then made a cup of coffee. Going to the fridge, she discovered they were out of milk.
They were out of a lot of things.
She decided she’d get groceries, right now. Do something normal to clear her head and think.
Emma set a fresh bowl of water and food out for Tug. Kayla was still asleep. She sent her a message, telling her she was going out, got her list and left.
Emma shopped at her local Trader Joe’s.
She liked the prices, the quality and the fun atmosphere. And today, she needed it more than ever. But between selecting items on her list, her fears struck like lightning, tormenting her.
Gripping her cart’s handle Emma could feel the knife in her hand, her past pulling her back to the horror. She forced the images out of her mind as she went through the checkout line, then pushed her cart through the parking lot to her SUV.
“Hi, Emma.”
She stopped. A woman she didn’t know appeared between parked cars, standing next to Emma’s SUV.
The woman might’ve been Emma’s age, maybe older. She had sunglasses perched atop her head. Was smoking a cigarette, one arm against her chest supporting the other elbow in a posture suggesting she’d been waiting.
“Hello.” Emma smiled and moved toward her car.
“You’re married to Benjamin Grant, the author, aren’t you? I saw you on TV.”
Emma lifted the tailgate of her SUV and began transferring the bags from her cart to her vehicle. “Yes.”
The woman dragged on her cigarette, blew a smoke stream skyward.
“We know each other, Emma.”
Emma grew uneasy. Was this woman one of Ben’s readers, another weirdo like the guy in the park?
Be polite, respectful, she told herself as she finished loading her groceries.
“No, I’m sorry. I don’t think I know you.” Emma closed the tailgate and smiled. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Wait. I can prove we know each other.” The woman crushed her cigarette under her foot, then held out the object hanging from her neck chain. “I bet this looks familiar?”
“I don’t—” Emma shook her head, glimpsed the object and froze.
A skull ring.
Emma’s pulse pounded. She fixed her gaze on the stranger with unblinking incredulity until recognition dawned. The woman’s face, her features, the same, but ravaged by decades, took Emma hostage, launching her across the years, to the screams, the blood—to Eternity.
“Ahh,” the woman said. “There it is, in your eyes. You know me, don’t you, sister?” She smiled. “I’m Rita now, Rita Purvis.”
Emma swallowed and looked around. “I don’t know why you’re here. But you should go. Go now.” She pressed her remote key, it chirped and she started for the driver’s door.