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  Sam

  Pursuing Tranquility

  Sarah Stone

  Chapter 1:

  Chapter 2:

  Chapter 3:

  Chapter 4:

  Chapter 5:

  Chapter 6:

  Chapter 7:

  Chapter 8:

  Chapter 9:

  Chapter 10:

  Chapter 11:

  Chapter 12:

  Chapter 13:

  Chapter 14:

  Chapter 15:

  Chapter 16:

  Chapter 17:

  Chapter 18:

  Chapter 19:

  Chapter 20:

  Chapter 21:

  Chapter 22:

  Chapter 23:

  Chapter 24:

  Contact Info

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Chapter 1:

  Sam

  The dash lights glowed bright like a starburst in my sleep-deprived, blurry vision. It was a little after five in the morning. I’d been driving for hours. My head was killing me, and I was pretty sure I’d broken my wrist when I fell. My ribs hurt every time I breathed, but I couldn’t stop driving. He’ll find me. I need to keep going.

  I’d been driving for what seemed like forever, when streaks of pink and orange stretched over the horizon as the sun began its morning ascent.

  My stomach lurched. Logan’s going to wake up soon—if he hasn’t already.

  I looked in the rearview mirror for the millionth time. I knew he hadn’t followed me, but I couldn’t seem to help looking in the mirror over and over again to make sure.

  The ding of the gas light startled me.

  “Shoot.” I gripped the steering wheel tighter.

  I glanced up at the road. I’d seen hardly anything but trees for the last hour. I must have driven farther than I thought. I should’ve paid more attention to the gas. I looked back at the dash. Forty-eight miles to empty. Crap, crap, crap.

  I blinked, trying to hold back the tears.

  A few minutes later, I finally saw a sign on the side of the deserted highway. Jacksonville: thirteen miles.

  “Oh, thank God.” I sighed in relief. I drove for a few more minutes before taking the exit.

  There was nothing, no sign I was heading in the right direction. Nothing but trees.

  I drove for a few more minutes, and just as I was starting to think I took the wrong exit, I saw the sign: Welcome to Jacksonville.

  Sighing in relief, I saw a building ahead, barely visible in the morning light spilling through the trees.

  I pulled up to the gas station in front of what appeared to be the general store in the small town as the sun was rising above the mountains.

  Shutting the car off, I rested my forehead on my steering wheel, thankful I made it that far.

  I was so focused on getting out of the city and as far away as I could, I didn’t pay attention to where I was going.

  Looking around at the small town, I saw a diner across the street, a mechanic shop, storefronts, a bar, and some houses scattered through the trees.

  There’s actually a ton of trees. I must’ve headed farther north than I realized.

  As the sun continued to rise, I could see more of the town. It was bigger than it originally looked. All the trees made it seem quaint. It was beautiful.

  Glancing in the mirror, I cringed. I was a wreck. I had a black eye and a bruise on my left cheek. I reached up and winced when I touched my split lip. I unsuccessfully tried to rake my fingers through my wavy strawberry blonde hair, but it was a mess, matted with dried blood. My normally bright green eyes were glassy and bloodshot.

  Pulling at the hem of my nightgown, I looked down at my shoeless feet.

  I sighed. Bare feet. Great. I look like hell and have to get out of the car to get gas. Hopefully, it’s still early enough, and no one will be out yet.

  I scanned the area, not seeing anyone.

  On the bright side, I still had a bra on. I didn’t take it off before I went to sleep because I was waiting for Logan to get home. He didn’t like it when I go to bed without him.

  Grabbing my purse, which was the only thing I took out of the house with me when I ran, I stepped out of my car onto the dirty pavement of the parking lot.

  I made my way to the side of the store and into the restroom. Flicking the lights on, I locked the door before making my way to the sink. I dug through my purse to find the extra comb I kept in there and my sunglasses.

  I looked in the mirror and cringed at my reflection. I looked worse than I’d originally thought. The dim light in the car had hidden some of the swelling and bruises.

  I wished I had my makeup so I could try to cover the black eye and bruise, but there was nothing to be done about the swelling. I combed my hair out the best I could and slipped my sunglasses on before heading out and back around to the front of the store.

  Thankful the store opened early, I kept my head down as I made my way to the far back corner. There was a small selection of clothes and shoes. I grabbed a pair of black flip-flops. They would have to do for now. I grabbed a water bottle and a granola bar on my way to the checkout counter.

  I tried not to make eye contact with the clerk, but I could feel his eyes on me as he rang me up.

  “Nineteen dollars and twenty-one cents, ma’am,” he said in a soft tone. He was an older man, maybe in his mid-fifties.

  I grabbed a twenty-dollar bill out of my purse from the wad of cash I’d been hiding from Logan for the last six months and handed it over to the clerk. Instead of taking the cash, he clasped my hand between his large ones. I jerked my face up in shock.

  “You okay, honey?” His hazel eyes shone with sympathy.

  I tried to speak, but I choked up before I could form a word. He reached up slowly and pulled my sunglasses off. I closed my eyes and heard him gasp.

  “Oh, honey.” He sighed. “Come on.”

  He closed my fingers around the money and made his way around the counter. Stopping in front of me, he grabbed the flip-flops off the counter, yanked off the tag, and dropped them on the floor.

  I stood there stunned, just looking at him, not quite sure what he was doing.

  He nodded to the flip-flops on the floor. “Slip them on, and we’ll go see Alex down at the clinic to get that arm looked at.”

  “Wh-what?” I stuttered.

  He gestured to my arm. “Your arm. You’re holding it against your side and only using your right hand. You’re hurt.” He took my right arm in his and gestured to the flip-flops on the floor again. I automatically slipped them on, and he started leading me out the front door.

  “I-I’m okay. I just need gas, and I’ll be on my way.”

  He patted my arm as he led me down the empty sidewalk to where I guessed the clinic was. “On your way where?” He stopped and turned to me.

  I stared blankly up at him.

  “That’s what I thought.” He started walking us down the sidewalk again.

  I glanced back at my car and the gas station. “Don’t you need to lock your store?”

  He didn’t even pause. “Nope. This is a safe town. If anyone needs anything while I’m out, they’ll write it on a sticky note and leave the cash on the counter.”

  I looked around the still empty town. Most of the businesses were still closed, except the mechanic shop, which already had its doors open and a few lights on. I couldn’t imagine any place I could trust like he did.

  We stopped in front of the clinic. It was still dark, and the “open” sign was off, but that didn’t seem to stop the nice man who had hijacked my life.

  He knocked softly on the glass door.

  I saw a hall light pop on, and a pretty, petite older woman came out from the back. As soon as she saw us, she smiled and unlocked the door.

  “Jim, so
good to see you.”

  He glanced down at me, and her eyes followed his.

  “Oh, honey.” She gasped when she looked me over. “Jim, bring her in.” She stepped back and opened the door wider.

  “Hi, Alex. This is…” He looked down at me expectantly as Alex shut and locked the door behind us. She breezed by us, down the hall, flicking on lights as she went.

  “Sam. My name is Sam,” I whispered.

  “Nice to meet you, Sam. Come on over and sit down.” She gestured to a chair in a small clinic room.

  I glanced up at Jim, who merely nodded and gave me a light shove. He turned to head back to the waiting area, but before he had a chance, I grabbed his hand and said, “You can stay.”

  He looked back at me and nodded. He sat in the other chair in the patient room, seeming to know how much I needed his support.

  I took my seat, and Alex started to do her exam, lightly pressing on my cheekbone. I winced.

  “Oh, honey,” she said as she pushed on my face. “You’re bruised and a bit swollen, but I don’t think you have any facial fractures. You’ll have these bruises for at least a week, if not two,” she said apologetically.

  I nodded. I knew the drill.

  “Does it hurt anywhere else, other than the wrist you’re favoring?”

  I flicked my eyes to the floor and shook my head.

  Jim said immediately, “Sam?”

  I glanced up at him and then over at Alex before looking back at the floor. With a small and painful sigh, I came clean. “My hip hurts from when I landed, but it’s only a bruise. I think I also bruised my ribs. It hurts a little when I breathe.”

  “Okay. Go ahead and lay back. I’m just going to bring your shirt up a little to take a look at your ribs.”

  I did as I was told, slowly and somewhat painfully lying back. I kept my eyes on the ceiling, not wanting to see her or Jim’s expressions when they caught a glimpse of my stomach. Alex tucked a paper sheet around my lower half so I didn’t flash Jim my panties.

  As Alex rolled my nightgown up, I heard her sharp intake of breath. Jim shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  “Oh, honey,” Alex whispered.

  I hadn’t looked yet, but I was sure it was bad. The bruises from the week before were just starting to fade into a yellow color, and I was sure I looked bad from all the new marks starting to form. I could feel my face getting hot. I was so embarrassed. I was sure they got a glimpse of the bruises in the shapes of fingers along the inside of my thighs when my nightgown rode up as I lay back before Alex covered me with the paper sheet.

  “This is going to hurt a bit, but I need to do a quick exam to make sure they’re just bruised and not cracked or broken. I’ll be as gentle as possible.” I could hear the sadness in Alex’s voice as she spoke. I did my best to hold my breath so I didn’t whimper as she pressed down on my injuries.

  “Okay. All done. Good news is there don’t seem to be any fractures, but you’re going to be sore for a while. Let’s take a look at that wrist.” She eased it away from my side.

  I inhaled sharply. Crap, that hurts. I knew it was broken. When he hit me, I flew across the room, over the table, and landed right on it. I heard it pop.

  “I’m sorry, honey.” She sighed and looked me in the eyes. “Let’s take an X-ray to confirm, but I think we all know what it’s going to show.” She glanced over at Jim, who was sitting next to me. His graying hair brushed slightly over his pinched brows as he scowled. As soon as his gaze met with Alex’s, his expression changed to sympathetic as he shook his head in disbelief.

  Chapter 2:

  Jax

  No matter how fast my fingers flew over the keyboard, I couldn’t retrieve the files I needed. Someone must have erased them! This is going to be harder than I thought. I grinned. It had been a while since I’d faced a real challenge. I’d better figure it out soon, though. Devin’s counting on me to get him this information.

  I pushed my laptop away from me, annoyed with my lack of progress, and leaned back in my chair.

  Devin and I were in the same BUD/S class, and we went on some joint missions together over the years. I was medically discharged eleven months ago after taking a bullet to the knee. After three surgeries, I could walk with just a slight limp. Devin was in the same boat. He’d recently been discharged due to some hearing loss from a mission gone bad.

  He’d texted me, asking me to dig up some info on his neighbor, Ava, and some guy named Jason. Ava was easy to find and create a nice little file on, but that Jason guy was a pain in my ass. His school records, bank records, hospital records, and social media were as easy as always to get ahold of. The issue was his police record. There were some reports I could only find traces of in the system. There was something not quite right about him, and my gut was telling me to keep digging.

  I leaned forward to send Devin what I had and let him know I was still digging and would get back to him.

  I closed my laptop and rubbed my hands down my face before heading to my front door. I needed to get to work, and sometimes stepping back from what I was looking for cleared my mind.

  I parked my truck behind the mechanic shop. I’d been working there with my brother since I came back to town. Chase was only a few years younger than me.

  When we were kids, Chase and I worked part-time after school at the local mechanic shop owned by Mr. Thompson.

  Mr. Thompson was in his sixties—a widower with no kids. He came off mean as hell, but once you got to know him and looked past his rough exterior, he was the most honest, trustworthy guy you’d ever meet. He took Chase and me under his wing and taught us everything he knew. Once Chase graduated high school and started working for Mr. Thompson full-time, I joined the navy. Then, five years ago, Mr. Thompson passed away and left everything to Chase and me. Chase had done a great job running the business. He bought the lot next door about a year ago to expand.

  As I headed into the office, I heard Chase opening the roll-up doors in the shop.

  “Morning,” I yelled out as I made my way inside to help him roll up the other three doors.

  He left me to finish opening the doors and picked up the coffee pot. “Want some?”

  “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Chase and I could have almost passed for twins. We have the same dark hair and blue eyes. We were both over six feet tall. My military training made me more muscular, though he was no slouch. He was younger than me, but sometimes his confidence made him feel like the older brother.

  After I’d opened the last door up, I made my way over to the coffee station as Chase finished pouring each of us a cup.

  He handed one over to me as we both leaned against the table. “You all right, Jax?”

  “Yeah. Just a long night.”

  Chase glanced over at me with a wicked grin.

  I chuckled. “Not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  Chase shrugged. “If it wasn’t that, then what were you up to all night?”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. “Trying to dig up some dirt on someone.”

  Chase looked at me. “‘Trying?’ You never have any issues digging up dirt on people. You losing your touch in your old age?”

  I gave him a shove and made my way to the office. “I’m only thirty. If I’m old, so are you.”

  I heard Chase’s laugh as I shut the office door.

  I flopped down at my desk and took a sip of coffee. Glancing out the office window, I saw Jim and a woman walking down the opposite side of the street. It was still early and a bit hard to see. I squinted through the dirty front window.

  Without thinking, I was up and moving. “Where are you going?” I said to myself as I strode closer to the glass for a better view.

  Jim was leading the woman down the sidewalk. She looked to be a little younger than me, and her wavy strawberry blonde hair and great curves were mesmerizing.

  “What you looking at, bro?”

  I jumped and spun around.

  “What has you conce
ntrating so hard you didn’t hear me coming?” Chase asked.

  I straightened. “Nothing. Go away.”

  That made Chase grin and saunter over to the window next to me. He let out a low whistle. “Wow!”

  I turned back to see Jim and the mysterious woman right across the street.

  Jim hovered near her protectively.

  I took a closer look and scanned the woman from head to toe. She held her left arm close to her like it hurt.

  Chase looked over at me. “I wonder if she got in a car accident.” He must have seen how she held her arm, too.

  I nodded, noticing her clothes and sunglasses. She was still in pajamas, but she had sunglasses on when the sun had barely risen.

  Jim stopped at the clinic right down the street from our shop.

  I could make out Alex’s worried expression as she ushered Jim and the woman inside.

  “That’s odd,” Chase said as he turned to face me.

  “Yup,” I agreed.

  “Did you see what she was wearing and the glasses?” he asked.

  I sighed and turned to head back to my desk. “Yeah. I noticed.”

  Chase glanced out the window one more time before heading back to the auto shop. The guys would show up to start work soon, and he needed to get the work orders started so they knew the priorities for the day.

  I plopped down in my chair and stared out the window. I couldn’t help wondering what was going on in the clinic across the street.

  Chapter 3:

  Sam

  The X-rays showed exactly what we all knew. I had a fracture in my left scaphoid, which was just a fancy way of saying I’d broken my wrist.

  I zoned out as Alex finished putting the cast on me. This has been a shit day. Who am I kidding? It’s been a shit year.

  “I’m sorry, hon, but you’re going to need to leave this on for six weeks to make sure that bone heals correctly.” She patted my arm, turned to the little table, and started cleaning up.

  “Okay. Thank you.” I stood nervously, not sure what I was going to do next.