CHAPTER 1
A collective shout rang across the dark interior of the sports bar, followed by groans and jeers of disappointment. College students and faculty overflowed booths and tables, eager for a break from the summer heat, their voices a steady hum over the flat-screen TVs. Grease and onions scented the air. Karly rolled her eyes at the clock above the bar mirror and sighed. The hands appeared to be moving backward. Two hours and fifteen minutes remained until her shift ended; it might as well be an eternity.
Like most Thursday nights, they were short-staffed. Josh tended bar while she and two other girls covered the floor. Between drink orders, she bussed tables. A trickle of sweat ran between her breasts, soaking the white cotton of her tank top. The air conditioning couldn’t quite keep up with the heat or the volume of people.
When her glance went to the corner booth, she sucked in a startled breath at the familiar face staring back at her. Randy Mackenzie lounged in the shadows beneath the pendant light. His piercing, deep-set eyes followed her across the room with focused intensity. Self-conscious, she wiped sweaty palms on her apron before clearing away barbecue-smudged dishes and empty beer mugs from an adjacent booth. When she glanced his way again, the booth was empty.
Before she could dissect the reason for her feeling of disappointment, the cell phone in her apron pocket vibrated with an incoming text. She turned her back to the bar and read the message. Fear and concern made her breath come short. With one hand pressed to her chest, she hit redial and held her breath while the call connected.
“Hi.” Emma answered on the first ring, her high-pitched, pre-teen voice a breathy whisper.
“Hey, girl. What’s up? Are you okay?”
“It’s bad. Really bad tonight.” Emma’s voice hitched with a muffled sob, and Karly’s heart plummeted.
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m in the closet. Mom’s crying in the bathroom. I think she’s hurt, but I’m afraid to go see.”
The terror in Emma’s voice brought back a flood of disjointed memories. The scent of gin and cigarettes when her father came home late from work. The muffled thuds of booted feet pummeling her brother Mitch when he forgot to take out the trash. Hiding in the closet with toddler Emma clutched in her embrace until her father passed out. Anger, frustration, and helplessness clogged her throat until she could barely breathe. Unless she did something, Emma would face those same memories.
“He didn’t touch you, did he?” I swear to God, if he lays a hand on her… Her heart rate tripled as she waited for the answer.
“No. I’m fine. I hid as soon as he came home drunk.”
“It’s alright, june bug,” Karly crooned, cupping the phone as a patron passed by on the way to the restroom. “Mom can take care of herself.” She’s been doing this long enough . “Stay where you are. He won’t find you there. You have to keep yourself safe. Do you understand?”
Emma didn’t answer, but Karly heard a catch in the girl’s throat. She slammed her hand against the wall, causing the black-framed pictures of historic buildings to rattle against the wallpaper.
“Listen to me, Emma. Get your MP3 player and ear buds. Put in some good music and turn it up loud enough to drown everything out. Understand?”
“Y-yes,” Emma stammered. Karly had a vision of the red-haired girl sitting in the darkness, surrounded by coats and boxes, clutching a tattered teddy bear to her chest, heart-shaped face pinched and pale with fear. “I’ll be okay.”
Brave little girl. Tears stung her eyes. “Yes, you will. And why is that?”
“Because I’m strong,” Emma whispered. “Because I’m a survivor. Because no one can break me.”
“That’s right. You’re so wonderful, Emma, and you don’t deserve this. None of this is your fault. I love you so much. Don’t forget that.”
“I love you, too,” Emma said,
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