me. After all, he freed me from a lifetime of abuse, and I, in turn, subjected him to seven years in prison. I wronged him.”
He held her hand and brought it to his lips. The simple gesture was enough to make him ache with need. Instantly, he wanted more. “You can’t think like that. If you do, he will stand right in front of you and plunge that knife in your gut, and you will not do anything to save yourself because secretly you feel guilty.”
“You don’t think I should feel guilty about sending him to prison?”
“No, I don’t.” He pressed her hand and then released it. “You upheld the law. He should have done the same. What’s more, he continues to break the law. Now when he is pursuing you, he knows exactly what he is doing. This is pre-meditated. He plans. He has strategies. And he knows the consequences. So no, I blame him. And if I ever get hold him…”
Chance couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have a clue as to what he would do if he ever came across the madman who chased her. She didn’t deserve to live in such fear. No one did. Her cell phone rang, and she picked up.
“Yes, officer. Thank you. Yes. That’s…well, I suppose it’s great. Take care.” She shoved the phone in her pocket. “So, they have matched the fingerprints to him. Wesley James Tanner. Since he was in jail, his prints were in the system. That was my brother who tried to push that knife deep in my body.”
“I am sorry.” Was she hoping that she was mistaken all along? “What are they doing?”
“They have put in an alert for him and circulated his pictures to all units, whatever the hell that means. I would have to go in for another interview to tell them anything pertinent that I can remember about him. In meantime, he is running free, planning his next move.”
“That guy sure has some resources. How the hell does he manage to stay a step ahead?”
“Wesley was always a bright kid. He did well in school. I remember, he used to work for hours on this old, beat up laptop that he brought from a second hand shop after saving for three years. He worked in a carpenter’s shop after school. Every day, no holiday. I think he just needed an excuse to get away from home.”
“He did part-time jobs at a carpenter’s shop?”
“Yeah, he was good, but he was a kid. They didn’t give him any heavy work. Just sanding and polishing, that sort of stuff.”
“Maybe that’s how he is earning his money. As a carpenter, he can join different crews in different cities. If he is any good, he would have his choice of work available to him. Perhaps we should check if he picked up any skills in that area while he was in jail. They have different workshops available for inmates.”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “How would that help us?”
“We can tell the police that, and they can start searching for him in specific places. Come on, it’s not going to be easy to find one man in a city. I bet you that he has changed his name or else he would have popped up on their radar up now. We have to figure out where he is working and that will lead us right to him.”
She sighed. Riley began to walk and Chance followed. His mind was working at a furious pace. This was a good idea. He could feel the excitement of the chase. The man thought he targeted Riley, but now he was in Chance’s territory and there was much that he could here. “We could try, I suppose.”
He could see that she wasn’t convinced. All her effort was going into staying alive, but for Chance, it was imperative to find the man and hand him over to the police. If he didn’t do so, Riley wouldn’t have any choice but to shift to another town. Sure, he could go with her, but he had a feeling that she wouldn’t welcome such a move. His best move in order to maintain status quo in their relationship was to find that son of a bitch and end this here. Chance planned it as he strolled with