Page 1 of Haunted By the Storm
CHAPTER ONE
camryn
The moment I see him, I freeze.
Time stands still as my heart pounds against my chest, threatening to break through my ribs. He hasn't noticed me yet, but it won't be long before he does. I should run. I should grab my cart and get the hell out of here. But my feet are glued to the linoleum floor.
Eric.
It's been almost eight years since I last saw him and yet the sight of him still makes me sick to my stomach. My hands shake as I grip the metal shopping cart tighter, my knuckles turning white. I close my eyes for a brief moment and take a deep breath, focusing on slowing my racing heart.
When I open them again, his eyes lock with mine from across the produce section. I watch recognition flash across his face, followed by a slow, predatory smile that sends ice through my veins. He starts walking toward me, and I have to fight every instinct screaming at me to run.
Act normal, Cam. Just act fucking normal.
"Well, look who it is," Eric says as he approaches, his voice like oil slithering over my skin. "Camryn Fletcher. It's been a while."
I clench my jaw, keeping my expression neutral. "Eric. I didn't expect to see you here."
"I'm full of surprises." His piercing gaze travels down my body before settling on my face again. "You look good."
I resist the urge to cover myself, to shield my body from his gaze. I won't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he still affects me.
"What do you want?" I ask, proud of how steady my voice sounds despite the tremor in my hands.
His smile falters for a moment before returning, sharper this time. "What, no small talk? We used to be so close."
I can't help but scoff at that. "We were never close."
The smile drops from his face completely now, replaced by something harder, colder. "I want to see her."
My blood turns to ice, and for a moment, I can't breathe. "No."
"She's my daughter too, Camryn."
"No, she isn't." My voice is steel now, all traces of fear buried beneath a mother's fierce protection. "You have no rights to her. None."
"That's not how the law works," he says, stepping closer to me. "I'm her biological father. I have rights."
"You lost any right to call yourself her father the night you—" I cut myself off, aware we're in the middle of a grocery store. "Stay away from us, Eric. I mean it."
He chuckles, and the sound makes my skin crawl. "Or what? You'll call the cops? And tell them what? That the father of your child wants to be part of her life? I don't think they'll see the problem with that."
"You don't want to be part of her life," I hiss. "You just want to hurt me."
His eyes gleam. "Maybe. Or maybe I just want to know my daughter. Emily, right?"
The sound of my daughter's name on his lips makes me want to vomit. "Don't you say her name. Don't youeversay her name."
"I've been watching you," he says, ignoring my words. "Nice little house you've got. Emily looks like me, doesn't she? Same eyes."
My heart stops. He's been watching us? Fear claws its way up my throat, threatening to choke me.
"Stay away from my daughter," I warn, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper, "or I swear to God, Eric, I will end you."
He laughs, clearly amused by my threat. "Always so dramatic, Camryn. I just want to talk; get to know her a little. Maybe take her out for ice cream."
The thought of him anywhere near Emily makes rage burn through my veins, hot and fierce, momentarily overshadowing my fear. "Touch her, and I'll kill you. That's not a threat; it's a promise."
