Her thoughts went to Newman, the club manager where she worked.She would be thankful for him for the rest of her life.He found her in a cafe, and she must have looked pitiful because he sat down and asked if he could help.For some reason, she trusted him like she’d never trusted any other person and told him the story.She expected him to laugh, snort, maybe call her crazy, and walk off.Instead, he gripped her hand and said he’d help her.

Within a few hours, she had a place to live and a job at the club.He helped her settle in and gave her money to tide her over.She never took it or him for granted because she felt good for the first time in years, was without pain, and could eat whatever she wanted.

When he found her that first time, she had five dollars in her pocket and was trying to figure out what to do.She was so exhausted, it was hard for her to concentrate.

She had no idea where she would have ended up if it hadn’t been for him.

Chapter Three

Drew sighed and answered his phone.He didn’t feel like he had gotten anything done that day because of the damn phone.He debated throwing the thing against the wall, but as a Maclean, he was always on call.

“Hey, Boss.I followed her like you told me to, and she walked to a restaurant a block down from the club and took the outside stairs to the second floor.The light came on, but she had curtains, so I couldn’t see what she was doing, but after a short while, the lights went off, and I assumed she was asleep.What would you like me to do?”

Drew sat back in the chair in his office and rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip as he thought.“You can head home.I’ll send a man there to take over.I want men on her 24/7 until we figure out what’s happening.”

“You got it, Boss.I have to tell you, she was extremely skittish.She kept looking over her shoulder.”

Drew guessed she was running from someone.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow morning,” Vance said.

“Thanks, Vance.”

Drew relaxed back in his chair as his mind went in circles.His thoughts returned to the records he’d gone over in the club.He found nothing, but something still didn’t add up.He planned to question the manager of the club later tomorrow.

Drew called his head of security, John.

“Yes, Boss?”John answered the phone with the second ring.

“I need you to send a person to this address and watch over a woman on the second floor of this restaurant.If they see anything unusual, have them call me right away.”

“You got it,” John said.

Tomorrow was soon enough to figure out who that was and why she was lying.He wanted to know who she was running from and why.

At that moment, he could feel exhaustion sap him of any energy he had, so he walked up to his room at his house and went to sleep.He also had a room at the Maclean mansion but hadn’t stayed there since his mother died in Alastair’s office a year before.

That was a time he tried to forget.He knew it affected him but wouldn’t let it ruin his life.How could a person be okay after they found out their mother was a serial killer?

Drew got up early the next morning and went directly to his office to work.He knew he’d have a cup of coffee and breakfast on his desk in the next few minutes, so he didn’t have to waste time eating at the family table.

His desk always seemed to have stacks of work to do, so he was never bored.He hadn’t received a call the night before, so he assumed the woman was still in the second-floor apartment.The more he thought about her, the more intrigued he became.

He tried to gain any information about her from the manager at the club, but he was tight-lipped, which Drew found strange.The manager, Newman, had always been afraid of him.So, for him to lie told Drew he was protecting the woman for some reason.

His phone rang a little before noon.

“Boss, the woman you’re having me watch is on the move.”

“Hayes, does she have a bag or anything with her?”he asked.If she did, he would assume she was trying to run, and he couldn’t let that happen before he got the story.

“No.Nothing.”

“Is she wearing glasses, and is her hair pulled into a messy bun?”

“Yes.Her clothes are atrocious.Someone needs to teach the woman how to dress.”

Drew rolled his eyes.“Okay.Keep on her tail.I want to know everything she does.”