Page 2 of Vanishing Legacy
A buzzing noise filled Penny’s ears and vibrated through her body. She thrashed her head side to side. Kicked and pounded her fists on his face and neck and shrieked her best high-pitched scream ever.
The bad man tugged the handle on the back door of his car. Locked.
“No! Penny, no! Do not…get…in…car!” Libby coughed the words. “No matter what…do not…get in…his car!”
“Quit yer squirming, kid.” He shifted her to one arm while he unlocked the doors and opened the back door.
Penny bit the arm wrapped around her waist. Her new front teeth weren’t big, but they were sharp. They sank deep into the flesh of his arm, and she clamped her jaw so hard her face shook.
He let out a howl and released his grip. Penny fell. Her bottom bounced off the backseat, and she tumbled to the pavement. She tucked her arms in and rolled under the car, then belly-crawled to the other side. She scrambled to her feet and bolted to the woods.
“Get back here, you little brat!” The car door slammed shut, cutting off a string of naughty words.
A low ditch ran alongside the street, and Penny ran into the marshy weeds. Cold water oozed into her shoes and socks. She slogged through tall grass and burst into the underbrush. Mud squished under her feet with each step.
“Hey, kid, why you runnin’? Come on back and I’ll take ya on over to see yer daddy,” the deep voice boomed.
She didn’t believe him. He was big and angry. He would hurt her if he could. All she could do was run. She ran deeper into the woods and darted left, then right. Leaped over a fallen tree limb and sprinted left again. Spanish moss dripped from the tree branches, and she dodged around it. If she touched it, the tiny bugs hiding inside would make her itch for a week. The forest closed in on her. A tangle of green and shadows threatening to swallow her whole. But she couldn’t slow down. Couldn’t let the bad man catch her.
Penny zigzagged and ran in different directions until she was all turned around. The forest was an endless maze of trees that gobbled her up. No matter which direction she turned, everything looked the same. She couldn’t find her way back to Libby even if she wanted to. Oh, why hadn’t she stayed with her? Libby was more than a nanny. She was Penny’s friend.
But she hadn’t stayed. She’d run. Now she was lost and all alone.
Footsteps crunched the leaves from somewhere behind.
“You think you got away from me, Penny, but you didn’t! I will find you! That money’s mine, and I ain’t givin’ it up just ’cause o’ one dumb kid!”
Her whole body froze at the sound of his voice.
The bad man was right there. He was coming for her.
And all she could do was run.
ONE
FORSYTH PARK, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, 2:07 P.M.
How anyone could be obsessed with a fiction author, Alana Flores would never understand. As a bookworm herself, she loved reading. Even completed an annual book challenge. But stalking a famous writer? No way.
Yet here she was. Close personal protection to none other than celebrity author, S. M. Warren.
Alana couldn’t complain. The job protecting Warren paid well, and she could use the extra cash. It had been a risk joining the new Savannah branch of the Elite Guardians Agency, but so far it was paying off. Every extra dollar she earned was squirreled away in savings to fund her dream of opening a community outreach for kids in foster care—and those who probably should be in care.
After Warren’s team hired the agency to provide executive security for a local publicity event, Alana had spent the weekend reading the author’s latest. She’d only planned to skim a few pages. Enough to make polite conversation. But she’d gotten sucked in from page one with the fast-paced action and complex characters. What had really captivated Alana was the vivid scenes that brought her new hometown of Savannah, Georgia, to life.
Even though she liked the book, she couldn’t understand why someone would want to hurt the author. She scanned the hundreds of adoring S. M. Warren fans. All who chose to gather on the paved walkway in front of Savannah’s iconic Forsyth Park Fountain to hear the author. At least one who wanted to kill her.
Alana had to admit, it was a glorious day to be outside. Massive live oak trees bordered the walkway. Their gnarled limbs stretched out in all directions to offer shade beneath their branches. Park benches scattered throughout the park offered a place to sit and take in the beauty. There was a reason Forsyth Park drew tourists from all over the world. It was downright picturesque. All of it, the perfect backdrop for the day’s event.
Warren stood on a two-foot-tall dais with the fountain behind her. The fifty-something author had a tumble of short blonde hair and wore a sleeveless cream silk top with peach-colored pants. A wooden podium served as a barrier of protection while she read an electrifying scene from her latest novel.
Alana was one of three Elite Guardians in a loose diamond formation around Warren. Noelle Burton, the branch manager, remained within arm’s reach on Warren’s right. Juliette Montgomery watched for threats from the sides and back, while Alana took point. Today, their agency was concerned with one threat in particular: Bethany Gould.
It’d all started with Gould calling and sending letters to Warren claiming Warren had promised to launch Gould’s writing career. At first Warren had responded to the letters, but when Gould’s manuscript was rejected, the woman had snapped. In Florida, she’d rushed at Warren, demanding she get the book published. A plainclothes detective in line to have her book signed had intervened and arrested Gould on the spot. An order of protection issued by the judge hadn’t deterred Gould, who began stalking Warren.
Last month, things had escalated when Gould followed Warren to a writer’s conference in St. Louis, Missouri, and attempted to kidnap the author from a parking garage. Warren had fought back and thrown herself out of the moving car, suffering a knee injury during her harrowing escape. Though the injury had required surgery, Warren refused to let it stop her from showing up for her fans here in Savannah.