Bonus Content

Enjoy this sneak peek of Griffin and Eve’s story…

She didn’t look over her shoulder as she walked with quick, meaningful strides, her purse tucked securely to her side. Her car sat across town, nowhere near the train station. No need to give any clues about how she fled town. After taking multiple buses and then hopping in a taxi, she asked to be dropped off five blocks from the destination she was nearly upon.

Had it all been enough?

Only time would tell.

Her hands shook as she dug in her purse for her wallet, her small duffle bag strapped across her chest. She had only packed what would fit in it. Everything else she had left behind. Not that she cared about anything she left behind. Useless objects that filled the space.

The attendant who sold her a ticket didn’t blink an eye. Barely even looked at her as they took her money and then handed her a one-way ticket to St. Louis. Good. The fewer eyewitnesses, the better. She had even purchased a blonde wig to cover her auburn locks and added glasses that she didn’t need to wear to see.

She didn’t bother putting her duffel bag above the seat. Instead chose to keep both her purse and the bag clutched on her lap as the train took off. According to her ticket, it would take her three days to get to St. Louis from Orlando. Three stops total. When she hit her first stop in Washington, D.C. roughly eighteen hours later, she got off and didn’t look back once.

Sure, she wasted money buying a ticket to a destination she never had any intention of going to, to begin with. But anything to knock someone off-balance if they managed to find a small clue of where to look for her.

After walking several blocks from the station, she hailed a cab and asked to be dropped off at the closest hotel. Lucky for her, there was a salon right across from it. The wig was starting to make her itch, and she didn’t trust herself not to mess up dying her hair. She managed to get in right away and walked out as a true blonde. She’d keep the glasses for the time being. Instead of renting a room as the cabbie most likely had expected, she caught a bus until she saw a dealership.

She bought her first car ever. It wasn’t much to talk about, but it would get her from point A to point B. No more spending money on useless destinations. Now, she could get to her last stop in a straight shot. It was silly how giddy she was at the prospect she’d picked this car herself. The other one she had owned had never been her style, one she hadn’t even picked out herself. That was her old life. The one where she shut up and did as she was told. From here on out, every decision would be because it was what she wanted. Not what someone else wanted.

She drove to Pennsylvania then through Ohio and Indiana. Once she hit Illinois, instead of turning toward Wisconsin, she stayed straight to Iowa, then moved up to Minnesota. Four days later, she was two towns away from the end of her journey.

She didn’t want it to seem odd driving into town with nothing but a small duffle bag. A quick stop at a local mall solved the problem. She shopped so much her feet hurt and purchased so much that she ended up carrying bag after bag to her car. Clothes, toiletries, paintings, and wall decor that honestly held no meaning, but she’d pretend they did. Kitchen supplies, bedding, and some books because she couldn’t wait to relax and simply read. Of course, to make it all appear legit, she found boxes as well and packed all the new belongings as if it were how she left her old home. No need to raise suspicions.

Had she done enough to make herself look innocent? She could only hope so. There was no turning back now.

When she got behind the wheel of her car, she sat there, gripping it. Wondering if she had done the right thing. The smart thing.

If he found her…

Nope. She would not think of it. Because it would do no good. She had left, and that was that. Her chance to change her mind had left the moment she ditched her car and never looked back.

She blew out a small breath and put the car into drive, plugging her final destination into the GPS she had purchased when she bought the car. She had no smartphone so couldn’t use that device. That had been the first thing she’d gotten rid of when she left the house. No need to give him the ability to track her. Her car was so old it didn’t even have windows that rolled down automatically. But this was the start of a new beginning. Eventually, she’d get all those fancy gadgets and be like everyone else. But first, she had to settle into her new life and find a job. The cash she’d snatched before leaving was dwindling to nothing.

Her eyes widened when she saw the welcome sign.

Welcome to Sleighville. Where you are sure to have a holly, jolly time.

God, she hoped so. Anything was better than the hell she’d been living in.

Though, as she saw the first tree all dolled up in ornaments and lights, she wondered if she hadn’t traded one hell for another.

Her foot let up on the gas as she trailed through the main street of town, wincing at it all. Garland hung up in window shops. Christmas lights sparkling in every display. And the large sleigh carrying Santa with eight reindeer pulling it in the center of town made her want to puke.

When she pulled onto her street to the house she had rented, the same nauseating sight was everywhere. Lights strung up on gutters. Christmas paraphernalia set up in the yard from Santas to Frosty to elves that looked way too merry in her opinion.

But the house she pulled into sat bare. A quaint little house that almost looked like a gingerbread house. Square in design with a steeple roof. All it needed was some colorful gumdrops and icing sprinkled everywhere. It sat back from the other houses on the street, near the woods nestled behind it. Hiding from everything. That’s exactly what she needed. To hide.

There hadn’t been many options when she called to rent a place. When she finally decided she’d had enough, that if she didn’t leave she’d die, she knew she had to flee somewhere he’d never look.

A town that celebrated Christmas year-round.

And as someone who hated Christmas—despised it with every breath in her body—she figured that would be the last place he’d think to look for her.

She got out of her vehicle, stretched her neck, and looked around. She had ditched the glasses before she hit Minnesota, so when the car pulled in right behind her, she felt naked and unprepared. She took a step back, ready to run.

Keep your cool. Don’t act like a skittish ninny.

With that reminder in place, she greeted the woman who exited her vehicle with a cheery smile. Way too cheery, as if she loved celebrating Christmas year-round.

“Welcome to Sleighville! We’re so happy to have you here. I’m Mindy. You must be Eve. We spoke on the phone.”

She forced herself to put on a smile she didn’t feel and stepped forward, shaking Mindy’s hand. The woman gave her no choice as she kept it in the air waiting for her to move closer.

“Nice to meet you.” She knew that came out strained and berated herself for not sounding more pleasant. “It’s a lovely house.”

It was, only it wasn’t something she would’ve picked if she had a choice. Too close to Christmas cheer in her opinion. Why did it have to be shaped like a gingerbread house?

“Isn’t it though!” Mindy clapped her hands, beaming with pride at the obnoxious building. “You’ll love it.” Her eyes glided to her car. “Do you have a moving truck coming later? I can have my brother Mark come and help you unpack. He’s great about helping me with so much.”

“Oh no. This is it. I don’t like clutter.” That was as good an excuse as any.

“So, Eve.” Mindy headed up the walkway, waving her hand for her to follow. “Is that short for Evelyn? It’s such a pretty name. I went to school with an Evelyn. She moved to California to pursue an acting career. She hasn’t hit it big yet, but she’s still working the grind.”

According to her new license, social security card, and one credit card she applied for, her full name was simply Eve Johnson. In reality, her real name was Evelyn Carrington. She’d changed her last name to something so common it would make it impossible to find her. She worried about messing up a new first name, so decided to stick with her name but shortened. He never liked it when people called her Eve either. Evelyn, Evelyn, Evelyn was all he ever tolerated, and for that reason alone, she hated her first name. Hopefully, the new ID she purchased from a very sketchy man in a dark alley a week ago held up. Her hands shook the entire time, and she knew the guy saw it when she handed over the money. But whatever. It was done, she had a new identity and there was no going back.

“No, it’s just Eve.”

Mindy tilted her head as if waiting for her to continue, make a comment about the other Evelyn who moved to California. What was she supposed to say to that?

“Wonderful. Eve is such a pretty name too.”

Then they were off. Mindy opened the door and handed her the key, then gave her a quick tour of the house. There wasn’t much to see. A small living room to the left with the dining room and kitchen to the right. If one could call it a dining room. More like a nook. Just off the kitchen down a tiny hallway was the bathroom and one bedroom. It was all absolutely perfect. It fit her so well. She didn’t need much. A place to sleep and feel safe.

She managed to get Mindy to leave thirty minutes later, which was saying something. The woman loved to talk. About anything and everything.

All she wanted to do was lay her head down for a moment and rest. Of course, she couldn’t do that with nothing in the house. She didn’t even have a bed!

But she had a pillow and blankets she purchased and that would have to do until she bought some furniture. While she had money for this adventure, she had to watch how she spent it. At least until she found a job somewhere.

Time to unpack her meager belongings. She opened the door and ran right into a solid wall. Except this wall had hands and grabbed her around the arms. She tensed, waiting for the blow. For the force of the fist or the jolt of the shove that would send her tumbling to the ground. She couldn’t even open her eyes to see how much she was a failure. All that trouble to escape only to land right back into his hands. She knew she wasn’t smart enough to get away. He told her all the time how pathetic she was. She’d proven him right.