Makayla froze on the step leading down into the galley. Her gaze was locked on the scattered items that she had purchased from the market. Her hand trembled on the teak handle that she was holding. Her eyes were on her wet clothes, they had been moved. “Someone’s been here since I left,” she whispered, turning to look at the woman with her. “Things have been moved.” Helen nodded and pulled the gun at her waist. Her gaze moved over the items. She jerked her head toward the bow of the sailboat. “It’s the sleeping area,” Makayla murmured, glancing around. “I had thrown the bags on the bench seats, but all of the items were still in the bags. My clothes I had dropped outside of the head. They were piled up.” “Stay here,” Helen ordered, stepping over the items scattered all over the floor. Makayla watched the detective search the front section of the sailboat. She returned and shook her head. Makayla glanced around the area. “I found blood there,” she said, pointing to the spot near her clothes.

Makayla turned left and walked to the end of the set of tables before stepping behind one and leaning against the rough bricks of the building. She was just on the edge of the window and could see the waitress talking to another worker behind the counter. A chilly breeze of damp mist blew past her and she shivered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone to check the time. It was a little after ten o’clock. She slid her hand and the phone back into her pocket to keep it warm and glanced down the street in the direction she thought Brian would come from. Her body stiffened suddenly when she felt a hand wrap around the inside of her arm and something hard pressed against her side. She slowly turned her head until her gaze locked with pair of cold, dark brown eyes. She automatically tried to pull free, but couldn’t when his fingers tightened in warning. “I wouldn’t, Miss Summerlin,” the man remarked in a cool voice. Makayla frowned, anger building up and overriding her fear – anger at the man for hurting Henry – anger at his callous disregard for life – anger that he felt he had the right to harm another. It was misguided, but it was there and she grabbed the emotion with everything she had inside her because she knew if she let the fear take over, then she would be dead. “Where is my grandfather?” She hissed. “What do you want?” The man studied her mutinous face before his eyes narrowed. She lifted her chin, daring him to deny it. For a brief moment, the coldness changed to something else, something that she didn’t understand before it returned. “You,” he replied in a clipped tone before pressing his lips together in a tight, straight line as if he was surprised by his reply. “Great! A pervert on top of being a criminal,” she muttered under her breath with a shake of her head and looked away from him.

Her softly muttered statement both amused Ren Lu and tantalized him. His fingers tightened on her arm and his eyes narrowed in annoyance at the unexpected reaction he had to the woman glaring back at him. This could create an expected problem if he wasn’t careful. Distracted by his thoughts, he didn’t see the car that suddenly swerved up onto the curb. His head turned toward the glare of headlights at the same time as pain exploded through his groin. He released his hold on Makayla’s arm when she jerked her elbow down and pushed against his chest. Ren Lu stumbled back into the shadows just as a man threw open the door to the car and jumped out. He slid further back into the alley when he saw the gun in the man’s hand. Twisting, he disappeared into the darkness.

Makayla reacted instinctively when she saw the car coming. She used the distraction to turn into the man holding her and drove her knee into his groin. She hoped the move would put him on the ground, but it didn’t. It did give her the chance to pull away from him. Placing both hands on his chest, she pushed him away from her before turning toward Brian. She almost stopped when she saw Brian emerge from the car with a gun in his hand. Shocked, she forced her body into motion when he yelled at her to get in the car. A grunt of annoyance escaped her when she started for the wrong side of the car, forgetting in her moment of panic that the driver and passenger side were reversed to the States.

“What’d you do this time?” Tisha whispered, leaning forward in her seat so that she was closer to Makayla.

Makayla rolled her eyes and scowled at where the English teacher was talking quietly with the principal, Mr. Wallace, at the entrance to the classroom. She knew
the other students were glancing at her as well.

Everyone had heard the principal’s quiet question when he asked if Makayla Summerlin was in the class. She ignored Tisha as she tried to hear what Mrs. Ruiz and the principal were saying. Her stomach dropped when the door opened again behind the principal to reveal the Sheriff’s department School Resource Officer. “Oh, man, you are in deep sh...,” Tisha started to say before she leaned back when Mrs. Ruiz, Mr. Wallace, and the deputy all looked in their direction.

“Miss Summerlin, please come with me,” Mr. Wallace requested, staring at Makayla.
Her eyes swept the room as she entered, noting that only the guidance counselor assigned to her, the principal, and the deputy were there. She shrugged her backpack off and dropped it on the table before sliding onto one of the worn, padded chairs. Mr. Wallace cleared his throat as the deputy closed the door behind him.
Her eyes shifted from one person in the room to the next as a sense of panic began to build deep inside her. She glanced from one person to the other before turning her head when Mrs. Evers reached over and gently touched her hand.

“Makayla, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but...,” Alicia Evers paused for a moment before she spoke in a low voice. “It’s your mom...”