| Prologue "....And to my granddaughter, Sara Ann. I leave the house, and the rest of my holdings. In the event of her death, all holdings will go to my brother Jeffery Parker." As the words began to fade from her ears, her mind clung to the last statement. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. Grandpa would never have said something like that. She was after all only twenty-two. She raised her eyes from her lap and looked to her great uncle, who was sitting less than five feet from her. The way he was looking at her, made her skin crawl. Like he knew something she didn't, and he was very pleased with the fact. Rising from her seat, she quietly exited the room. The very room in which her grandparents had told her that her parents were killed in a car wreck all those years ago. She made her way to her room and quickly changed out of her mourning clothes, and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Sitting on her bed, she replayed the reading of the will. 'In the event of her death' echoed ominously through her head. No Grandpa would never have done that. She recalled the look on her uncle's face, and felt a stab of fear race down her spine. She didn't care about the money that had been left her, all she wanted was her grandpa back. The tears she had been fighting all day, streamed down her cheeks, flowing unheeded, as Sara wept for the man who meant more to her than life did. CHAPTER 1 "Are you enjoying your time off?" Kathy asked Nick as they approached her family's store. "Yeah. It's nice to be home, I just wish I had a few more weeks to recuperate in" he said as he flashed his friend a smile. "What was that?" Kathy asked as a loud piercing scream came from up ahead, breaking the silence of the early morning. Nick looked worriedly at his friend and they broke into a run. There lying in front of her store was a young woman. They could see a small pool of blood seeping from under her body and a large man wearing jeans and a green shirt running away carrying a blue duffle bag. "Oh God Nick. Call 911 she's been hurt" Kathy called as she applied pressure to the wound. Dialing quickly, Nick spoke to the emergency operator, giving the location and details about the victims wound. "Is she still breathing?" he asked, as he stared at the young woman lying unconcious on the sidewalk. "Yes, she breathing." Nick relayed the information and in seconds they could hear the sirens that were approaching. The EMT crew quickly took over, making sure the woman was stable enough to move. As they lifted her into the ambulance, Nick and Kathy moved with them. "We want to go with her" Nick stated before the doors were closed. The EMT nodded his head and Nick lifted Kathy up onto the floor of the ambulance, and then he followed her, sitting on the floor by the back door. When they arrived at the hospital, the young wounded woman was rushed into the emergency room. "Excuse me, are you related to the woman?" a nurse asked, looking for someone to fill out the paper work. "No I'm sorry, we don't know her, we just found her" Kathy said with a worried look on her face. The nurse nodded politely and went back to the desk. Kathy stood and looked at Nick, "I'm gonna go call my grandparents and let them know what's going on." Nick nodded and laid his head back against the seat. In minutes she was back and she sat next to Nick. They were talking in quiet tones when the Doctor appeared. "Ms. Fernandez, Mr. Carter?" They jumped as if they'd been shot and then made their way over to the Doctor. "I'm Doctor Reynolds. Do either of you know anything about the young woman?" They both shook their heads and Nick explained what had brought them in. The Doctor nodded his head in understanding and said, "She'll be fine. She was stabbed high in the upper right side of her chest, closer to her shoulder, and it had to be stitched up. We've got her on an IV and we're giving her antibiotics to help fight any infection that might occur. With plenty of bed rest she should be able to get out of here in a couple of days." They silently took in all that they were told and then Kathy asked, "Can we see her?" "For a minute. She's been sedated, so she won't be able to talk." They followed Dr. Reynolds to the room and quietly entered. "I wonder who she is?" Nick said aloud. Kathy just shook her head. They stayed for only a few minutes, and then turned to go. They met Dr. Reynolds in the hall and Kathy asked, "Will you please call me when she wakes up? I'd like to offer her any help that I can." The doctor smiled and assured her he would. Nick took Kathy by the hand and led her out of the hospital and into a waiting cab. Knowing Kathy the way that he did, he asked, "Just what are you planning?" Kathy turned from looking at the passing scenery and replied, "I'm not sure yet." The rest of the ride back to the store was made in silence, as they both wondered about the dark haired woman who laid in the hospital. CHAPTER 2 "Ah its good to see you awake dear" said a woman Sara didn't recognize. "You've been here for three days, and it looks like you're going to do just fine" she continued, as she checked her vital signs and marked them in the chart. Sara tried to speak, she had so many questions that were screaming to be answered, but all that came out was a hoarse croak. Seeing that she was having trouble speaking the nurse helped her sit up and handed her a glass of water. Gulping it down, Sara asked, "Where am I and how did I get here?" "Honey, you're at the Orlando Medical Center and two Good Samaritans called 911 when they found you stabbed in front of a store. If you're attacker had stabbed you any lower, you wouldn't have made it." With her back turned, the nurse didn't see what little color the woman had, completely drain from her face. "Silly me, before I forget, can you tell me your name?" "Sara Ann Parker" Sara answered. The nurse smiled as she wrote that on her chart and then she said, "Get some rest honey. I'm going to see if I can find Dr. Reynolds." With that the woman turned on her heel and left Sara alone. Sara sighed heavily as she recalled what had brought her here, to this point in her life. ~~~********~~~ The morning after her grandfather's will had been read, Sara awoke to the sun streaming in her bedroom window. 'I think I'll go fix Grandpa some breakfast' she thought as she threw the covers off her legs. As her feet hit the floor she remembered that her Grandpa wasn't there and he would never be again. She placed her elbows on her knees, and put her head in her hands. A knock at the door made her sit up. "Come in" she called. Mrs. Bixby came in carrying a breakfast tray with coffee and muffins. "Here child. I thought you might like something to eat this morning" she said as she set the tray on the bed side table. Sara bravely tried to smile, but failed miserably. Mrs. Bixby was at her side in an instant, her arms wrapped around Sara comfortingly as they both gave into their tears for the man Johnathon Parker had been. After crying themselves dry, Mrs. Bixby stood and left the room. Sara lifted the coffe cup to her lips and took a sip, even though she really didn't feel like drinking it or eating the muffin that still rested on the tray. Deciding that Mrs. Bixby, who had been with her Grandparents for years, would worry and make to much of it, she finished the coffee and took a few small bites of the muffin before going to take a shower. She emerged freshly showered with a towel wrapped securely around her body. She pulled out a change of clothes and slipped into them. Just as she began to towel dry her hair, Mrs. Bixby knocked and entered the room. "Sara, Mr. Blakely was just here.." "Oh please tell him I'll be right down" Sara said, interrupting the housekeeper. "He had to leave but he asked me to give this to you" she said as she held out an envelope. Sara smiled and took the envelope from the housekeepers outstretched hand. She waited until Mrs. Bixby closed the door before reading the letter. She was not prepared for what she read. Sara, You are in danger. I'm sorry I couldn't stay and tell you this in person, but it is of utmost importance for you to leave tonight. Go to Gainsville, Florida to the place where your Grandparents took you when you were twelve. Ask for a Mr. Riley. He will help you and keep you safe. I will contact you there when it is safe to come home. Tell no one where you are going and destroy this letter. Your Friend, Mr.Blakely Sara stared in disbelief at the letter she held in her hands. Once again the look on her great uncle's face surfaced in her mind. Did he really mean to do her harm, just for the small inheritance she had been given? Deciding to take no chances, she went to town and took her money out of her private account and then took a little more out of the one that had recently been inherited. She made a trip to the store and bought a rode map and went back home and up to her room. Looking the map over, she mapped out her route. Moving as quietly as possible, she packed two suitcases, a blue duffle bag and she made sure she had her lap top. At nine o'clock that night she silently crept down the stairs, luggage in hand, and out to the drive where her car was waiting. Being careful not to make a sound, she loaded her luggage into the car and got in. She inserted the key and turned it just enough to put the car into gear and allowed it to roll backwards down the slope of the driveway. Once she was in the street, she started the car and drove away. She drove all night and into the next morning. She stopped once to get gas and breakfast and then continued on her way to Gainsville. That afternoon, she pulled into Howard Johnson Hotel and went to the front desk. "May I help you?" a man in his late twenties asked. "I'm looking for a Mr. Riley. Can you tell me where I can find him?" she asked politely. "Are you family?" he asked, compassion shining from his eyes. "Uhm, no. I'm a friend" she answered nervously. "I'm so sorry. The funeral was this morning. His heart just gave out on him" he said breaking the news gently. Sara smiled as best she could and went back to her car. 'Now what? I can't go home, and I can't stay here'she thought. She pulled her map out and took a look. Orlando seemed to jump out at her. "I guess that's where I'll go" she said out loud as she started the car. Once again she found herself out on the open road, traveling to a strange city, going farther, and farther away from all that was familiar to her. She arrived in Orlando late at night and rented a small hotel room. She quickly got ready for bed and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. The following morning she decided to see if she could find some place to work, until she decided what was the best course to take. She had been standing outside a store with a 'help wanted' sign in the window, when a man had approached her. "Give me your bag and you won't get hurt" he said gruffly. Sara was scared, but she didn't want to let go of her bag. "No" she answered before she thought about what she was saying. The look on the man's face changed and it scared Sara. "I said give me the bag" he repeated menacingly, as he advanced toward her. He reached for the bag and Sara clutched it to her. His strong fingers closed around the top of the bag, and Sara tried to jerk it away. She jerked with enough force and caused his fingers to slip. The sight of the sun glinting off of the knife he held in his hand caused her to gasp. Without thinking, Sara brought the bag up into the hand holding the knife. Her attacker grabbed the bag with his other hand and then brought the knife down in a flashing arch. She remembered hearing a high pitched scream before everything went black. Exhausted after remembering everything, Sara allowed herself to drift off into slumber. CHAPTER 3 "It's nice to see you awake" Dr. Reynolds said as he entered her room the next afternoon. "I checked on you several times yesterday, but each time you were sound asleep." Sara laid there quietly as the he checked her vitals and then her wound. "Everything looks very good. I think you can leave tomorrow." Sara smiled at that, and then frowned when she realized she didn't have anywhere to go. Not knowing what changed her smile into a frown, Dr. Reynolds spoke softly, "There are a few people who would like to meet you if you're up to it. They found you and called 911" he informed her. Sara nodded and Dr. Reynolds went to the door and beckoned someone from the hallway. A young woman with dark black hair and very expressive brown eyes entered, followed by a tall, blonde haired man with startling crystal clear blue eyes. "Sara, these are your Good Samaritans, Kathy Fernandez and Nick Carter" the doctor said in way of intoductions. Sara smiled thankfully at the two lifesavers and said, "I don't know how to thank either one of you." "Don't worry about it. We were glad to help" Nick said as he took a seat by the bed. "I'm going to leave the three of you to get to know each other. If there is anything you need Sara, just use the call button." With that said, he left. Kathy stood on Sara's side wondering how to ask her question. Finally, not knowing how else to phrase it, she just asked, "Do you have someplace to stay?" Sara looked at her before shaking her head no. "Then why don't you stay with me and my grandparents? I've already asked them and they said they would love to have you" Kathy said, her exuberance bubbling over. "Are you sure?" Sara asked, wondering why a complete stranger would offer their house to her. "We are definately sure. As a matter of fact, my grandmother has a room already made up for you, all you have to do is say yes!" "Alright yes, I'll stay, on one condition, you have to help me find a job. I won't stay for free" Sara said in a tone that clearly said this was the only way she'd stay. "Agreed" Kathy said, plans already running through her mind. The three young people talked for another half an hour, when Kathy said, "I'll be back to get you tomorrow afternoon, and then we'll go get your car and go back to the house." "I'll be looking forward to it" Sara said as she watched them leave the room. Sighing and feeling worn to the bone, Sara snuggled down in the bed, pulled the covers to her chin and fell into a restful sleep. ~~~****~~~ Jeffery Parker slammed his giant fist onto his desk after he hung up the phone. "That bitch" he raged as he again brought his fist down on the desk."You'll regret making all this trouble for me, Sara. This I promise you." He picked up the phone and dialed quickly. "Its me. Is everything ready for tonight? Good. Make sure you don't get caught, if you do you're on your own" he warned the other party before hanging up. He needed that money and he needed it now, and no one, niece or not, was going to stand in his way of getting it. |