Chapter Two
T he dimly-lit office was quiet, the normal cacophony of the shipping department having died down hours ago when everyone went home.
Sera Darling chewed on the end of her pen then let out a frustrated sigh.
The damn numbers just weren’t adding up, and the paperwork was beginning to blur before her gritty eyes.
It had been a long-ass day, and she still hadn’t figured out the source of the problem.
Sadness washed over her when she thought of her old job compared to the monotony of what she did now.
She used to roam the world, writing about beautiful and interesting, often isolated, places on her travel blog.
Now she rarely ventured more than a few miles from home, and then it was only to go to a job she was beginning to hate.
At forty-five, she couldn’t have been further from a fulfilling career and a happy relationship.
But daydreaming about what once was wasn’t going to solve the problem in front of her.
Plus, it was getting late, and she didn’t want to waste more time than necessary in her small, cramped office feeling sorry for herself.
A quick glance up at the clock ticking away on the wall told her she should’ve left over two hours ago. But this screwed up shipment wasn’t going to sort itself out. And with the holidays coming up fast, she wanted to get it straightened out before everyone went on vacation.
Of course, she didn’t have any plans. With her parents gone and sister so far away, she’d stopped celebrating. Perhaps, if she felt daring, she could try to bake some cookies. They’d probably turn out disastrous, but it wasn’t like she had anything else to do, so she might as well give it a shot.
The thought of freshly-baked Christmas cut-outs with homemade frosting like her mom used to make made her stomach growl.
She tried to remember if she’d eaten lunch.
That would explain her frustration. A little bit of hangry wasn’t a bad motivator to leave.
But she still wasn’t as concerned about her own hunger as much as her beloved cat waiting patiently for her at home.
“I’m coming, Loki,” she whispered. “Just give Mama a few more minutes.”
Reaching back, she twisted her medium-length, wavy blonde locks up and used her pen to hold the do in place like a hair stick.
Then she grabbed the clipboard with the questionable shipping order and, instead of taking it with her, she snapped a quick picture of the P.O.
numbers. She’d go down to the warehouse one more time and see if she could find the missing crates.
Hopefully, they’d materialize. If not, tomorrow she’d deal with creating more paperwork to explain the loss.
It had been happening far too frequently, and she was scared that it might be a reflection on her. As much as she didn’t like her job and its unstimulating work, she couldn’t afford to lose it.
“Why is nothing ever easy?” she grumbled, swiping up her purse.
On the way out of her tiny office, she flipped the light off.
She’d said goodbye to everyone over an hour ago, but she hadn’t ended up leaving. Unfortunately, she’d gotten stuck on the phone with an extremely talkative customer regarding an order. Then she’d returned to the mystery of the missing shipment and gotten sucked down the rabbit hole.
One more quick look and then I’m out of here.
If she hustled, she’d still have plenty of time to warm up a frozen pizza and settle down on her couch with a glass of wine and binge the next couple episodes of Schitt’s Creek .
Or probably fall asleep mid-episode because the day was catching up with her fast. Her friend at work told her about the show and Sera just finished the first season. God, she could relate to the Roses.
Having everything one day, and then nothing the next…
Quickly suppressing that thought before it led to her dark place, she started down the back staircase that led to the huge warehouse filled to the brim with crates and containers.
It was easy to get lost in the labyrinth if you weren’t familiar with the complex system of paths winding through the facility.
Located on the waterfront in San Diego, J&J Shipping did a lot of business—both foreign and domestic.
Cargo boats waited at the docks behind the building, and it was always possible the missing items never made it off the ship, but Sera planned to check inside the warehouse again before traipsing outside in the dark.
That could wait until morning. The docks were creepy at night, and she didn’t want to run into any of the crew from the boats. They made her uneasy.
There was also the embarrassing fact she didn’t handle the dark very well anymore. Not since…
A shiver ran through her right before she slammed that mental box shut and locked it. Not going there, Sera.
Once she reached the warehouse floor, she double-checked the picture on her phone, memorized the first cargo number and set off through the maze.
Half of the main lights had been shut off for the night, so the looming shadows between the stacked containers made her pause.
Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Her heart sped up and an ominous feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.
Yeah, it can wait until tomorrow morning, she decided.
The moment she turned around, the sound of muffled voices reached her.
Male voices, and she realized they were arguing.
Curious, she tilted her head, trying to make out their heated words.
It sounded like Joel and Jeremy, her two bosses.
They started J&J Shipping ten years ago, but she’d only worked there the past two years.
It wasn’t her dream job by any means, but it paid the rent and kept Loki living a life of luxury. Spoiled-rotten, beloved cat.
Moving closer, weaving through the stacked crates, Sera was surprised by their angry tones.
Normally, they got along pretty well. Suddenly, their voices dropped and turned into furious whispering.
Squinting, she peered through a narrow slit between containers and caught a glimpse of Jeremy, ticking off points on his fingers.
“...and I’m not going to Guantanamo Bay because you’re getting sloppy,” he hissed.
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. Isn’t that the prison where the US sent its most ruthless enemies? Like terrorists?
“No, you won’t be going there,” Joel said as Sera moved to get a better look at the other man. And instantly regretted it.
Joel held a gun, pointing it at Jeremy.
Sera’s jaw dropped, and alarm slammed through her. No, no, no. Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs as panic seized her in its oily grip. She was terrified of guns, the dark and enclosed places. Feeling trapped, she stumbled back a step, doing her best to rein in her fear.
She couldn’t handle it. Please, God, no. Not again.
“Are you insane? They’re going to figure out what we’re doing,” Jeremy stated. “Don’t be stupid, Joel. We had a good run and now it’s over.”
“I’m not done. There’s too much money involved.”
“Don’t be greedy, man. It’ll be your downfall, but it’s not gonna be mine.”
“Sorry, Jeremy,” Joel said, not sounding sorry at all. “You’re right, it was fun while it lasted. But I don’t need a partner anymore.”
In the enclosed space, the pop from the gun was deafening. Jeremy dropped without so much as a grunt. But an involuntary cry escaped Sera’s throat, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
Joel’s head snapped up, looking surprised then angry as his gaze scanned the row of crates where she hid.
Spinning around, Sera took off. Pure terror and the vivid memories of the last time she heard gunshots left her in a tailspin with only one goal: get the hell out of there before she became the next victim.
The sound of more yelling reached her ears, but she tuned it out and ran for her life. When she heard pounding footsteps behind her, she knew he was chasing her.
“Get back here!” Joel yelled, sounding far too close.
Sera spun around another corner and stumbled. How could this be happening to her? Not fucking again! What had she done to deserve this?
The horrible thought occurred to her that even though she’d managed to escape death once before, maybe she’d always been doomed to die this way. Shot dead. Cold trickles of fear made her move faster, but she’d lost her way, taken a wrong turn somewhere, and now she wasn’t sure where she was.
Stumbling to a stop, she listened closely. A soft click, then Joel saying, “There’s an intruder in the warehouse. I need all exits locked down.”
“Copy that,” security responded over the radio.
“No one is allowed to leave the premises. Understand?”
“Neutralize them. Got it.”
Shit. Now she had more than one person hunting her. Sera’s heartbeat thundered in her ears as she glanced around, determining she was near the southwest exit. If she could whip through the rest of this maze and slip out before they locked the rolling door, she’d be okay.
Realizing she was still clutching her phone, she tucked it into her purse and quietly dug around for her keys. She could make it. She had to make it.
Sending up a silent prayer, she hauled ass over to the side door and skidded straight outside.
She didn’t see security yet, so she kept running, straight to the employee parking lot.
Lifting her key, she unlocked her crappy Ford Escort’s door and threw herself inside, tossing her purse onto the passenger seat.
The old car started up with a cough and she spun the wheel, heading for the exit.
Keeping her headlights off, she drove to the main gate.
When she saw it was already closed, she let out a curse, pulled in a deep breath, and did the only thing she could—slammed her foot down on the accelerator and plowed straight through the chain link barrier.
It flew open and she burst into the night, flipping her lights on and making her escape.
Eyes glued to the rearview mirror, waiting to be followed, she sped all the way back to her apartment. The moment she parked in her usual spot and turned off the engine, terror and doubt gripped her ferociously.
What if she wasn’t safe here? What if they came for her?
She had no idea if Joel had seen her, but the warehouse had cameras.
All he had to do was rewind them and watch.
Shit. She wasn’t safe. Hell, her address was listed in her employee file in his office.
What if he came for her? Clearly, the man was a cold-blooded killer, and although she wasn’t quite sure what she’d witnessed going down between the former business partners, one thing was clear—he wanted her caught… and silenced. Neutralized.
She had to leave town, but she wasn’t going anywhere without Loki.
Sera turned her car off and jumped out, her head on a constant swivel as she headed for her apartment. It took her a few attempts to get the key in the lock because she was shaking so hard, but she finally managed.
“Loki!” she called out, racing to her bedroom. Diving into her closet, she dug out the cat carrier and pulled a shoebox hiding her emergency cash from the back of the top shelf. Then she stuffed some clothes and toiletries into a duffel bag and hurried into the kitchen.
Loki appeared, expecting his dinner, but Sera grabbed him and put him in the carrier. “Sorry, Bubba. I’ll feed you in a bit.”
After throwing some cans of cat food into her bag, she put the cat on her back, never happier that she’d bought the cute backpack with a bubble window that Loki could look out of when she traveled or hiked. Or, in this case, ran for her life.
Maybe she was being too cautious. Or maybe Joel was on his way to her place right now.
Either way, she decided the best thing to do was drive to her baby sister’s place and lay low.
Melanie had gotten married to Liam last year and moved to Canada because that’s where he was from.
Sera hated that Mel had left, especially since she was her only family left.
Their parents had died more than two years ago, her mom first from cancer and then her dad followed not long after.
He had missed her terribly and went downhill fast once she was gone. It had been a tremendous blow.
And then last year, the shooting happened.
Sera’s gut clenched. Mel had helped her through it as best as she could from thousands of miles away, but she had her own life.
And those demons never really went away.
They haunted her every night. Made her wonder why she survived when so many others had died, all brutally shot to death.
Swallowing hard, she forced her mind back to the present. She hadn’t escaped one tomb just to find herself trapped in another.
Grabbing her stuff, she locked her apartment door, not sure if or when she’d ever return. Then she got back into her car, situated Loki in the passenger seat and plugged Russell, Manitoba, into her phone’s GPS.
“Canada, here we come,” she murmured, praying her shitbox car would make it.