Her Dangerous Promise - Part 3: (Romantic Suspense Serial) by Ashley Stryker Page B

gut tells me it’s him.”
    “Because I broke my promise to him,” Mary rubbed her thighs, trying to smooth away the goose bumps. His thick sweats couldn’t quite dispel the chills racing across her flesh.
    “No,” he clenched his teeth. “Because you didn’t trust me.”
    “This is all my fault.” Mary dropped her head into her hands.
    “No!” he snapped. “It’s his fault.” Thom snagged her wrist firmly and forced her to look at him. “But you are the only one who can help me to stop him.”
    “But how? I don’t know anything! He kept me blindfolded the whole time.”
    “You know more than you realize. We are going to go over this one step at a time and you are not going to hold anything back.”
    “If it will help you save Nancy, I’ll do anything you ask.”
    Minutes later, they pulled into the school parking lot. A steel band clamped across Mary’s chest. The air inside the SUV seemed to become as thick as gelatin. Her knees began to bounce uncontrollably.
    “Easy,” Thom rested his hand on her knee and it stilled beneath his steady touch.
    “I’m okay.”
    The school day began half an hour ago and not a soul lingered in the packed parking lot. Thom parked and walked around to Mary’s door. Because she made no move, Thom opened the door and offered his hand. Reluctantly, she slid her shaking fingers into his palm and he helped her down from the cab. If she wasn’t so resistant, the gesture would have seemed chivalrous.
    “Your car was over here.” Thom guided Mary toward the side of the lot nearest the playground. “We are going over this as it occurred. Tell me everything you remember, okay?”
    He turned her toward him. “Relax. Just let your mind empty.” Thom massaged her shoulders.
    “I can’t.”
    Thom framed her face with his hands. Gently, his thumbs stroked her eyelids close. “Just breathe, honey. In and out. In and out.”
    Despite her misgivings, Mary obeyed. With her eyes closed, she tuned into her environment with her other senses. The distant whoosh of cars as they passed interrupted the persistent beat of her heart. The breeze carried the sweet scent of cut grass and drying leaves but they didn’t compete with the fresh minty reassurance of Thom’s cologne. The radiant heat of his body warmed her, surrounding her like armor.
    “Trust me,” he told her. “Trust me.”
    She did trust him. The knot of tension inside her slipped a bit looser with each word he spoke.
    “Now. Remember that you are safe. These are just memories. They can’t hurt you. I’m with you.” His voice caressed her soul.
    “Now, open your eyes.” Thom turned her toward the cars. “Walk me through it.”
    “I had my bag with the papers that I needed to grade.” She touched her shoulder, feeling the memory of the strap. “I had my keys in my hand.” Holding her closed hand out, she recalled precisely how the grooves of the keys pressed in her fingers and could almost hear the jingle as the keys clinked together. Mary stepped up to the side of the gray Le Baron in the spot where her car had been but instead of seeing it, she visualized her own white Subaru. Her window scraper rested on the backseat waiting for winter to return. A small stuffed Big Bird ornament, a graduation gift from her college roommate, swayed from her rearview mirror. “I wanted to put the bag in the car while I waited for Juwanda to return with the schedule.”
    “And then something happened,” Thom baited her.
    “Hands.” Mary held her own out in front of her and brought them to her throat. “They grabbed me from behind.”
    “Wait. You saw his hands?” Thom’s voice caught with cautious excitement. “Back up and look closely at them. What did you see exactly?”
    “The hands are fat.” Mary could see them in her mind’s eye. Meaty hands with stubby fingers that resembled overstuffed sausage. “Very white” The hands closed in, crushing around her throat. “Strong.”
    “He’s Caucasian.” Thom