“Which one are you, Ellie?”
And it strikes me. The three of us—Willow, Lozza, me—we’re like those three points. The Persecutor, the Rescuer, the Victim.
Lozza stops, turns around, and calls out to me. “If you ever think of coming back to Jarrawarra, Ellie, I’ll be there. I’ll be watching you.”
“What was that all about?” says Gregg softly.
“Nothing. Nothing at all. Let’s go back inside.”
He places his hand at the base of my spine and escorts me back toward the pub. The pressure of his palm is both gentle and firm. Both sexual and benign. Both controlling and charmingly chivalrous.
But at the door I cast a final glance over my shoulder.
She’s there. At the corner. Standing under a streetlight in an orange halo.
Watching.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Once more I have been blessed to work with editors Alison Dasho and Charlotte Herscher, who always bring to the table brilliant ideas and a deft touch. Thank you both, deeply. Also a big thanks to my Montlake team for giving me some wiggle room and understanding with deadlines while our family struggled through a challenging year. I love you all, and am honored to be a part of this team. Jessica Errera and Amy Tannenbaum, thank you both for shepherding me through the process of bringing another book into the world—I hope there shall be many more! And a big heart full of gratitude to Melanie and Jay White for sharing a slice of their Australian life with us. Our adventures on the South Coast of your sunburned land seeded the germ of this story, and later, while I was polishing it, my soul cried while watching it all catch flame from afar. I am glad you are safe. And thank you, Melanie, for your careful Australian contextual read. A big thanks, also, to the rest of my dear family. I will not be able to think of this story without also thinking of my mother, who passed during the writing of it. We miss you, Mom.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2013 Paul Beswetherick
Loreth Anne White is a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and romantic suspense, including In the Dark, The Dark Bones, A Dark Lure, and the Angie Pallorino series. A three-time RITA finalist, she is also the Overall 2017 Daphne du Maurier Award winner, and she has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall. In addition, she’s an Arthur Ellis finalist and a Booksellers’ Best finalist. A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find her cross-country skiing, open-water swimming, or hiking the trails with her dog (a.k.a. the Black Beast) while trying to avoid the bears. She calls this work because that’s when the best ideas come. Visit her at www.lorethannewhite.com.
