Hidden Sins by Karice Bolton

walking toward the road. They obviously weren’t adverse to technology, whoever they were. Someone must have made the call that an unwelcome visitor was in town. I watched as the people lined the street, their expressions grim as I made my way to the end of the road where an old-fashioned church, complete with a steeple, sat.
    I couldn’t picture Hannah in this community with her shocking light blond hair, and sexy as hell…
    I stopped myself from going there. I was here to find answers, not fantasize about the impossible. I stopped my car and put it in reverse. It was time to make my exit before the group in front of me decided to confront the unwanted visitor. As I turned the car around, I was shocked at the number of people that had now congregated to either confront or intimidate me. Neither option worried me, especially as I watched their expressions. It was almost like they’d been drugged. Their eyes didn’t hold the same spark that Hannah’s did. There was no way she could have come from this place.
    I brought my speed up and drove back down the drive and out of the makeshift community. I passed the first group of men, who were now holding batons as their eyes followed my car out of sight. How friendly. That wasn’t exactly something everyone just happened to carry around.
    I didn’t know what this place was, but I knew enough to know that they were hiding something, and my guess was that Hannah knew exactly what that was, which was why she was in danger. Whatever the case, it had to be big to flee across the country. Now I just had to convince her that I could help. That I could be trusted. And I already knew that was going to be the hardest thing of all.
     
     

Hannah
     
    Finding a table near the window, I opened my netbook and fished out the envelope from my purse. I quickly slid my fingers underneath the flap of the envelope, ripping it in the process. Well, at least I knew Nancy didn’t open it before me. I slid the papers out and saw a map of the region with large red circles and x’s marking it and a note. My heart rate raced as I tried to make sense of everything. Shaking the envelope, a cell phone plopped on the table, which scared me even more. Was it going to ring? I glanced at the handwritten note and couldn’t help but laugh.
     
    I’ll be out of town for a few days. My sister’s number is on the back of the map if anything comes up. I thought since I gave you my information, it was kind of unfair that I didn’t have yours. I’m a problem-solver by nature and this seemed the most logical, albeit over the top. Kindly do me the favor of returning whatever feeble attempt at flirting I may toss your way via text. I don’t want the minutes and texts purchased to go to waste.
     
    Kind Regards,
    Luke Fletcher

     
    A charge ran through me as I reread his words. There was something that was beyond appealing about this man. On one hand, he had the ability to swoop in and save the day, but on the other, he belittled his entire existence with one tiny phrase. I was positive that Luke Fletcher would never give a feeble attempt at anything, which only made me dream about him more.
    Somehow this man I barely knew continually managed to bring a smile to my lips when I needed it most. I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips as I saw the arrows drawn on the map pointing in all directions away from the neighborhood I currently called home. I looked at the map and couldn’t agree more. I needed to find a place where I could at least walk down the street without thinking I was going to get mugged or worse. There was no getting around I was in one of the scariest places to live in a twenty-mile radius. Now if only leaving were so easy. First thing was to get a job, get money, save money, and then get the heck out.
    I folded the papers and slid them back into the envelope. I glanced toward the ocean and thought a walk on the beach later might be exactly what I needed. A nice reminder that there was more to