Fairly Safe

JACOB HAS COME A LONG WAY FOR AN ORPHANED KID. He has a mentor, a great job, and has finally fallen in love. Granted, she mistook him for a stalker when they met, but every relationship has its little problems. Unfortunately, for the past few years, when the object of his affection pops in and out of his life, she has refused to share any personal info, like where she’s from, or her real name. Nevertheless, Jacob is ready to take their relationship to the next level. Now, if only he can locate her so he can tell her. CASEY’S FAMILY IS IN THE WITNESS PROTECTION program. Safety has to be their only priority. Their cover has been blown before, so at any given time they could be forced to disappear again. A shy young man with hopeful eyes cannot possibly be added to the mix. Now, if only she can stop thinking about him. JACOB’S AND CASEY’S WORLDS UNEXPECTEDLY COLLIDE when Jacob inadvertently helps hide her family. In keeping with their 24-7 vigilance, Jacob must come up with a plan to keep them out of harm’s way, because this time if Casey disappears, she will be taking Jacob’s heart with her, and his hopes of finally having a family of his own. EXCERPT: Jacob Kent stepped out of his car as he scanned the fair on the other side of the parking lot, his heart pounding. First, he’d walk through the fair to familiarize himself with the layout they had printed out. Then he would adjust their escape route to where he had parked the car. After assessing the grounds, he would plant himself somewhere along the concourse, and watch the crowd. That’s how he had always found Casey in the past, and that’s how he was going to find her again. A voice came over the loudspeaker, momentarily dimming the carnival noise. "Would the owner of a red ford truck, license plate LOF537, please return to your vehicle? Your lights are on." Jacob tensed. Was that some kind of clue? He looked over the parking lot. No, he could see the lights of the red truck from here. He smiled ruefully to himself. Get a grip, Kent, he thought as he watched a portly balding man ooze exasperation as he marched toward the truck. Intellectually, he had to acknowledge they might have pieced together a bunch of randomly forgotten items into a fantastical story, but emotionally, he couldn’t help but believe the items were a series of clues serving an ultimate purpose. If The Herd was here, he was going to find them. Even so, if he wasn’t careful, he could spend the entire day jumping at shadows and following dead ends. Like that little commotion over by the edge of the fair. To his over-active imagination, that game of tag could look like a child trying to escape from the evil clutches of— "HaHaHaHaHaHaHa, WIPEOUT!" sang out over the loudspeaker. His head jerked up. As the pounding drums from the familiar song drowned out the carnival music, all doubt was erased. The loudspeaker was sending out a warning. His eyes darted back toward the commotion he had noticed, the truth clamping his throat. That was no game of tag. That was a child trying to escape a man in hot pursuit. Jacob couldn’t be positive at this distance, but it sure looked like Robin. With his heart in his throat, he broke into a run, zigzagging between cars, trying to intercept the fleeing youngster. In this surreal moment, the same song they had used for obstacle course training was being piped out like background music to a scene in an action movie. But this scene was real, where a real menace was gaining on his quarry. Caught in his own nightmare, Jacob couldn’t get close enough to help.