Eliza covered the hand that was holding Bonnies pink ribbon and gave it a gentle squeeze.
His breath caught in his throat.
Was it the emotion-packed moment that had him hallucinating this way, or was there something about this woman that spoke to him? Something that delved into his innermost being and somehow connected with what he kept hidden there?
He made no movement to withdraw his hand, enjoying, instead, the warmth. Thank you.
His thanks embarrassed her. She hadnt accomplished what shed set out to do yet. Save that for when we find her.
A Hero in Her Eyes Marie Ferrarella
To Jessi,
The heart is an incredible muscle. It bounces back,
and to remain healthy it needs to be exercised.
If at first
Love,
Mom
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Prologue
She ran blindly through grass that came up to her hips, threatening to trip her as she made her way to where the oak tree stood. Her heart was pounding so hard, it blotted out the sounds of the meadow.
Reaching the oak, she stopped, panting and pressing her cheek against the coarse bark as if it were an old friend. Her only friend.
She had no friends.
She wasnt allowed to have any. He wouldnt let her. She wasnt allowed to talk with anyone, couldnt play with anyone.
She was afraid of him.
The lady tried to be nice, but she was afraid of her, too. Afraid of the wild look in the ladys eyes. Afraid of those big hands that stroked her too hard, hugged her too close. Afraid of the lady who called her a name that wasnt hers.
He was coming. She could feel it. Deep down in her chest, she could feel it.
Daddy, where are you? Come find me. Please!
And then she heard him.
Heard him calling her. Calling that name he told her to answer to.
Miranda, where the hell are you?
Hiding by the tree, she squeezed her eyes tightly shut and wished she could disappear.
But she didnt disappear.
And he found her.
She whimpered as hands reached out and roughly snatched her from the ground.
Dragging her away.
Back to the ugly house.
Eliza bolted upright, drenched in perspiration despite the chill in the air.
Slowly, the things around her came into focus. She was in bed, in her own room.
Safe.
Gasping for air to steady her erratic pulse, she leaned forward and dragged her hand through her hair. That was the fifth time shed had that dream in as many nights. Wasnt it ever going to stop?
She sighed and leaned her forehead
against her knees, hugging her legs to her. She knew the answer to that question. It wasnt going to stop.
Not until she figured out who the little girl was.
Chapter 1
As the words penetrated her brain, Eliza glanced up from the computer screen. Her eyes felt dry from staring at Internet photographs for the last two-and-a-half hours. Ever since six this morning.
Unable to sleep, shed come in early and planted herself in front of her computer, determined to put a name to the face in her dreams. Shed looked up the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Web site, the first resource everyone at the agency turned to.
Right now, the faces she was looking at were all beginning to run together in her mind.
Holding back the sigh that had taken possession of her, Eliza massaged her temples where a serious headache was starting to take hold.
Nevertheless, the smile she offered Cade Townsend, the founder of ChildFinders, Inc., was genuine. No offense taken.
When did you last get a good nights sleep? Cade crossed his arms before him as he regarded her face more closely. And if you dont mind my asking, just what are you doing here so early? Dont clairvoyants sleep?
On occasion. Eliza deflected his question neatly. And I could ask the same of you, she added, flipping to the next file.
You could, he allowed affably. And my answer would be that sometimes I like coming in while the office is still quiet, before the day and chaos catch up to it. It gives me the illusion that Im actually on top of things. And then he smiled. And Im here because my wife said I was driving her crazy.
Amusement highlighted Elizas fine-boned face as she welcomed a respite from the darker things that occupied her thoughts. Oh?
McKayla says I was hovering around her and her swollen belly like a starving man watching the timer on a stove, waiting for the roast to be ready. Cade paused, then asked, You dont, by any chance, have any clue as to when Mike might give
Shed wondered what had taken Cade so long to ask. There were those who regarded her and her gift to be in the same realm as carnival performers, as turbaned pretenders who could tell a fortune or suddenly see the future at the turn of a coin. Shed grown up with people like that coming in and out of her life.
But Cade Townsend, as well as the others here at ChildFinders, had given her nothing but the utmost respect, treating her not like an oddity, an anomaly of nature, but a woman with something very real, very tangible to offer the organization. Cade was the first to cite her hard work and dedicated professionalism. That she was one of the few true clairvoyants, hed once said, was only a plus, but not her greatest asset.