Hearts on the Run

Will secrets keep them apart?

Rachel Henige loves small town life. Wolf Creek, New Hampshire is the perfect place to raise her daughter, and the perfect place to live an inconspicuous life. Or, at least it was until tattooed bad-boy Mike Renner showed up in her bar.

Rachel is shocked by how much Mike has changed from the cocky, pre-law hockey star she knew in college, yet something about his dangerous demeanor doesn’t ring true.

When undercurrents of danger push Rachel into Mike’s path she’s lured into his unpredictable world where she must work to conceal her secret from him. But, Rachel soon learns that Mike has secrets of his own. When Mike takes a leap of faith to bring Rachel into his confidence and into his arms, she is backed into a corner.

How can she reciprocate when sharing her own secret could risk the life she’d so carefully built?

Chapter 1

“You need to loosen up a little, Rachel. You take life too seriously.” Tilly delivered the criticism with a smile.

“I have to take life seriously. I’m raising Anna all by myself. That’s a lot of responsibility.”

“Because her father is …” Tilly raised an eyebrow at her friend but Rachel knew she didn’t really expect an answer. Rachel’s background, including Anna’s parentage, was something she never talked about with anyone. Everyone was entitled to their secrets, and as small town waitresses they both knew everyone had one.

Photo Credit: Michael Fousert

“Even single mothers can have a life, you know.”

“I’m not interested in dating.” Rachel realized how prim she sounded and sighed. “Having a man in my life would just be another person to take care of.”

Tilly laughed. “I didn’t say you needed a husband, or even a boyfriend. You just need to get laid once in a while.”

It was Rachel’s turn to laugh. “It’s been this long, what’s the rush?”

Tilly’s eyes widened. “How long has it been, exactly?”

“Uh--” Rachel waved her hand in the air. She preferred not to answer that.

“Oh, Rachel! Since Anna was conceived, right?”

Rachel’s face flushed. It was positively old-fashioned these days to save yourself for the man you loved. It was especially odd to someone like Tilly, who treated sleeping around as a pastime. “That was the one and only time.” She took a slow breath to relieve her embarrassment and continued, “So, you see, I can live without it.” She shrugged, making light of the pitiful admission.

Tilly frowned, taking her situation very seriously. “Well, you shouldn’t. Sex is a necessity. It’s like food, water, and air. You need it to survive.” She paused and looked her friend up and down, assessing. “I’m sure I could find you someone.”

“Ah, no thanks, Tilly. I’m good. Really.”

“No. Listen.” Tilly leaned forward and lowered her voice so that none of the patrons at the bar could overhear them. “When does Anna leave for her trip?”

Rachel looked at the counter and tried to force down the sick feeling she got in her stomach every time she thought of her nine-year-old daughter spending the whole summer in Florida. “She left Friday morning.”

“Perfect! You can work Bill’s dinner with me tonight.” Rachel was already shaking her head but Tilly rushed on. “No, you should! The tips are good.” She wiggled her perfect eyebrows. “If you play your cards right the tips are real good.”

“Yeah.” Rachel rolled her eyes. “I’m sure the money’s great, but the company leaves a lot to be desired.”

Tilly waved a hand. “Your standards are awfully high considering you haven’t done it in nine years.”

“That’s correct. I haven’t slept with anyone in nine years because my standards are high. Tilly, these guys are drug dealers. You can’t deny it.”

“They prefer to think of themselves as businessmen. Some of them are really good-looking businessmen.”

“Yeah, no thanks. I think I’d rather wait around for Mr. Average-Looking, Stable Man.”

It was Tilly’s turn to roll her eyes. “And that’s exactly what you’ll get – Mr. Boring.”

“Life’s not all about excitement, Tilly.”

“True. But a little now and then is great.” She threw a smile over her shoulder and carried a couple of beers to the group at table twelve.

Rachel watched Tilly move on to flirt with the guys at table fifteen and reminded herself that that sort of excitement was exactly what she’d spent the last ten years trying to avoid.

Special Agent Mike Renner settled into his first class seat as other passengers filed past, craning their necks to locate seats and stow their carry-ons.

“Catch the hockey game this weekend?” His partner, Gary, was on the phone. Mike pulled a notebook out of his backpack and kicked the pack under his seat. They’d just closed a long undercover case and were taking a few weeks off before they took on new assignments.

“That center is an ass. How does a guy who skates that badly end up on a pro team?” Mike plopped the book onto the empty seat next to him and muttered, “He ought to switch to golf.”

Gary guffawed. “You could have done better, right?”

Mike acknowledged that with a nod that Gary couldn’t see. “Even after all these years, I could out-skate that joke of a player. Listen, it’s wheels up in five. I’ll call you in a few days.”

“After your mystery vacation?”

Mike grinned into the phone. “It’s just killing you, isn’t it? That I won’t tell you where I’m going? I’m doing a favor for a friend and checking something out. It’s no big deal, but I want to go incognito, in case it turns into something we need to handle.”

Gary made an exasperated sound over the phone. He knew Mike too well. “Okay, well, try to have a vacation, too. You can’t work all the time.”

“Talk to you later. Say hi to Pamela for me.” Mike clicked off his phone before Gary could wheedle him any longer. He sent a quick text to his friend to let him know he was on his way and then turned his phone off and settled in for the rest of the flight.

Mike reviewed his notes again. ‘Big Bill’ Charles was the suspected kingpin of a drug ring operating out of the tiny town of Wolf Creek, New Hampshire. The town’s local sheriff had worked closely with Mike’s friend, Daniel, and an informant some time ago, but now that the informant had disappeared, Mike agreed with Daniel that it might be time to bring in the DEA. He planned to use his downtime to do a little investigating before taking the case back to his team.

Three hours later, Mike stepped into the dim light of Wolf Creek’s most popular bar, Suds N Grub, and oriented himself with the floor plan and clientele. The bar was quiet on a Tuesday afternoon; only a few locals and a tourist or two seated sporadically so as to give each group a measure of privacy.

He helped himself to a table in the front corner where he had a clear view of the entrance. The dining area was clean if slightly outdated. Despite the fact that he was there to establish a connection in town, Mike was looking forward to a burger and a beer and catching up with his old college roommate.

Daniel arrived right behind him. They exchanged a quick back slap and took their seats.

“You’ve really let yourself go, Mike.” Daniel ribbed his friend with a laugh.

Mike took in the interest being shown by several nearby ladies and gave Daniel a shrug. He was a little more muscular, had gotten a few tattoos, and an attitude to go with them over the last several years. In college he’d been as straitlaced as they came.

Mike held out an arm to show off his latest art. “Henna this time. Just came off a case.”

“Nice. I bet that really brings in the ladies.”

Mike acknowledged that with a nod. “Not the kind I’m interested in though. These women are toxic. Beautiful on the outside, corrupt and immoral on the inside.”

“You’re too young to be so cynical.”

“Not when you’ve seen what I have.” Mike dipped his head and looked at his fingers. “I’m starting to think good girls only exist in the movies.”

Daniel laughed. “Well, you’ve come to the right place then. Wolf Creek is a great place to find a good girl.”

“Yeah, yours available?”

“Not on your life.”

Mike smiled. It was obvious that Daniel was happy. He studied the laminated menu in front of him as the waitress approached to greet them.

“Hey there, what can I bring you guys to drink?” The waitress boldly met his eyes, the invitation plain. “Beer? Or, we have a full bar.” She looked him over as she waited for his response.

“Whatever you have on tap is fine with me. And I’ll have a burger. Loaded.”

Daniel placed his order as well and then braced his arms on the table. “So how do you want to play this?”

“I’m going to lurk around town for a few days. See what kind of trouble I can drum up.”

“Need a cover?”

Mike shook his head. “Nah. I might need a cheap apartment or rental in the bad part of town and a job though.”

“There is no bad part of Wolf Creek. Everyone is just getting by. The undercurrents seem to run through every corner but I’ll get on it. How can I get in contact with you?”

“I’ve changed your name in my phone. You can just text me.” He leaned in and lowered his voice. “Don’t acknowledge me in public after this. I don’t want you involved in anything I have to do. This job can get pretty ugly sometimes.”

Daniel agreed. They spent a quick hour catching up over burgers and beers. Daniel related stories about some of the characters in town until Mike held up a hand. “Don’t tell me anymore. I don’t want to appear to know more than I should.” He pulled a sealed envelope from his pocket and handed it over to Daniel. “Do me a favor and give this to your chief of police.” His face was serious. “Directly to Bill, don’t leave it for him, and don’t give it to anyone to give him.” He tapped the envelope with his forefinger. “These are my credentials and a summary of how I’m planning to insinuate myself into this group. It’s better if I’m not seen talking to the chief until we have a legitimate reason to meet.” He took a swig from his beer. “So, how do I go about getting myself arrested around here?”

Daniel blinked at him. “You haven’t changed a bit.” They both laughed.