Chapter One
Lin Chen stared
out at the ever-increasing blizzard wondering where she could possibly find
shelter in this flat, treeless land. Snow was almost unheard of in her native
Taiwan, although she could remember seeing a snow flurry or two when visiting
her relatives in the mountains, but that was years ago, and nothing like what
she was seeing now.
Everything
around her was covered in a white blanket, and strong winds were catching what
was falling from the sky and blowing it at an angle, giving the appearance of a
curtain at an open window being blown to the side to give the occasional
glimpse of what was outside it.
I have to find shelter. Ancestors, I
need shelter. Please help me find some. The words were whispered only in the quiet of her mind,
but she knew from past experience once she thought the words, help would come.
Lin slowed her
car to a crawl trying to see through the blowing snow if there was a house, a
business, anywhere that she might ask for shelter. Suddenly the wheel wrenched
sharply to the right, causing the car’s back end to fishtail for a second on
the icy road before she again regained control. Were those lights?
Creeping
forward, her foot barely touching the gas pedal, not even knowing if she was on
a road, although it seemed to be one, Lin moved closer and closer to what she
was now convinced were lights.
Finally a sign
with rotating, round lights came into view. “Prairie Knights Casino and
Resort,” Lin read out loud to herself and sighed with relief. She had seen a
sign advertising this casino earlier, and she knew from what it said that it
was run by one of the local American Indian tribes.
Lin pushed
strands of long inky black hair out of the way and carefully pulled into the
parking lot. Visibility was still just about nil, but because of the storm, the
lot wasn't that full, and she was able to find a parking space near the front
door once she located it.
She switched
off the ignition and shivered. I’m
thousands of miles from home. There is no way he can find me, she thought
to herself, but she was well aware that her ex-husband was looking for her. Her
cousin had left a voice mail on her cell phone telling her he had visited their
small village looking for her. But I was
already long gone by that time.
Lin tightened
the belt on her stylish coat and pulled the collar up so that it curled around
her lower face. She dropped the keys into her purse and reached for the door
handle, turning it, then shoving the door open.
A blast of icy
wind hit her square in the face, and she pulled the collar tighter around her
face, shut the door, and set the alarm before heading for the glass doors she
could see several feet ahead of her. The heels of her boots slid on the slick
surface of the snow-covered asphalt, and she would have fallen down if a strong
hand hadn’t gripped her elbow.
“Easy there,” a
mellow voice murmured.
Lin startled, nearly knocking them both
off balance again when she heard a male voice speaking to her. Fear coated the
blood that ran through her veins. Although she knew that not all men were
violent, five years with an abuser, a man she had thought she could trust, had
changed her. It took everything she had not to jerk away from the gentle grasp.
As though
sensing her fear, the man let go and moved back. “Are you all right, miss?” he
asked, and Lin realized she’d been standing there trembling in his grasp for a
moment longer than she had realized.
“I am fine.
Thank you for your assistance.” Her voice wobbled with the stilted words as she
bowed her head slightly in his direction. English had never been easy for her,
but she was glad now that her grandfather had insisted that she learn it. She
could not even imagine the nightmare of trying to traverse America with no understanding
of the language. Most Americans, while they seemed pleasant enough, sometimes
didn’t have any patience for those who did not speak or understand their
language.
“You’re
welcome,” the man replied easily.
When Lin
finally looked up at her rescuer, all she could see were two eyes, as black as
onyx, framed by silky black lashes, staring out from the hood of his dark blue
ski parka. He had a scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, and he’d
tucked his hands into his pockets.
“Let’s go
inside where it’s warm,” he finally said after letting her look her fill.
Lin nodded and
began heading in the direction of the lights again, the man shortening the
strides of his long legs to match hers. He
just wants to make sure I don’t fall, she told herself nervously.
The man was
tall and big-boned, she could tell. Her head wouldn’t even reach his shoulder
were she to stand close to him. A cold chill raced down her spine as she
thought of how easy it would be for such a large man to hurt a woman. She would
have no chance against him if he were to decide he wanted something from her
she was unwilling to give. Unconsciously she began walking faster, putting as
much distance between them as she could. Before she could even reach the door,
waves of heat flashed through her body, and her chest tightened to the point
that it felt as though she couldn’t breathe. Her thoughts became a jumble, and
she realized belatedly that the meeting with the stranger had triggered a panic
attack. Seeing a bench, Lin sat down and closed her eyes and began breathing
deeply and slowly, in and out. Bai is not
here. The man that helped me is not Bai. In all likelihood he is a good man.
Bai was sick, insane, and he’s not here now. Just keep breathing, and you’ll be
fine.
The man’s scent tickled her nose, and
she lifted her head to find those black eyes level with hers. The man had
crouched down in front of her. “You’re safe here. The one you’re running from
won’t find you, I promise.”
Lin felt her eyes widen at the man’s
words. “How . . . ?” she started to say before shutting her mouth so hard, her
teeth clacked loudly.
“Your grandfather is a tall, slender man
with gray hair that he wears longer than most people, other than your own, are
comfortable with. He has blue eyes that are the color of lapis, and he’s
missing a tooth on the far left front side. You can see the hole where it was
when he smiles.”
Lin’s breath caught at the accurate
description. There was only one way this man could know what her grandfather
looked like.
“You are like him,” she whispered,
astounded at her seemingly good luck.
The man simply shrugged, then tugged the
scarf down so that she could see his whole face. Brown lips with a tinge of
pink stretched wide over even white teeth in a gentle smile. “Ready to go
inside now?”
“Yes. It is cold out here.” Lin shivered
and then stood up quickly as the man lifted to his tall height and stepped back
from her as though understanding that if he crowded her, he could trigger
another attack.
Even as the words left her lips,
suspicion crowded her brain. What if Bai
has already been here and talked to this man? What if it’s a trick? What if he
told him what Grandfather looks like?
The only thing that kept her moving was
concentrating on her breathing. If she could remember to breathe, she could
think her way out of this dilemma she found herself in.
The man held the door for her, waiting
patiently, and Lin nervously stepped past him. It’s a public place. He won’t try anything here. The casino was
nearly empty. Only a few hardcore gamblers sat at some of the slot machines,
feeding coins in and hoping for that big win. Most of them were Indians, but
there were a few fair-skinned people sitting at machines. The card tables were
deserted, as was the roulette wheel.
“Hey, Kyle! Good to see you, man!”
someone called out to her rescuer, and Lin flinched at the loud voice,
belatedly coming back to reality.
“Hey, Bobby. How’s it going?” The two
men bumped fists, and at the gesture, Lin began carefully sidling away, their
exuberance making her nervous. Dread began to coat her belly like spoiled food.
Though their talk and body language suggested they were friends, she had seen
her ex-husband behave in such ways with his friends as well. Their jovial
behavior did not mean they would not turn on her at any second.
Lin took two more steps backwards and
was beginning to turn, completely prepared to get lost in what little crowd
there was, her eyes instinctively seeking the exit signs and overlooking the
restroom signs, knowing from past experience they would not stop someone bent
on harming her.
She heard the whispered words, “Who’s
the babe, Kyle?” Her eyes widened in terror, and her breath came hard and fast.
Just as she would have turned to run, Kyle’s next words stopped her.
“Knock it off, Bobby. Can’t you see
she’s terrified?” At the harsh words, some semblance of sanity returned, and
Lin struggled to calm her breathing again. She pulled the tatters of her
dignity around her like a shroud and asked quietly, “Is there a restaurant or
some other place that I can wait for the storm to end?”
“Sure, just go through there.” Kyle
pointed at a hallway. “It’s on your left. They have wonderful tea,” he added
quietly.
Lin nodded. “Thank you, Kyle,” she said
in softly accented English before turning to go. She could really use a cup of
tea about now.
Copyright (c) 2012 by Regina Paul. All Rights Reserved.
