Chapter One

Sallie Archer hovered on the edge of sleep, its tantalizing promise edging closer with each tick of the clock. The familiar comfort of her big bed, combined with mental and physical exhaustion, brought another hectic day to a close. Her muscles went limp and her brain slowly relinquished all thoughts and worries.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar sound jarred her awake again, jerking her back to consciousness. Fighting the pull of fatigue, she lifted heavy eyelids and let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the room.

Movement to the right of her bed startled her and made her go numb with shock. She watched in horror as a man slipped through her French doors, leaving them ajar as he crept past the foot of her bed toward the opposite side of the room. He glanced her way, and she stopped breathing.

Sallie's chest constricted. He muttered something, his tone low and suggestive, then told her he'd be right back. All her breath got trapped in her lungs and they started to burn. Her stomach alternately clenched and roiled as panic washed over her. Her heart pounded brutally. She watched, frozen with terror, as the sinister figure finally stopped staring her way and disappeared into the living room.

A rush of blood clamored in her ears, deafening her when she most needed to hear. She had to move, to do something before he returned, yet she wasted precious time frozen with fear. I won't be immobilized by fear! I won't be immobilized by fear! She chanted the childhood refrain, but she still couldn't move a muscle.

Calm down. Calm down, she mentally commanded herself and dragged in a soundless breath. Maybe she'd imagined the ghostly

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