Invisible

By Allie Harrison

After a terrifying bank robbery brings her face to face with a masked gunman, Ellie Westfall hopes she and her son are safe. But Ellie soon learns there are worse things to fear, like dead bodies, or maybe becoming one. And as shadows close in and a bigger danger threatens, she has to trust FBI Agent Gil Trent to keep her safe from the monster bent on making her his own. But Gil Trent is hiding something. Can Ellie put her life in Gil's hands? Or will his secrets get them both killed?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allie Harrison
• Release date: Jun 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9780996904834

Book preview

Chapter 1

Ellie Westfall shifted from one foot to the other, doing her best not to appear impatient. More than anything, she hated coming into the bank. The ATM was so much more convenient, but since the supermarket announced credit and debit card numbers used there had been hacked, she requested a new card. So until she got it, which could take a week, she was stuck monitoring her own account for fraudulent activity, and standing in line at this damn bank. She glanced out the large window at the front of the building and sighed.

Dealing with customers all day had taught her she should at least look patient, but that didn’t help the fact that she needed to be at work in the next thirteen minutes. Her chances of being on time were dwindling with each passing moment, and the line of customers remained at a standstill.

At least she was off tomorrow, and perhaps she and Raylan could check out the apple festival. She glanced down at her son, rocking impatiently beside her. Raylan’s small hand in hers was a bit sweaty, but she liked the feel of his little-boy fingers. Besides, the sweat told her there was no fever for which she was grateful. When he’d told her he didn’t feel well the previous evening, she’d spent yet another sleepless night watching over him, looking for the first sign of labored breathing. This morning, fatigue enfolded her like a heavy, dense fog, but she had to push through it. Sandy, her boss, was kind and understanding enough to let Ellie start her shift after she dropped Raylan off at pre-school that morning, but she couldn’t afford to miss another day of work.

Do you think this line is ever going to move?

It was the guy behind them who spoke, the guy who had said, Hi, there, when he got into line behind them. Ellie had smiled then ignored him. Sometimes she just got tired of tourists flirting with her as they so often did at work. Working at a coffee shop, she dealt with both worlds—the town regulars and the out-of-towners. The tourists were worse. On many occasions, she’d make a coffee for a tourist, they’d notice her deep red hair, and then they’d offer an unsolicited comment. This guy, with his cargo shorts, Bermuda shirt, unshaven look, and socks with sandals, was definitely a tourist. Besides, with her job, she pretty well knew all the regulars, and this guy wasn’t one of them.

She glanced at her watch again, then down at Raylan. We’re going to have to hurry, or you’ll be late for school.

Okay.

She could feel the guy in line watching her again, then he spoke.

Hey, maybe after we finally get waited on in here and you get the boy to school, we could go grab a cup of coffee together. I hear there’s a great little coffee shop down the street called Lotta Latte.

The next bank customer in line was called and Ellie took a single step forward. No, but thank you. I have to get to work. Besides, if he came into the Lotta Latte for a cup of java, she’d be serving it to him. She turned her attention away and looked down at her son. Hey, buddy. He looked up at her with huge hazel eyes that looked too large for his face. We’re going to have to skip this. We’ll get money to get orange juice and supper later, or maybe I’ll have enough from the tip jar. Right now I need to get you to school or we’re both going to be late.

Okay, he said again.

With his hand still tucked in hers, she turned to leave the small space designated: Form Line Here.

The explosive sounds of shots rang through the lobby. Startled, Ellie, her ears ringing, instinctively ducked to the floor, dragging Raylan with her. She pulled him into her arms, and laid over him, shielding him with her own body. She worked to breathe past the sudden lump of cold panic paralyzing her. She prayed, begging whoever was listening to keep them safe, to get them out alive—to get Raylan out alive. A scare as sudden and terrifying as this could send Raylan into a breathing spasm. Thanks to his asthma, he had spasms all the time, some of which devolved into full-blown attacks, even when he wasn’t scared.

Get on the floor! Get on the floor! Everybody keep your head down, do what we say and no one gets hurt! Try anything stupid, and it will be the last thing you ever do!

His voice was deep and authoritative. And terrifying. Ellie didn’t doubt he meant every word. Her heart raced but she tried to remain calm, and she had to keep Raylan calm to ward off any asthma symptoms. An asthma attack was one of the worst case scenarios—right up there with getting shot by the bank robbers. She held on to him tightly, gazing down into his frightened face. His hopeful expression was a trait he’d inherited from his father.

Are you okay, buddy? she whispered.

He nodded. What’s happening, Mommy? He stared at her, seeking reassurance.

Stay quiet. It’s going to be okay, she said. We’ll stay down and do what he says.

Raylan pressed closer. Ellie turned her head, glancing up and catching sight of one of the robbers—a tall man wearing coveralls, his face was hidden behind the triangle of red bandana. If he hadn’t been carrying a real gun, Ellie might have laughed at his comical portrayal of a cocky bank robber in an old western movie.

Shut up! the red bandana robber said to a whimpering woman nearby.

The voice of a second robber came to her from over her shoulder. Put all the money in this and don’t even think about hitting any of the alarms! His gruff, urgent order was to the cashiers, who were most likely terrified and eager to do whatever he asked.

Ellie heard movement, but couldn’t see what was happening from her position.

Mommy?

Shhh. It’ll be okay, just stay against me. I won’t let them hurt you. Ellie hoped to hell they didn’t hurt anyone, but she was prepared to defend Raylan with her life.

There was something to be said about absolute trust and unconditional love, for she actually felt him relax against her, as if because Mommy said, then it must be so.

For the next several moments, she foolishly thought everything would be fine. The robbers—and the best she could guess without raising her head and looking around, there were three or four of them—seemed to be content having their demands met. She’d only heard two speak, but there was too much movement and tension for only two. From what she could see, none of the bank customers moved. And from the sounds of shuffling bags and drawers opening and closing behind her, the cashiers were doing as instructed.

Because she faced the front doors and windows she saw several police cars screech to a halt in the parking lot, their lights flashing, their sirens suddenly cutting through the silence in the bank. Ellie’s heart skipped. No, they didn’t need the police. If the police didn’t interfere, those men could take the money and leave. In and out, no one hurt. No one dead.

The police would never let the robbers leave. The police would corner them and raise within them a desperate fear. Cornered animals always struck out to injure, to deal a blow just to get away. Bile burned in Ellie’s throat. She tightened her hold on Raylan.

Mom, I can’t breathe.

His words shook her. Oh, please not now. She gasped and looked down at him, quickly realizing he couldn’t breathe, not because of his asthma, but because she was squeezing him too tightly.

She forced herself to relax, but only a little.

The police are here, one of the masked men called to the others.

Right on schedule, another answered.

That was strange. Not only did he sound as if he expected them to arrive before they could get away with the money, but that he wanted them here. Was he that eager to kill someone?

Get all these people up against the wall.

Get up! Get up!

The masked men, guns pointed, herded people like cattle, their voices raised and gruff. They directed all of the hostages to the far side of the room. Ellie had no choice but to get up and move with them. It allowed her to see there were, indeed, four robbers. She kept Raylan tucked against her. She paused, only a millisecond, and studied the closest robber. His gaze met hers.

She saw clarity in his green eyes, a defining intensity that left her hot and cold at the same time. With his chin pointed down, his eyes pierced her upward. He studied her for a complete ten seconds, and she couldn’t help but think he mentally undressed her and took a quick peek into her soul.

What are you looking at? His voice carried over the tense heaviness in the room.

She fought off a chill. I’ve never seen a gun before, not for real. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had, in fact, seen a gun before. However, during the previous seconds while he held her gaze captive, she never once looked down at the gun in his hand. She peered at him, seeking something distinctive, some distinguishing characteristic about him she could tell the police. She backed away from his gun and moved as he directed. Terror held her so tightly, she couldn’t think coherently enough to make her body do what it needed to do. She knew talking to him, even meeting his green-eyed gaze, was probably akin to looking into the eyes of a wild dog, something it would take as a challenge.

Want to see what one can do? He lifted the gun.

To her horror, he pointed it at Raylan. Instinct took over and she shoved her son behind her. No. She tried to keep from stumbling over her own two feet in her effort to follow the others and do her best to become invisible.

Mommy... Raylan whined.

It’ll be okay, honey, just stay close to me. It was Raylan who kept her grounded. She had no choice but to be brave and remain composed to protect him. She couldn’t huddle in the corner, close her eyes, and cry until the ordeal was over.

The robber with green eyes stared at her for another long moment. No more talking. Then he moved to a woman who remained on the floor crying, coaxing her with the pointed gun to follow the others.

Once she and Raylan were seated against the wall with all the other hostages, customers and bank employees, Ellie breathed easier, though the tightness in her chest made each breath hurt. Raylan pressed his little body against her, and she held him closer. From her position along the far wall, she saw the bags the robbers placed near the door. The four robbers were all dressed alike in coveralls and some sort of mask. The bank wasn’t very big so it probably didn’t hold millions of dollars, but it still had enough cash to fill five bags.

One robber, the one with the brilliant green eyes, walked past the wall of hostages, sitting backs against the wall, lined up like ducks in a shooting gallery. Which of you triggered the silent alarm that brought the police?

His gaze fell on each person as he stepped down the line of sitting ducks. Oh, come on, he said. His light-hearted easy coaxing sounded false and out of place with the tension of the room. Fess up. Don’t make me shoot anyone.

Ellie, still working to breathe and keep her heart rate steady, did her best to stay calm for Raylan’s sake. Robbing the bank at gunpoint in the middle of the morning was, quite obviously, an arrogant and bold move. Surely these men wouldn’t shoot anyone, not her, in front of her own son? This couldn’t be happening. She had to be sleeping, enduring a terrible, too-real dream. And yet, she could not wake from the nightmare.

That flashing green-eyed gaze met hers, and she had a brief moment to think no, please don’t pick me. Please don’t orphan my son. Please don’t shoot me in front of him.

Her thoughts were replaced by sheer icy horror. He grabbed the arm not holding Raylan and hauled her to her feet.

She only had time for a simple, No...Please...

Raylan launched himself at her legs, almost toppling her backward. No, Mommy! No! You leave my mommy alone! he screamed in a shrill voice she’d never even heard before.

Why don’t you leave her alone? Another voice joined the fray.

It was the man in the Bermuda shirt who’d asked her out for coffee. His bravery was commendable, but stupid.

Why don’t you sit down? One of the robbers shoved him back onto the floor with the others, and pointed a gun at him. The stupidly brave man offered no more assistance.

Ellie felt cold metal touch the side of her throat just beneath her chin. Her legs threatened to buckle beneath her. Her breath caught. Please don’t do this. I’m all my son has. She was uncertain whether she was going to faint or throw up. Her legs shook.

A second robber pulled Raylan away from her legs, and Raylan became a wild child in the arms of the masked man. Kicking, screaming, and twisting—he was almost more than the robber could handle.

The robber’s words were warm against her face. It’s up to whoever pulled the alarm. I wonder if he can live with knowing he killed you.

Ellie stared at all the other ducks against the wall, all of them looking as terrified as she felt. Please, she begged, her voice a wobbly, hollow sound.

To add to the fear already chewing her insides, Raylan, trapped in the arms of the second robber, began gasping for air.

Chapter 2

Let me go!

She counted the gun pressed to her jaw as nothing compared to the need to get to Raylan. She struggled, with every muscle in her body, to free herself, to get to her son, but the robber held her fast. His fingers bit into her arm deep enough to hurt. The barrel of the gun was cold against her face.

What’s wrong with him? The man huffed while struggling to contain her.

Asthma. He’s got asthma. He can’t breathe. Neither could she. Her chest was tight with terror. Oh, not now. This was the last thing she needed, as if she ever needed it. Her chest hurt, she was pretty certain the sight of her son gasping for air was tearing her heart to shreds.

Stay strong. Fight. I can’t die now! What if no one helps him? What if he dies, too? She struggled to free herself from her captor just as Raylan struggled to breathe. Let him go! Let me go!

I guess I’ll have to shoot you both.

She blinked, stunned. He’d spoken so calmly of murder. Bastard! No! She continued pulling against him, fighting for her freedom in vain.

It was me. The red-haired bank teller’s words were courageous, but her large eyes swam in terrified tears. I hit the alarm. Please don’t shoot them. Please let her help him.

Ellie’s knees went weak with relief, but she couldn’t find the voice to thank the woman for speaking up. Except for the sounds of Raylan’s continued struggle for air, a hush fell over the room. In fact, if her heart hadn’t been pounding with the need to get to her son, Ellie would have thought the world stopped. Raylan’s lips were now a dusky blue color, and she could see his chest and throat retract in a desperate attempt to gulp oxygen through ever narrowing channels.

Let them go. The red-headed teller sat against the wall with the others. Her voice remained calm despite the skyrocketing intense panic flooding the lobby. Please let her help her boy.

The cold metal of the gun barrel left her jaw, and Ellie let out one heavy breath after another, her lungs finally loosed from the breath she was unaware she was holding. Her rubbery legs made it difficult to stay on her feet.

Think about Raylan. Please...

Give him to me, Mr. Green Eyes ordered.

Ellie had no doubt he was the leader of this nightmare.

His colleague moved without comment, handing her son to him. The leader shoved his gun into the pocket of his coveralls and carried Raylan as if he were nothing more than a large football. Come with me.

She nodded. She would go wherever he went because he held her son in his arms, and Mr. Green Eyes still gripped her in the vice of his hand.

He paused to look back to the other robber. You know what to do. Carry on.

Ellie wanted to pull Raylan out of the monster’s arms and run in the other direction, but protesting would just waste precious seconds. Seconds Raylan could not afford. Seeing his lips so blue and his eyes glassy and unfocused forced an invisible knife into her gut.

Mr. Green Eyes shoved her through the door of the men’s restroom.

Give him to me. Her voice shook.

He ignored her command. What does he need? His words were little more than growls.

An Emergency Room with a Respiratory Therapist. She couldn’t keep heat out of her voice. Her worry for her son and her anger toward the robbers won over her fear of the man before her.

He shook his head, sitting Raylan on the counter beside the sink. Not in the plan right now. What else?

I’ll try his medication in his backpack, but I’ve only ever seen one other attack this bad, so I don’t know how well it will work. She slid Raylan’s backpack free of his arms; he was unconscious, his skin pale, and his body slumped against his captor. Terror pounded through her heart. Raylan’s weakened condition meant she had to rely on the man with the gun to help her save her son.

First thing she grabbed was the pack of EpiPens, opening it to snatch one out. She’d never had to use one before, but she gave a silent, heartfelt thank you to Dr. Brennen for insisting she’d always have one. For a mere second, she saw the lifesaving adrenaline injector as a potential weapon. If she managed to stick it in one of the bastard’s green eyes...

What are you waiting for?

Her son needed it more. Besides, even if she did reach his eye and disable him, she had to get past his cohorts. Without further hesitation, she dispensed it into Raylan’s left thigh. He didn’t even flinch. Her heart rate kicked up, terror welling at her son’s total lack of response.

Just breathe, she muttered out loud. Raylan, honey, can you hear Mommy? Despite her efforts to remain calm, her voice quivered.

To her amazement, Mr. Green Eyes held Raylan with what almost looked like compassion. Hell, she couldn’t think about why or how this man was holding her son. It was his fault her son was unconscious. She fought the urge to scratch his face, kick his shin, and tear the boy out of his arms. She wanted to weep with the overwhelming need to hold her son, to keep him safe. It tore at her gut to let this man touch him.

Raylan’s lips were still blue. Breathe nice and easy for Mommy. Listen to my voice. Next she pulled out his emergency inhaler. Hold his nose closed, she threw the command at the man, uncaring of his reaction to her words.

The man who looked like he walked right out of an old western movie because of the bandana covering his face did as she asked. She forced two puffs of medicine into Raylan’s mouth, then followed them with air from her own body by placing her mouth over his and forcing a breath down his throat. The puff of medication couldn’t work if it wasn’t in his lungs. She laid him back on the counter, stuck him in the leg with the second EpiPen before she sent two more puffs into him. She relaxed a little as when he coughed. Then he breathed, and wheezed, but at this point, she was willing to take anything. That’s it, honey, keep doing that. Keep breathing.

Hang in there, champ, the robber said, much to Ellie’s surprise.

She bit her lip to keep from telling him to go to hell, and kept her focus on Raylan.

A moment and several breaths later, Raylan’s lips darkened from pale blue to pale pink. He slept, and his breathing quieted.

Thank you, she let out. Now that she didn’t need to concentrate on Raylan’s breathing, her stomach clinched with renewed fear. Her son was still in the arms of a man with a gun.

Will he be all right?

Why should you care? The words escaped before she could stop them.

His hard gaze met hers. Answer the question.

She swallowed. He still needs a hospital, but at least now he can breathe. Breathing’s a good thing.

No shit? Why doesn’t he wake up?

The work it takes to breathe during an attack exhausts him.

The sound of a gunshot rang from the main bank lobby. She jumped with a startled cry, and would have jumped away from Mr. Green Eyes, but she couldn’t take her hands from her son. For the first time since their ordeal began, she was glad her son was unconscious and lost to the world. At least fear couldn’t find him in his sleep. Muffled screams floated in through the closed bathroom door. She stared at that door for what felt like long moments, and when she returned her gaze to the man who had brought all the terror to her, she