The No. 1 Sheriff in Texas. Patricia Thayer

swung her around. She faced the burly man, who towered over her own five-foot-five height. She didn’t recognize him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sent here to find her.

      Nora didn’t have a chance to react before the man backhanded her across her face. The pain caught her off guard as she stumbled to the ground. He came after her as she tried to crawl away. He landed on top of her, trapping her against the asphalt. She screamed, trying desperately to fight him off. No, she wasn’t going to be a victim again. She bucked and squirmed, until he grabbed one of her arms and twisted it behind her back. She cried out.

      He straddled her from behind, knocking her head against the ground. She fought the pain and to keep conscious.

      “Have I got your attention now?” he snarled.

      “Please,” she whispered, feeling his hands move over her. Bile rose in her throat.

      Then came the distant sound of a siren. The attacker cursed. “I’m not done with you, yet.” He climbed off of her and was gone.

      Fighting the pain, Nora stumbled to her feet and searched around for her purse. She had to get away.

      That was when she heard the siren cut off then footsteps. She glanced up at the large shadow. “Please, go away. Leave me alone.”

      “Ma’am, I’m Officer Randell with the sheriff’s department.” She saw his calming hand in the darkness as he brought his flashlight up to his shirt, showing her his badge.

      Nora had always been good at holding it together. She had to, to protect her son. But suddenly her head began to pound and she closed her eyes against the pain. All she remembered was feeling the officer’s arms coming around her and holding her close.

      “Please…He can’t find me again. Don’t let him find me again.”

      “It’s okay, you’re safe now.”

      She wanted to believe his reassuring words, but knew no one could ever keep her safe.

      Brandon shifted the woman’s weight before she sank to the ground. He called for assistance and waited for help to come.

      Don’t let him find me again. He ran her words through his head as he brushed the woman’s dark hair away from her face. Even in the shadowed light he could see she was young and pretty. Most abuse victims were, before some man got his hands on them. He should say fists.

      Brandon took a breath to fight off memories of his early childhood, and the pain his mother suffered until finally she left her abuser, Joel Garson.

      “You’re safe,” he assured her.

      The woman groaned and turned her head toward his chest. A strange feeling came over him seeing the scrape along her jaw and the blood.

      “You’re going to be all right,” he assured her again.

      “Zach…” she whispered as tears flooded her eyes. “Oh, Zach, I’m sorry.”

      Had that been the guy who worked her over?

      He heard footsteps and looked up to see people running toward them. “Over here,” he called as he stood, lifting the small woman in his arms and carrying her to the gurney. He laid her down on the padded surface and started to step back when the woman opened her eyes. She gasped, and he could see the fear in her eyes and the tremble in her voice.

      “Thank you,” she managed to mumble as the nurse tugged a blanket over her to ward off the autumn chill.

      Before Brandon could speak, a nurse stepped forward. “Nora,” she whispered. “Oh, Nora, what happened?”

      “Let’s get her inside,” someone else called.

      Brandon would have followed the victim but another patrol car pulled up and rookie officer Jason Griggs emerged.

      “We couldn’t find anyone,” the officer said.

      “Did you secure the area?”

      Together they walked back to the scene. “Yes, the security guards blocked off the exits and we’re checking IDs. But we don’t know who we’re looking for.” Griggs nodded toward the gurney being wheeled through the doors of the center. “Is the victim okay?”

      “She was roughed up, but conscious.” He found he wanted to see for himself. He shined his flashlight on the ground, then picked up an abandoned purse and found a wallet still inside along with the car keys.

      Brandon opened her wallet and read her license. “This Nora Donnelly was lucky someone saw the man grab her.”

      Griggs joined in the ground search. “If the man wanted money, why didn’t he just grab her purse and take off? He held her a lot longer than needed—unless he had other plans, like a sexual attack.”

      Brandon couldn’t get the victim’s words out of his head. Don’t let him find me again, she’d begged him. Then she whispered the name “Zach.” He glanced toward the emergency center. “I think I’ll go see if Ms. Donnelly is up to answering some questions. Maybe give us a description.”

      Jason nodded as Brandon walked off. He had a strange feeling about this. When a man used a woman as a punching bag, it was more likely to be personal. Did Nora Donnelly know her attacker? Was Zach a husband or lover?

      Once inside the sliding doors, he went to the large desk where a thin, middle-aged woman met him.

      “Are you the deputy who saved Nora?”

      He nodded. “I take it she works here?”

      “Yes, she’s a nurse,” the receptionist said. “She’d just gotten off her shift…” The woman sighed with a worried look. “I knew that parking lot wasn’t safe. They need to put in more lights.”

      “Wouldn’t hurt. Has there been trouble before?”

      The woman shook her head. “No, but you haven’t caught this man, yet. He’s still out there.”

      “Then make sure the security guard walks you out at night. At least until we find this guy. Could you please tell me where they took Ms. Donnelly?”

      “It’s Mrs.—Nora’s a widow and has the sweetest little boy.” She smiled, then it slowly faded. “It’s a shame she lost her husband so young.”

      So the attacker wasn’t her husband. A boyfriend? Maybe. He shook his head. He had to stop speculating and talk to Nora Donnelly. “Where did they take her?”

      “She’s in exam room four. The doctor is with her now.”

      “Thank you,” he told her.

      “No, thank you…” She leaned in to read his badge. “Deputy Randell.”

      “Just glad I arrived in time.” Brandon started off in that direction. His gut told him this was more than just an attempted robbery. This guy wanted to punish her, to hurt her.

      Brandon stopped by the closed exam room door. He took a seat and waited, making notes about the incident and calling in to the station. It was another twenty minutes before a nurse came out. He stepped into the open doorway to see Nora Donnelly sitting up in bed. There was still a doctor and a nurse with her. When the doctor said something she gave him a teary smile, and Brandon couldn’t seem to get enough air into his lungs.

      In the light he could finally get a good look at her. She had a heart-shaped face with startling sapphire-blue eyes. Her nearly black hair hung to her shoulders in waves. His attention went to her mouth, full and inviting, especially the pouty bottom lip, giving him ideas he had no business thinking about right now. If ever.

      She suddenly looked in his direction. He swallowed the dryness in his throat and managed to speak. “Mrs. Donnelly. Remember me, Deputy Randell?” He walked in, trying to exhibit authority as the nurse moved out of the way.

      She tilted her head slightly. “Yes, Deputy, I remember you. You helped me. Thank