Christmas Haven. Hope White

      Sadness washed over her. So much loss.

      Mom stroked Julie’s hair. “It’s okay. You’re home now. And Lana can’t wait to see you.”

      “I can’t wait to see her, either.”

      “She’s coming for breakfast.”

      “Awesome.” And it was. Julie kept so busy at work that she had little time to miss them. But right now, sitting in Mom’s floral kitchen, she remembered the joy and laughter they’d shared. An ache crawled through her chest.

      “You look exhausted. How about I tuck you in?” Mom offered.

      “That would be great.”

      Morgan pulled out of the Burnses’ driveway, but didn’t go far. Parking a few houses down from the old Victorian, he eyed the upstairs window. Julie’s room.

      He guessed whatever made her scream out in her sleep was the same thing that drove her back home to the safety of family and friends. And now she was having second thoughts.

      He could read it in her eyes.

      It still amazed him how connected they were after all these years. Why didn’t she trust him enough to ask for his help? Because he still wasn’t good enough? He was only a small-town cop and she needed…what?

      He whipped out his cell phone and called Ethan Beck, an old friend who was a detective with the Seattle Police Department.

      “Beck.”

      “Hey, E, it’s Morgan Wright.”

      “As in Chief Morgan Wright?”

      “Knock it off.”

      Morgan and Ethan had recently reconnected thanks to another old friend, Jake Walters.

      “Good to hear from you, man,” Ethan said. “Jake told me you were chief pooh-bah out there in Port Whisper. How’s that goin’?”

      “It has its good days and bad.” Like today. “Listen, I need a favor.”

      “Name it.”

      “An old friend’s returned to town and I think she’s in trouble.”

      “Is she cute? Available?”

      “Yes and no.”

      “Really?” Ethan teased.

      “Can you check your database for anything on Julie Burns, female, twenty-eight? Seattle social worker for Teen Life.”

      “You mean the Julie Burns?”

      “Yup.”

      “What am I looking for?”

      “I’m not sure.”

      “You think she’s into something criminal?”

      The terror in her golden eyes flashed across his mind. “No, but my gut tells me she’s in trouble.”

      “I’ll see what I can find.”

      “Thanks.”

      “Sure. You hear about Jake and Robin? They’re engaged.”

      Morgan took a deep breath. “No, I hadn’t heard. That’s great news.”

      “How soon do you need this information about Julie?”

      “As soon as you can get it.”

      “Check. Take care, buddy.”

      “You, too.”

      Morgan ended the call and dropped the phone on the seat beside him. Staring up at Julie’s room, he leaned back and considered what could be going on with his fragile ex-girlfriend.

      She was suffering from some kind of post-trauma issue, that’s for sure. Maybe her work had finally gotten to her, listening to the gut-wrenching stories of abused teenagers, counseling them, hoping they’d find a better life, only to have them return to an abusive living situation.

      It had to get to her, haunt her dreams, trigger nightmares.

      Yet she’d called out Morgan’s name when she’d awakened from the nightmare in his truck.

      Maybe she’d been dreaming about one of their last fights, the harsh words he’d uttered out of sheer agony of losing the one person he’d trusted most.

      He wondered what life would have looked like had he followed her to Seattle, left his father and chosen another line of work. But his life was here, making his father proud, earning his respect and protecting the citizens of Port Whisper.

      It had been his destiny.

      At one point he thought Julie had been a part of that destiny.

      “Get over it already.” He thought he had. He’d fallen in love with Renee, at least he thought it was love, and he’d appreciated Anna’s company, her bright smile and sense of humor.

      Seeing Jules again, rescuing her from whatever threat was stalking her, brought it all back to the surface.

      Regret burned in his chest. No, he’d done the right thing by letting her go to follow her dream. The pit in his stomach said otherwise.

      He clicked the radio on and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. Something told him to stay close. He had tomorrow off. He could go the night without sleep.

      Even if he went home and climbed into bed, he knew he wouldn’t sleep, not with the image of Julie’s frightened eyes haunting him.

      “You’re going to tell me what’s going on,” he whispered, eyeing her bedroom.

      The light went off. He took a deep breath and considered his next move. He’d see what Ethan turned up and he’d go from there.

      Tomorrow he’d confront Julie about her situation, but under no uncertain terms would he discuss their past. This was business. He was the police chief sworn to protect the people of Port Whisper.

      As long as Jules was here, she was under his protection just like everyone else.

      A vibrating sound awakened her from a deep sleep. She opened her eyes and spotted her cell phone dancing across the nightstand. The bedside clock read four-thirty. She flipped on the lamp and grabbed her phone, recognizing the caller ID as William’s work number. William and Julie had consulted with one another on unusually complicated cases. But why call at such an odd time?

      “William?” she answered.

      Silence.

      “William?”

      “You can run, Blondie,” a gravelly voice said. “But we’re always right behind you.”

      She jackknifed in bed. “Who is this?”

      The line went dead and a surge of panic ripped through her. Fearing for William’s safety, she called his cell. She paced her room as it rang. Two, three times.

      “Hello?” he answered groggily.

      She sighed and shifted onto the bed.

      “You’re okay,” she said.

      “Julie? It’s—” he hesitated “—four in the morning.”

      “I know, I’m sorry.”

      “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

      “I just got a threatening phone call from your work number.”

      “A threatening call? I don’t understand.”

      “I’m in trouble, William. Ever since I witnessed Dane’s kidnapping, strange things have been happening: hang-ups, the office break-in, and I think someone’s been following me.”

      “Call the police.”

      “What can they do? Put a twenty-four-hour watch on