Third Life: Taken

Chapter 1

MONDAY

Chapter 1 - Kelsey 

The doorbell startles me because we so rarely have visitors. More importantly, unexpected guests make my pulse quicken. It's been 17 months since the bounty for my capture was removed, and after narrowly escaping being shot to death because people wanted reward money, I never feel completely safe.

I am in the kitchen and have just poured Major Nelson, our 100-pound Black Russian Terrier, a bowl of dog food. "Come on," I say to him, and he turns his boxy, fur-covered head away from the food and looks at me curiously. I take him by the collar and lead him through the doors separating the kitchen and family room of our cozy one-floor home. Major Nelson is a well-trained dog, so he comes without much difficulty, despite leaving food behind. We head through the family room. In the corner, I see my 18-month-old daughter is stacking blocks in her play area, which is cordoned off by safety gates. We round the corner and head to the front door.

 Major Nelson's panting presence by my side gives me a boost of confidence as we reach the door. I look through the peephole and laugh when I see who is standing on the other side. "One minute," I call through the door.

"Go on and eat," I tell Major Nelson as I release his collar. The kitchen is the best place for him while I have company. I point at an angle toward the kitchen door, which can't be seen from here. Major Nelson gives me a put out look and pads away. I take a few paces and watch him plod through the open kitchen door. Then, I practically skip back to the front door and open it.

Standing in front of me is a stocky man, 5 feet 10 inches tall, with black hair, brown eyes, and an uneven smile. "Greg," I say, taking a step toward him and wrapping my arms around him. "I am so glad to see you," I say as I release him and take a step back to get a better look at him. He looks generally the same: sturdy and committed. The perfect husband for my sister-in-law, who wanted to count on someone else after spending her childhood taking care of her younger siblings after their mother's death. But, he also seems tired. A hazard of traveling, I guess. But, that's unimportant, as I'm so happy to see a familiar face from back home.

I've forgotten myself. I step aside so Greg can enter the house. I am still grinning at the turn of events. As I shut the door, I instinctively give a quick look to see if Emmie, my husband's sister, is out there, even though I'm sure she's not. Luke would be ecstatic to see his sister. Emmie is 10 years older than Luke, and he adores her because she practically raised him. However, Emmie is eight-and-a-half months pregnant right now, so surely she wouldn't travel by plane, the quickest way, and probably not by vehicle, as I could think of nothing less appealing to a pregnant woman than a 12-hour car ride. I feel my smile begin to fade as I realize how odd it is for Greg to come all this way, to a foreign country, given how far along Emmie is. "This is such a surprise," I say to Greg. "What are you doing here?"

Greg smiles and looks around, but doesn't respond.

His unexpected appearance coupled with his silence makes me worry something has happened to Emmie or the baby. "Is everything alright?" I ask.

"Everything's fine," he says, widening his smile. Greg's skin is a little pale, and he has bags under his eyes. His hair is neatly combed, and despite the heat and humidity, his clothes are crisply pressed. But something about him is off. I can't quite put my finger on it.

 "If everything's fine, why are you here?" I ask, then blush, as I realize just how rude that sounds. "I'm sorry," I say, and motion him to follow me further inside. We head toward the family room, where there's a sofa, a flatscreen, a couple of easy chairs, and Penelope's play area. Unfortunately, the floor is littered with Penelope's toys. We — I guess me, really, as Penelope isn't entirely helpful — generally tidy up a bit before Luke comes home. However, since that is a few hours away, it basically looks like a cyclone blew through. "Come in. Have a seat."