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The attacker slashed out at Suzanna. She instinctively raised an arm in defense. The knife sliced into her arm and it was then Suzanna screamed. Adrenaline rushed through her as terror gripped her heart…her very soul.

The person stabbed the knife out once again, a jab toward the stomach. Suzanna dodged it just in time. She was trapped against the side of her car with no weapon to defend herself with and no way to escape.

She screamed as the knife slashed out once again. It sliced her arm a second time. The two wounds burned and throbbed and began to bleed profusely. She continued to dodge and weave to keep the knife from stabbing her in a vital area of her body.

She knew her screams wouldn’t help her any. Her nearest neighbor was too far away to hear her cries for help. There was no question the person intended to kill her, and eventually the knife was going to do just that.

Tears of abject fear blurred her vision. She kicked and punched at the attacker, all the while dodging the vicious thrusts of the sharp weapon. The car. Her purse was still on the front seat, so if she could just get back inside it and lock the doors then surely she would be safe. She’d have her phone and could call for help. With this thought in mind, she continued to kick at the attacker, hoping to move the person back far enough so she could open the car door and get inside.

As she kicked, she also continued to move back and forth to evade the jabbing of the knife. She gasped as one of the slashes glanced off her collarbone.

Sooner or later, the assailant was going to get lucky and deliver a killing stab. Despite the fact that she knew it wouldn’t help, she screamed over and over again. She was going to die if she didn’t do something to help herself. With this horrifying thought in mind, Suzanna kicked the person with all the strength she had. The kick connected solidly to the middle of the attacker’s stomach, and it was hard enough that the person stumbled backward and nearly fell to the ground.

Suzanna took that opportunity to get her car door open. She slid into the driver seat and slammed the door. She instantly pushed the button that would lock all the doors. The assailant slammed both hands against the windshield, causing another scream to once again escape Suzanna.

She fumbled in her purse to find her cell phone. Her fingers were slick with the blood that coursed down her arm. She finally grabbed the phone and hit the emergency number.

Once she called for help, she set her phone down and looked out her windows. There was no sign of the attacker. Whoever it was, the person had apparently melted back into the darkness of the night and had disappeared. Thank God, because she was in no condition to drive. She shook too badly and she wasn’t thinking straight.

It was only then that Suzanna began to sob in earnest. Her earlier wreck now took on an undeniably sinister note. She’d believed that somebody had tried to kill her that night but had convinced herself that it might have been a drunk driver who had hit her car and accidently forced her off the road. But now, she believed the intention had been to kill her after all.

Tonight, there was no question that the person who had attacked her had wanted to kill her. But who? And why? She didn’t believe she had any enemies, but obviously she had one, and that person definitely wanted her dead. She hoped it wasn’t the Scarecrow Killer, but if not, then who?

Chapter 6

It seemed like it took an eternity for Dallas Calloway and a team of his officers to show up. An ambulance followed their official patrol cars. It was only when they were all parked in her driveway and out of their cars that Suzanna finally felt safe enough to leave her vehicle.

She was still weeping as she told Dallas what had happened. His men immediately fanned out to search the area while Dallas led her to an ambulance so she could get her bleeding arm and collarbone area taken care of.

The abject fear and the adrenaline rush that had gripped her during the attack had abated, and as a paramedic cleaned and wrapped her wounds, she felt strangely numb. It was as if her brain could no longer absorb or process anything more.

“You need to go to the hospital,” Amos Unger, the paramedic, said gently to her. “The wound on your collarbone isn’t too bad. Some antibiotic cream and a bandage will take care of that. But these slices on your arm really need to be stitched up to minimize scarring. I’ll bandage them up for now, and do you want us to take you on to the hospital?”

“No, thanks. I’ll drive myself in after I’m finished speaking with Dallas,” she replied. Amos helped her out of the ambulance, and then she walked over to where Dallas stood directing his officers.

Before she could say a word, Seth’s car pulled into the driveway. He jumped out of his car and headed toward her. She ran to him, needing his big strong arms to hold her tight, wanting him to pull her against his muscled chest and make her feel safe once again.

The minute he embraced her, she began to cry again. He tightened his arms around her as she continued to weep. His familiar scent surrounded her, bringing with it a sense of safety. Finally, she got her tears under control and reluctantly stepped out of his embrace.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“Chief Calloway called me. He said you might need a friend right now, although he didn’t go into any real details.” His features darkened as he saw the bandages on her arm. “You’re hurt.”

“According to the paramedics, I need to go to the emergency room and get some stitches. I told the paramedic I’d go to the hospital after I spoke with Dallas,” she explained.

At that moment Dallas approached her and Seth. “Whoever attacked you, he’s probably long gone by now. Can you give me any kind of a description of the person?”

Suzanna frowned thoughtfully. “It all happened so fast, and the person was dressed all in black and was wearing a ski mask. To be honest, I didn’t really pay too much attention to what the person looked like because I was too busy trying not to get stabbed. I’m sorry.”

“I understand,” Dallas replied. Seth threw an arm over her shoulder, showing his support of her as Dallas continued. “Suzanna, I really need you to think about who might want to harm you. If we take into account the car accident that you had, along with this attack tonight, it’s obvious somebody wants to hurt you. Think hard about who that person might be.”

“I thought about it after the car accident,” she replied. “And I couldn’t think of anybody but I can’t stop thinking about the Scarecrow Killer.”

Dallas raked a hand through his hair. “Suzanna, there is absolutely no evidence that the Scarecrow Killer functions this way. We are relatively sure he gets his victims off the street.” He looked at Seth and then looked back at her. “The local gossip is that you and Seth have been spending a lot of time together. Is there anyone who might have a problem with that?”

“Not from my world,” Seth replied immediately.

Suzanna’s brain whirled. Was it possible? “There are three men who I work with who might not like the idea that Seth and I have grown close. All three of them have asked me out for a date in the past, and I turned them all down. But I really can’t imagine any one of them having anything to do with this. They are all respected teachers.”