Free Tangled Fury by Kristen Middleton, Book Cover By Design, K. L. Middleton Page A

and social security number, Ray shouldn’t be able to find you. Unless he has connections we don’t know about.”
    “I don’t think he does. Not like yours, at least.”
    Thank goodness for Fred and his connections. Because of his friendship with someone in the FBI, I’d been able to pretty much take on a new identity, allowing me to register for the nail technician course, and place Emma back into school without putting us on the grid , as Fred liked to call it.
    “John and I go all the way back to Vietnam. We’re like this,” he said, crossing his fingers. “I doubt Ray knows what a true friend is, let alone one with as much power as my guy.”
    I felt myself relax. I was obviously being paranoid. Someone had the wrong number. There were only a handful of people who had my new cell phone number. And although it was new to me, it was more than likely recycled. The calls could have been for the previous owner.
    “What about Sam?” I asked , still not quite unable to let it go. “Have you talked to him lately?” I hadn’t spoken to him for a couple of weeks. We’d been keeping in touch, although the only thing we really talked about was mom. He was still having a hard time getting over her death. For me, it was tragic and I missed her dearly, but I wasn’t constantly reminded of her death every time I walked into work or went home to sleep. He’d admitted to me several times that when he wasn’t thinking about her during the day, she haunted his dreams.
    “ Yes. I talked to him this morning. Told him about our engagement. He says ‘hello’, by the way.”
    “ He must be excited for you and Arlene. How is he doing?”
    “Not bad. He started seeing a woman from his church. Their relationship is platonic at the moment, but he really likes her. He’s hoping she wants to be more than friends, but is taking his time.”
    “Sam is such a nice man,” I said, feeling my chest tighten. “He deserves to find someone to share his life with.”
    “I agree.”
    Emma walked back into the kitchen and Fred handed her four plates.
    “Mommy, it’s not ready yet. We’ll tell you when it is,” she scolded.
    I saluted her. “Yes ma’am. I’ll go and change and wait for your call.”
    She set the first plate on to the table and glanced at me. “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”
    “Oh, I certainly won’t,” I replied, laughing. 
    Fred winked at me. “Sometimes you’ve gotta wonder - who’s taking care of who?”
    “Believe me, she’s definitely taking care of me,” I replied, patting his shoulder as I left the kitchen.

Chapter Nine
     
    Sera
     
     
    The weekend flew by quickly. When Monday arrived, I dropped Emma off at school, and then headed to the salon. When I arrived, Thane was behind the front desk, this time dressed in a black, short-sleeved polo shirt with the company’s name and logo etched near the collar. The shirt fit snugly, emphasizing his thick biceps and narrow waist. He was definitely an eye-opening sight for a Monday morning.
    “You ready?” he asked, also giving me a quick once-over.
       I caught my reflection in the mirror, behind the counter, and felt a twinge of shame. My hair was once again pulled back tightly, I wore hardly any makeup, which made me look pale, and even I could see that the thick brown glasses overpowered my face. Basically, I pretty much now looked like an old spinster, or what Ray would often label as a “Cat Lady”. But, in reality, that didn’t matter. Deep down I knew that the dull image in the mirror had to stay. I certainly couldn’t afford to be vain or worry about what others thought of me.
    “Yes,” I replied, forcing a smile.
    He picked up a large white mug and held it out. “You a coffee drinker? We have a fresh batch in the break-room, if you’d like a little kick-start.”
    “No. I’m fine.”
    “Okay, w ell, let’s go bring you back to your work area and you can start getting settled in. Did you bring your supplies?”
    “ I