Free THE CRADLE CONSPIRACY by Robin Perini

invaded yet. A few doorways had been blockaded, but for the most part, this little Texas town looked to be doing all right. Better than she was, certainly.
    She shivered, then huddled against the truck’s worn seats. Despite the temperatures in the seventies outside, she couldn’t stop the chills from skittering down her arms. She clutched at Trouble’s fur. His big brown eyes peered up at her from his spot on the floorboard. The dog could very well be the only reason her legs had stayed warm. He didn’t want to move away from her. She appreciated the loyalty.
    “I can’t believe he’s letting you pet him like that,” Daniel muttered.
    Raven scratched Trouble’s floppy ears. “I like dogs. And he’s well trained. A service dog, do you think?”
    “Maybe,” Daniel said. “He didn’t have any tags, and he doesn’t act like a K-9, but I gotta wonder if he might be search and rescue after watching him find you in that mine. He wouldn’t stop until I dug you out.”
    She lifted Trouble’s chin. “So, boy, you’re a smart one, aren’t you? You saved my life.” The animal tilted his head into her touch, and she fondled his soft ears and bent down. “Thank you,” she whispered.
    Daniel pulled the truck into the parking lot of a motel and turned off the keys. “This place should be safer than the hospital.”
    She peered at the newly polished sign. Copper Mine Motel. Her fingers explored the bruises on her throat that the attacker had made. “I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried.”
    After Daniel turned off the engine, he twisted in his seat, his gaze intense, his expression unrelenting. “Even if your attacker finds us, there’s only one entrance. He’ll have to go through me and Trouble to get at you. We won’t let that happen.” He touched her arm lightly. “I promise you that.”
    His words made her want to believe, to put herself into his hands. She couldn’t do this alone. If she’d been totally alone throughout this whole ordeal, she would be dead right now. Of that she had no doubt. She nodded at Daniel, regretting the action the moment her chin bobbed down. She could almost feel her brain banging against her skull. Even though the pain meds had taken the edge off, she could still sense every small movement from her neck up.
    She winced, and he must have caught it.
    “You’re hurting again,” Daniel said. He opened the door and stepped outside. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
    He walked a few feet across the porch and knocked on the side jamb. A huge, scary-looking man stood in the doorway. Raven tensed, her gut winding in a knot. Trouble whimpered and laid his head in her lap. She gripped his fur and reached toward the door. She didn’t have a plan, but she couldn’t let Daniel fight the big man alone. If nothing else, she could be a distraction.
    Then the mountain smiled, tilted back his head and chuckled. He slapped Daniel across the back and disappeared inside.
    Daniel looked toward her and offered her a reassuring nod. He scanned the surroundings, and she knew he kept watch for her. Raven sagged in the seat and leaned her head against the soft back, uncertain why she’d been expecting an attack. The bright blue of the morning sky didn’t appear real. Nothing did. Gingerly she ran her finger along the bandage still covering the cut on her head. She pressed gently against the injury. A sharp stab of pain needled her temple.
    At least the pain proved this wasn’t some crazy dream.
    She was real. The locket was real. She snapped opened the catch. Was the baby real, too?
    Searching for something to ground her, she let her gaze wander, looking for anything familiar. She could identify the steering wheel; she recognized the windmill looming above the motel. Her gaze swept the motel sign again. Copper.
    The symbol for the element was Cu.
    Her heart fluttered. She looked around. Where had that come from?
    The wrought iron windmill. Iron, Fe.
    She clutched her locket.