Dark Deceptions Read Online Free Page A

late and he had school. Still, the idea of building a snowman
     appealed. Behind her the clock struck twelve and she laughed. Definitely too late for Adam to be up. Even with the temptation
     of a midnight snowstorm.
    She turned her back on the snow, shivering as she walked through the drafty hallway into the warmth of the firelit parlor.
     The old Victorian was a rare find in these parts, especially way up here on the mountain. It had been pretty run-down when
     she’d first found it, but Annie had recognized its beauty despite the disrepair, and she’d never been afraid of a little work.
    The quiet of the San Juans had been just what the doctor ordered. And now she and Adam had made a life here, far away from
     the world she’d inhabited for most of her adult life. The shadowy world of espionage. Sometimes she missed it. But she’d never
     regretted her decision. Isolation was the best thing for Adam.
    And for her.
    The little town of Creede was the perfect place for escape. High in the mountains, occupied mainly by others who wanted a
     quiet life away from the real world. No one asked questions. Folks here weren’t interested in who you’d been, just who you
     were now. And that suited Annie just fine.
    She picked up a poker and shifted the logs on the fire, the flames crackling as they danced along spines of spruce and aspen.
     Above the firebox, on the mantel, was the only thing that remained from her old life—well, almost the only thing—an intricately
     carved wooden box. She’d found it in a market in Krakow. The day Adam had been conceived.
    Of course she hadn’t known that then. Or just how much her life was going to change.
    She looked down at the objet d’art cupped in her hands. It was a puzzle box. The kind that only opened for someone who knew
     its secrets. At the time she’d just thought it beautiful and interesting, but as the years passed, she’d come to realize that
     it symbolized her life. She was the box, the secrets of her past locked deep inside alongside parts of her she no longer wished
     to acknowledge.
    With fingers long practiced, she manipulated the crevices and curves, and with a small squeak of protest, the box sprang open,
     revealing its treasure.
    The faded petals of a rose.
    Cliché, really. But she smiled, her mind drifting back to the market square and the sweet smell of roses. No one had ever
     given her flowers before. And in that moment—everything had been perfect.
    But nothing was forever.
    She closed the box and put it back on the mantel, ashamed suddenly of her vulnerability. It was only a memory. Turning her
     back on the mantel, she sat in the wing chair, snuggling into the warmth of its cushions as the snow fell and the fire snapped
     and hissed.
    Life was in the present. Here in the mountains. With Adam.
    And on that note…
    She stood up and began gathering the myriad toys scattered throughout the room. A Tonka truck, a Leapfrog cartridge, a Lego
     pirate, a Happy Meal racecar, and a stuffed turtle named Timmy. Crossing the room, she tossed the toys into a plastic basket,
     and satisfied that she’d tidied a bit, started for the kitchen and a hot cup of tea.
    Before she’d taken two steps, she stopped, instinct sending a warning as the hairs on her arms rose ominously. She waited,
     hardly daring to breathe, trying to figure out what it was that bothered her.
    And then she heard it—a low screeching noise as if a window were opening or something were being dragged across the floor.
     She froze, concentrating on identifying the location of the noise, her heart hammering to a stop as something moved again.
    Upstairs.
    With Adam.
    Mind scrambling, she quickly went through the possibilities. Most likely an animal. The worst of which would be a bear. Thanks
     to the summer drought, food was in short supply. But bears were more interested in the kitchen than an upstairs bedroom. Burglary
     was possible, but uncommon here in the mountains, which meant if the