Protector by Tressa Messenger Read Free Book Online

doesn’t make any sense.”
    She sits quietly pondering the recent events that she has tried so hard to block from her mind since opening that tragic e-mail Wednesday morning.  Then an idea hits her.  A really good idea, she must admit, even though Dylan wouldn’t think so.
    “Dylan, no one has any clues about this animal and as far as I’ve seen there are no searches going on for it.  The police just want people to be cautious and notify them if it is seen.”
    Like a jolt of electricity to her system, she jumps up.
    “Umm . . . Dylan, I have to go.”  She quickly bends to kiss his name.  “I love you and I’ll see you next week.”
    She feels bad about rushing her visit because it’s going to be another whole week before she can come back, but she has work to do now, very important work.
     
    ***
     
    Anna -Marie fills the rest of the weekend with research, which makes it go by quickly.  All she needs is her trusty bright pink laptop, some good wine and endless amounts of takeout food.  Her senses have been perked for the first time in a long time with this new obsession.  She embraces this distraction from her reality with every ounce of her being, clinging to it almost desperately.
     
    The past eight months have disrupted her universe.  The planet has tilted and her beautiful peaceful coastal town has turned into a dangerous place. 
    There are evil creatures lurking in the dark.  Creatures so menacing in the shape of an animal that is hurting people in the night.  Anna-Marie has found scattered reports that have occurred over the past year of monsters attacking on dark deserted streets.  The attacker apparently ducks unseen into even darker shadows, while the victim lies on the sidewalk hoping someone will notice them before they bleed to death.  That is, if the person is found at all, which goes along with over a dozen missing persons cases in and around the area.
    Unfortunately, nobody has reported noticing anything out of the ordinary, which only makes finding the creature or knowing what it is people are supposed t o look out for that more difficult.  It’s just too much for Anna-Marie’s journalistic instincts to pass up. 
    Anna -Marie begins to map out the areas of the reported attacks and disappearances.  To her surprise there has been a total of five fatal attacks of the same sort before Dylan’s death, plus the two after him, plus fifteen people missing, but there could possibly be more.  She is willing to bet no one has done a head count of the local homeless people.  The numbers could escalate.  So far the reported incidences seem to be scattered through four counties and they all appear to be random, which is a relief, but unfortunately she was right, there isn’t a search going on yet. 
    She quickly closes her laptop with disturbing satisfaction.  “That’s it!  I’m going to find it myself.  Too many people have gotten hurt by this creature.  Surely I’ll know it when I see it.  I hope so anyway.  I owe it to Dylan and all of those other victims to at least try.”
     
    ***
     
    Anna-Marie decides to go back to the office to work this week.  Peggy is impressed by this newfound energy Anna-Marie has discovered.  If Peggy only knew what Anna-Marie’s been up to, she’d be seriously ticked off. 
    Above Anna-Marie’s passion for a story, she has a personal grudge in this case that exceeds all else. 
    There shouldn’t be an animal in her humble little town that could rip a person apart the way this so -called animal has done. 
    The only fact she does know for sure is it has changed her life profoundly. 
    It has been eight long months since Dylan’s brutal attack, there’s no telling how long the animal has been out there wrecking havoc before that night.
    She has to find out what happened to him and what is responsible for ending such an astounding life so prematurely.  
    In her haze she missed so much of current events so she pays close attention to the