Her face turned ghostly white, suddenly feeling sick. "Who are you then?"

"I work with the FBI, I've been working on a case dealing with trafficking drugs on campus."

"So is your name really Derrick?" She stood to put her clothes back on.

"Yes."

"Well that's a relief, I thought I was going to have to kill you because now you know who I really am," she teased.

"Well that's just it."

"What?" She froze for a split second; even her heart skipped a beat.

"I know who you are."

"And!"

"See I have this friend who is working on another case and I think it may have something to do with you."

" O.K. then." She went into the living room to find her shirt.

"Comes to find out that in the past decade there have been several kidnapping, missing girls that all resemble you. While I was on campus I had noticed you. You were always alone, sometimes looking over your shoulder. I had taken a few pictures of you and took them to him. The thing is, even he said the girls look like you. I knew something was wrong because you never showed yourself and you kept a low profile."

"Is that all you got on me?" Grabbing for her glass she poured her another drink. "Oh! I like this song." And she reached to turn it up a little. "I can't believe you like this kind of music." She started to sing along to Fleetwood Mac, Landslide.

"He is still looking for you."

The glass slipped, hit the counter and then shattered on the floor. "Sorry." She ran to the bathroom and started to dry heave. The sweat beaded up on her face she could feel herself going totally numb.

He had followed her to the bathroom. "I didn't mean to get you so upset."

"Really! Then way are you telling me this?"

"Because they just found a body. This one looks a lot like you and she had two children. He is going to keep killing until he finds you. And....and...."

"And what?"

"I can't let that happen."

"Then I think you should stay away from me."

"Why?"

"Because when he finds me I can guarantee that he will kill you first."

"Not if I can help it he won't."

"And you do not know who you are dealing with."

"I need you to do something?"

"What?"

"I need you to meet with Tracey. He's a great guy, all you gotta do is answer a few questions."

"That's all," she said sarcastically.

"Yea, that's all. I did not want you to get involved with this but this whacko is going to keep killing innocent girls until he finds you."

"And when do you want me to meet this guy, the kids will be home in about thirty minutes."

"Tomorrow. I will set everything up."

"Fine, tomorrow it is, now take me home."

*****

He held her hand as they looked over the pictures on the long wooden table. She did not recognize any of them at first and then there he was. Her hand tightened around his. A cold sweat emerged from her body, her mouth and throat felt stuffed with cotton balls, dry, course. She almost fainted but Derrick caught her.

Tracey handed her a glass of ice water. "Here maybe this will help." He pointed to the photo. "Is this your husband."

She shook her head yes and stated, "We were never officially married, come to think of it....." She pointed to another picture. "This guy did come to the cabin, he married us. I refused to say yes but that didn't matter to them."

"How can we find him?

"We lived in the mountains; I'm sure he is still living there somewhere in the midst of it all."

"Do you have anything else to go on?"

"He belonged to a cult. They meet in the mountains."

"What kind of cult..."he paused. "Think this may be important to our investigation." His tone seemed as if he was getting impatient with her.

Derrick stepped in, "Jada, the night in your apartment, your apartment, remember you said you woke up and he had the laptop open. Remember, think back, remember what it said. What was it?"

She tried to think back. His beautiful hair now shaved. Music played softly in the background. "SKINS!"

"SKINS?" he started to Google for the page. Several pages popped up. "Look at these do any of them look familiar to you."

"This one." She pointed. As it pulled up to the main page she shook her head, "that's the one."

"Do you know how many belong to this group?"

"I don't." She closed her eyes and visions of the cabin were so clear now, she tried to think. "Wait I do remember something."

"What?" they both asked at the same time.

"The night I had Seth, I remember earlier that night Keith had left. I tried to leave then but was not able to. I followed his trail up and down part of the mountain. I could feel the heat, heat from the flames of a fire in the middle of the woods. They were dancing around the flames, animals, no men with mask dressed as animals. They were chanting something. I could not make out what they were saying. There was something in the middle of them, moving, moaning. Then I saw him, dressed as a goat. He killed her, her screams pierced the night sky." She held her hands over her ears as if she could still hear the fatal scream. "I ran back to the cabin and cut my legs repeatedly on sticker bushes, thorns. I fell and that's what caused me to go into labor with Seth. I never went back but he always returned there. He always carried the mask with him and I knew they were killing another victim. They have killed many others besides the girls that you have here on the wall. And I am positive that all of the girls are dead." She stopped and looked at the two of them, both were glancing over the girls and then back at her.

"He's going to find me, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid he will eventually. He will one day and that's why we have to get to him first."

On the way back to her place, she had been very distracted while looking out the window. She watched as cars passed. The radio was on but turned down low enough for her to still hear. Derrick was singing along and right in the middle of the line of he stopped. His hand glided down her thigh. About five minutes later she looked over at him and then back out the window.

"I had to leave. Seth and Bella would have died there. Or he would have eventually killed me and where would that have left my two babies. They had seen so many beatings. When I found out that I was expecting again.....I just couldn't imagine bringing another child into the equation, not in that kind of life. Not in his world. And I knew if it was a girl he would have found a way to get rid of her." Tears streamed down her face and she no longer held in the suffering.

Derrick pulled to the side of the road and pulled her into him. He held her while she cried. "The night he took Seth out to the shed. I saw him take off his belt as he followed behind him. I saw the look in his eye when he looked back at me. I have been beaten many times with it and I just knew if he hit him like he did me he would have died. And if not then it would happen another day."

His hands gently stroked her back; "I will never let him harm you again."

"I left the night he found out that I was expecting again. I had kept it hidden from him for a few months hoping that I would loose it. I just couldn't have her, not for him to torment her. He had hit me a few times that night and when Seth came to check on me he had asked me why I let his daddy hurt me. I then realized that it was hurting them more than it was me. Keith had passed out and I knew he would not wake till morning. I loaded the kids up and left. Left without looking back and I tried to keep us safe these past few years. I really tried."

His hands held onto her face, fingers wiped the tears as he kissed her salty lips, "I'm here, I will protect you."

"I wish I could forget it all, but I have nightmares every night of him finding us."

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"I would like that." And she kissed him back.

He stayed that night and many other nights after that. They continued to take the kids places but now he looked over his shoulder every where they went. Once he almost slipped and called her Addie but he stopped himself when she gave him the eye. Thankfully the kids were too busy playing and didn't notice.

They never asked about him staying the night and actually they enjoyed the nights that he stayed over. There were a few nights that he could not stay because of his job. So he reassured her that everything would be fine and he had two of his men watch her house from the other side of the road.

*****

During the weekend of the State Fair, Keith had received a few text messages. One came with a picture of a young boy that looked so much like him and in fact it was Seth. His hair was long and hid part of his face, but he could tell it was him. Later that night he received another picture of a woman with a man. She was so beautiful, just like the day he had met her. Her hair was just past her shoulders and dark as night. She was smiling and seemed so blissfully happy while holding his hand. He remembered how she use to smile at him that way but since he took her up in the mountain all of that changed. He tried to remember her smile but not once did she there. He recalled once while the kids where outback playing he caught a glimpse of a smile but as soon as he appeared in the corner of her eye the smile faded. He touched the picture of the phone, how he wished he could touch her now. Her face looked so soft and full of life, over the years he had been so violent with her and he knew he took the life out of her. As he looked at the picture he wanted her even more. He read the message under the picture: Nashville @ State Fair. It was taken by one of the members of the cult who was a truck driver making his way back to the mountain and decided to stop by for a few hours to meet up with some girls, hoping to bring one back with him.

Keith had texted back and told him to keep up with her and the boy, he would be on his way.

*****

The fair had been the best ever. Austin and Hannah rode every ride; Gabby stuck with the kiddy rides. Derrick played several games and won several stuffed animals and a goldfish. He bought everything from funnel cakes to cotton candy on a stick. He was a charmer, very easy to please and whatever the kids asked for he got it for them. He held her close as they watched the kids ride all the rides.

"The kids like you a lot you know." She held his hand tight.

"I know and I like them a lot." He grinned ear to ear.

"Do you remember the other day when you said Gabby thinks that you are her father?"

"Yea, I remember." He kissed her on the cheek.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, you promise you won't get upset?"

"Do I have a reason to be?"

"No, I guess not." They watched as the three kids got on the Ferris wheel. "I went to tell her goodnight and she said, 'good night, I love you daddy.' It broke my heart." He hugged her from behind now.

"Why would it break your heart?"

"I guess because I wish that I was her father. I wish I could be their dad, Jada. I wish I could be with you forever." He turned her around and smiled again. "I think I am in too deep to ever let you go, I love you, your kids, this fish." He held up the goldfish that swam around in the plastic bag. He started to laugh and she reached up to kiss him. The children watched from up high above them. They watched as their mother was falling deeply in love with Derrick.

"Do you think they will get married?" asked Hannah.

"I don't know Hannah." He looked over at his sister. "But I can tell you that he sure does seem to be a great guy. I think she is falling in love with him."

Gabby butted in, "I like Derrick. I want him to be my daddy."

Austin and Hannah just looked at her and thought if she only knew she already had a dad he was just never around. But something glistened in her eyes and they all started to laugh.

By the end of the night Gabby was so tired, so Derrick gave her a piggyback ride back to the car. On the way home they all fell asleep in the back seat, while he drove them safely home.