Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn

Chapter 1

Maya Harper’s feet pounded the pavement. Cold air brushed across her face. The morning sun was only just rising over Keystone, Colorado.

This. This is what got her through the days. Through the hard, the uncertain, and the downright scary.

The exhilaration that rushed through Maya’s body when she ran was like nothing else. The ache in her limbs was a welcome reminder that she was alive. That even though people hunted her, even though she’d watched a roomful of colleagues die, oxygen still flowed through her lungs. Her heart still beat in her chest.

Her damaged heart, that was. The one part of her that was simultaneously killing her, yet may have saved her life that fateful night.

Maya had to physically stop herself from pushing her body to move faster. Her doctor had advised her to slow down on her runs. Or at least cut back.

Atrial septal defect.

Or, in simpler terms, a hole in her heart. A hole that had been discovered a year ago when she’d started developing symptoms.

Lowered exercise tolerance, shortness of breath, fatigue, fainting…a whole shopping list of problems that affected so many aspects of her life.

She should listen to her doctor’s advice. She knew she should. But she’d lost so much in such a short period of time. She couldn’t lose running as well. The one part of her day where she felt…normal.

Maya rounded a corner. There wasn’t a soul in sight. It seemed to be the norm here. People in Keystone just weren’t early risers. At least, she hadn’t noticed them to be in the two weeks she’d been living here. It was probably due to the cold. It hit you in the face like a ton of bricks the moment you stepped out the door.

Unfortunately for Maya, the inside of the house she’d rented was pretty much the same temperature as the outside. So stepping out of the house didn’t present a huge difference.

Maya had narrowed the reason for the cold house down to poor insulation and heating that only worked on rare occasions.

Being outside, on the move, was where she felt warmest.

She matched the swinging of her arms with the rhythm of her stride. The loud sounds of her feet hitting the pavement cut through the early morning quiet. So too did her quick breaths.

The coming months would be hard. Snow was almost due and the cold would no doubt be almost unbearable. But living in a cold house was much better than the alternative—living on the street.

Limited cash meant limited options. Not that she should be complaining. She was lucky she’d found a place in her budget.

If all went according to plan, she wouldn’t be here for long. Just long enough to build up some savings and move on to the next town. Now that she had a job, she was able to breathe a little easier. A job that paid cash and didn’t question her lack of ID.

Maya didn’t know when she would feel safe enough to stop moving. There was a chance that day would never come.

She sucked in her next breath, feeling the familiar tightness in her chest. Some days it felt like there was a rubber band around her lungs, restricting her air.

Slowing to a walk, Maya lifted her hands and laced her fingers behind her head in an attempt to open her airways. To allow the oxygen to move through her lungs more deeply.

Breathe, Maya. In and out.

It was a familiar mantra. One she’d learned long before discovering her heart problem.

Breath was key, and not just when it came to running. When everything became too much, when the world felt like it was closing in on you, you breathed. Deep, controlled breaths that filled your whole chest. Then you kept going. You kept moving. You survived.

Maya was just about to pick up her pace again when a noise sounded behind her.

Footsteps, maybe?

Turning her head, she scanned the street. Still bare of people. The town was still tucked away inside their homes.

Just because she couldn’t see anyone didn’t mean no one was there though.

Was he there? The man who hunted her? The man who’d given the kill order?

Fear stabbed at her chest.

Maya had come to learn that people existed in this world who shouldn’t. People who possessed unnatural strength and speed. And a desire to kill.

Closing her eyes, she fought to settle her ragged nerves.

One flicker of a sound. That was all it took to place her right back there, in that room, waiting to die.

You’re safe, Maya. You’re hidden.

The nightmares since that night had been unrelenting. But nightmares, she could handle. No one saw her terror in the darkness of the night.

It was when her memories crept into her conscious brain that was the problem. In broad daylight when people were watching. Her mind would try to convince her that she was back there. Back in that lab.

Shaking her head, Maya turned back to the path in front of her and started jogging again.

She switched her focus. Away from the things that were better kept buried, concentrating on placing one foot in front of the next. On exhausting her body.

Her pace was slower than she’d like, but if she pushed herself any harder, her heart would rebel. A year ago, she was faster. That was before the breathing issues. The heart palpitations.

Some days—the bad days—she wondered which would get her first, the damaged heart, the man who hunted her, or the loneliness.

At least she was used to the loneliness. Growing up, she’d bounced from one foster home to the next, only ever having herself to rely on.

Rustling noises from behind yanked Maya out of her thoughts, almost causing her to trip over her own feet.

Had she imagined that sound, too?

Without stopping, she glanced over her shoulder.

Again, there was nothing. Not a single soul in sight.

Still, fear clawed its way up her spine.

Moving her body faster, Maya breathed through the chest tightening. She ignored the fatigue and heaviness in her legs. On the worst days, she almost hoped her heart gave out first. At least then she would die on her own terms, right? And not at the hands of a killer.

No matter how hard she pushed her body though, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

It was possible the noises were all in her head. Actually, it was incredibly likely. But that didn’t stop the adrenaline from pumping through her system.

A memory of Paul being thrown across the lab flashed through her mind. He’d hit the wall so hard, he died on impact. Then Josie. She’d been lifted off the floor as if she weighed nothing before the fingers around her neck had choked the life out of her.

Maya suppressed a whimper as she pushed her body even faster.

Steve’s neck was snapped like a twig. Death had surrounded her. Terror paralyzed her.

Maya shook her head, trying to push the memories away. Trying and failing. They wouldn’t leave her alone. There was no peace.

Maya was no longer jogging…she was sprinting. Pounding the pavement with every shred of energy she had. Irrational panic pumped through her veins, her heart almost beat through her chest.

Turning a corner, Maya screeched when she caught sight of the large man in front of her.

Digging her heels into the pavement, she came to a sudden standstill, only just stopping herself from colliding with him. Had she hit him, there was no doubt she would have bounced right off his big chest.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was her ragged breaths. Her lungs were now desperate for air. Her chest rose and fell in unnaturally quick succession.

Maya tried to focus on the man. There was something familiar about his brown eyes, which stared so intensely into hers.

He was huge, towering over her five-foot-six frame. And he was all muscle.

Unease trickled down her spine.

She opened her mouth, but her breaths were now whooshing in and out of her body so fast that words were impossible. Even standing was beginning to feel like it required an insurmountable effort.

She needed to rest. To breathe.

Moving her hands to her head again, Maya tried to fill her lungs. It was hard. So damn hard. The combination of running and panic had taken everything from her. Her head felt light.

Involuntarily, she closed her eyes. Ice trickled into her veins. She’d let the fear get the better of her. Pushed her body too far. Now, she was a sitting duck. Waiting for the threat in front of her to act.

“Deep breaths.”

Was that the stranger? His voice was different than she’d thought it would be. Softer.

Gentle hands touched her wrists, and her eyes snapped open. He slowly shifted her arms down.

“If you put your hands on your knees and bend over, the muscles around your lungs will be more relaxed. It will allow a more efficient exchange of oxygen. Help you breathe easier.”

The lack of oxygen was causing more panic to surge through her chest. It was her struggle to breathe that kept her from questioning him or his motives.

The man guided her hands down until she took hold of her knees. Maya bent over and air began entering her lungs slowly.

“That’s it. Deep breaths.” His words were smooth and soothing. His voice like silk.

She focused on each individual breath.

His hand glided across her back. It was a touch that she should move away from. A touch that should incite unease.

It didn’t. The warmth transferred from his hand, through the hoodie, to her skin, distracting her from the black dots that had started to cloud her vision. From the panic that had been suffocating her.

Maya didn’t know how long she stayed like that. It might have been seconds but was more likely minutes.

Eventually, the band around her chest loosened. The dots in her vision receded.

Slowly, she straightened, and the hand fell from her back. She missed his touch immediately. Which sent spirals of confusion through her mind.

Maya took a step back, putting some distance between them. When she glanced up at him, it was to see he wore a mostly neutral expression on his face. He didn’t look like he wanted to murder her on the spot. He just looked…normal. Worried, even.

Maya bit her bottom lip. “Thank you.”

He dipped his head. “Little trick I learned from all the running I’ve done.”

The fact that he was a runner didn’t surprise Maya. He looked like one. He also looked like a weightlifter. And a boxer. Basically, he looked fit.

He tilted his head to the side. “You still look pale. Are you okay?”

No. She felt far from okay. Her entire body felt like it was in dire need of rest. The running and panic had stripped her of almost all energy.

“I’m okay.” She couldn’t be spilling her guts to a stranger. She shouldn’t even be talking to him. “Thank you for your help.”

The man smiled.

At the sight of his dimples, Maya suddenly remembered where she’d seen him. At the bar on Monday night. She’d dropped a tray of glasses and he’d been the only person to help her clean up.

“Bodie…” She breathed his name.

His smile widened, and the dimples deepened.

Maya’s skin warmed. The man was good-looking, and when he smiled and those dimples formed, it was impossible not to notice.

“I thought you wouldn’t remember me, Maya.”

The sound of her name on his lips had her suppressing a shiver. “I’m not surprised you remember me…the clumsy bartender.”

Stop, Maya. End the conversation. Walk away.

“I don’t recall the clumsy part. I do remember you needing some help.” He was watching her so closely, it was all Maya could do not to squirm. “It’s your face that’s hard to forget.”

Maya only just managed to stop herself from lifting a hand to her face. It wasn’t enough that he was looking at her with smoldering intensity; he had to say such sweet things too? All of it was having a strange effect on her insides.

Taking another step back, Maya wrapped her arms around her middle.

She really needed to walk away now.

Being alone was safe. She needed safety.

Maya hugged her waist a little tighter to ward off the cold. Now that she’d stopped moving, her skin had begun to chill.

“Well, thank you again, Bodie. This is the second time you’ve helped me.”

“You’re welcome, darlin’.”

Heat returned to her cheeks at the endearment.

Smiling politely, she moved around him and started jogging again. She jogged slowly. So slowly that, had Bodie followed, he’d probably be able to walk alongside her.

Even though the deep breathing had loosened her chest, she still felt far from normal. When she got home, she’d rest until her shift at the bar. Rest and try to keep her mind from the danger that stalked her.