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No answer

The mist was so thick that she couldn’t see more than a few feet in any direction On the street behind her, another carriage clattered past Then silence Moving forward slowly, Neely inhaled the scents of da else—blood? The knot in her stoht This time when she slipped a hand into her pocket, she closed her fingers around a can of pepper spray Then she started toward the sound

“Catherine? If you’re here, let me know I can help you”

No answer again But a tingle of awareness had Neely stopping short She wasn’t alone in the square This knowledge was confir her skin She felt someone’s eyes on her as vividly as a physical touch, but she couldn’tNot even a darker shadow in the mist

“Who’s there?”

No answer again—except for the steady, inexorablecloser and closer

Run Run Her mind screamed the words, but she couldn’t move He was very close now She sensed him not only in her mind but in every pore of her body A fresh stab of terror pierced her and set her free Whirling, she ran as fast as she could But he was running, too She felt his nearness, pictured his hands reaching out Heart pounding, breath hitching, she shoved through a gate and sent it sla shut behind her

She heard a grunt, then aas she leaped from cobblestones to curb and hurtled herself into the mist She’d only slowed him down Think Think She had to…wake up Of course All she needed to do was get herself out of this dream How? In her mind, Neely surandmother had lass roses, the ainst one wall…the old Persian carpet—

Suddenly, her body was free of the pull of gravity Wind rushed past her, deafening her Then a velvety blackness enveloped her, and her mind went blissfully blank

NEELY OPENED her eyes and sat straight up A quick glance around informed her that she was back in her bedroorandainst her heart, felt its ain flooded herhad been so real The footsteps still echoed in her ht—the exact tiht’s dreaan to shiver then and had to cla Only then did she realize that her jeans and sweatshirt were soaked

From the misty rain? She slipped her hand into her pocket and retrieved the coin She could read the words quite clearly One shilling Her hand began to tremble, her heart to pound Neely s were immediately evident to her Whatever had just happened hadn’t been a dreaood chance that she’d had a close encounter with Jack the Ripper

Had she finally discovered her purpose in life?

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