Chapter 3

3

"No, Mindy! It's not that. I just know how hard you work. I don't want you wasting your money on me."

Lily's eyes darted around as she scrambled for an excuse.

She didn't want Mindy to go. Silas and Lily had been scouting me for a long time.

Orphan, wealthy, single, pretty.

Mindy didn't check any of those boxes. She wasn't a valuable target for them.

I literally shoved Lily out the door.

"Take the rest of the day off, Mindy. I'll still pay you for the full shift," I told my assistant.

After locking the shop, I headed straight for a kickboxing gym on the south side of town.

In my last life, I'd seen them advertising a women's self-defense course.

I hadn't paid attention then, but now, I needed it more than anything.

I walked into the gym, but the main floor looked empty.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out.

After a moment, a lazy voice answered from the back.

"Can I help you?" A man in black athletic gear stepped out.

"Are you the coach? I want to sign up for the self-defense class."

The lighting was a bit dim, but as he got closer, I saw he was strikingly handsome with a very disciplined look.

"I'm just watching the place for a friend, but I haven't heard him mention a specific women's course," the man said, frowning slightly.

Then his expression softened. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"I'm Ben Logan, a police officer for this precinct. I might be able to help even if it's not gym-related, if you want to talk about it."

Ben looked at me with such sincerity that I instinctively trusted him.

It felt like things were already changing in this new life.

I felt a surge of confidence about my revenge.

"I feel like someone's been following me lately. I just want to be able to protect myself," I said, choosing my words carefully.

I couldn't exactly tell him I was a time-traveler escaping a murder-trap. He'd think I was insane.

"In that case, I can teach you some grappling moves. They're more practical than standard self-defense," Ben said.

He stepped onto the mat and demonstrated a few strikes.

The way he moved was powerful and controlled. For the first time since waking up, my anxiety started to fade.

From then on, I went to see Ben every day. Whenever he wasn't on duty, he gave me his full attention.

I neglected the bakery, leaving Mindy in charge.

With me gone, she started slacking off, closing early, and being rude to the regulars.

Business started to tank, but I didn't care.

Mindy told me that Lily came by every single day looking for me.

I knew those two wouldn't give up. Capturing me was like winning the lottery for them.

One evening, after a particularly long practice, I was locking up the shop to go home.

I turned around and saw Silas Vance standing in the shadows, grinning like a demon.

He limped toward me, then suddenly lunged.

My mind instantly flooded with nightmares from my past life.

I saw the basement. I felt the branding iron.

I froze. My body was shaking so hard I couldn't move a muscle.

"Think you're better than us? Too good to deliver a cake to my daughter?"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you at home?"

Silas was closing in. I backed up until I hit the cold metal of the shop's rolling shutter.

As his hand reached for my shoulder, muscle memory finally kicked in. I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulder.

He slammed into the pavement. I tried to run, but he grabbed my ankles, tripping me.

"You little bitch! You want to fight?"

Silas wasn't even mad; he was laughing. His face was twisted as he dragged me toward him, trying to pin me down.