Delicate Escape

This is the second book in the Sparrow Falls series.

In Los Angeles, Selena “Sel” Stewart meets her best friend, Nikki, after being fired from her dream job at The Literacy Project. Sel believes her abusive ex-boyfriend, the famous actor Brendan Boseman, is behind her firing and a series of harassing phone calls. Her fears are confirmed when she receives a text from an unknown number showing an article about Brendan’s million-dollar donation to her former employer. Back at her apartment, Sel’s smart devices begin blaring, and her phone is flooded with fraud alerts for purchases of sex toys and escorts. She then receives a screenshot from a porn site showing a video of her undressing in her bedroom, filmed by a hidden camera. Brendan’s voice taunts her through a hacked pet camera, saying, “You wanted to be a whore, Selly. I just made your dream a reality” (10). Overwhelmed by the violation, Sel smashes the camera and faints.

Two years later, Selena lives in the small town of Sparrow Falls, Oregon, under the new identity of Thea. She has dyed her hair brown, wears contacts to change her eye color, and lives an off-grid life in a remote cabin with no phone or internet. She works for cash at a local bakery, The Mix Up, owned by Sutton, and at a nursery. One morning, local contractor Shepard “Shep” Colson enters the bakery early, and Thea accidentally covers his shirt in blue icing. Shep, who nicknames her “Thorn” for her prickly demeanor, is immediately attracted to her but realizes she has a traumatic past when a joke about nudity causes her to panic. At the bakery, Thea also notices bruises on a quiet regular named Raina and suspects she is a victim of domestic abuse. Later, Shep agrees to drop off foster kittens at Thea’s house as a favor for his sister, Rhodes.

Thea discovers a water leak in her bathroom. While trying to shut off the main valve outside, it breaks, creating a geyser in her yard just as Shep arrives. He fixes the valve but realizes the damage is extensive and requires him to enter the house. Terrified by the memory of Brendan’s hidden cameras, Thea refuses to let him inside. Shep sees her fear and agrees to work only outside until she is comfortable. After a creepy encounter with Russ Wheeler, co-owner of a rival construction company and Raina’s husband, Thea reluctantly allows Shep to help with the repairs.

As their relationship deepens, a series of threats puts Thea on edge. She finds her bicycle tires slashed. When Thea sees a magazine cover featuring Brendan, she discovers he is filming a movie less than an hour away, sending her into a panic. Shep and his best friend, Anson, witness her reaction and uncover her past identity. Shep confronts Thea, who breaks down and tells him about Brendan’s psychological abuse. To keep her safe, Shep moves into her guest room. Their relationship becomes physical and emotional, and Thea reveals the full extent of Brendan’s violation, including the revenge porn. Enraged, Shep asks Anson to contact a hacker named Dex to scrub the content from the internet and find evidence linking Brendan to the cyberattacks. A letter arrives at the bakery containing a recent photo of her with derogatory words written on it. Later, after Russ sexually harasses Thea at a bar, Shep intervenes and breaks his nose.

The harassment escalates when Thea’s greenhouse is vandalized with the word “WHORE” spray-painted on the side. Soon after, Brendan appears in person at The Mix Up, implying he will damage the bakery's reputation. Believing she is endangering everyone she cares about, Thea rushes home to pack, intending to disappear again. Sutton alerts Shep, who intercepts Thea at her cabin. He confesses his love for her, telling her, “You’re my home” (293). Thea reciprocates his feelings and agrees to stay and fight. Shep’s brother, Trace, the county sheriff, begins an official investigation.

While driving home from work, Thea is taken hostage at gunpoint by Raina Wheeler, who was hiding in her back seat. Raina, suffering a mental breakdown induced by her husband’s abuse, reveals she was responsible for the slashed tires, the defaced photo, and the vandalized greenhouse. Delusional, Raina blames Thea for Russ’s abuse and believes Thea is trying to steal him. She forces Thea to drive up a mountain road, shooting out the pursuing deputy’s tires. To stop her, Thea deliberately crashes her car into a tree.

Shep and Anson race to the crash site and realize Raina is taking Thea to the nearby bluffs. They find Raina holding Thea at gunpoint at the edge of a cliff. As Trace tries to de-escalate the situation, Raina shoves Thea over the edge. Thea manages to grab onto a rock outcropping. Shep, with Anson and Trace holding his legs, lowers himself over the cliff and pulls her to safety.

In the aftermath, the FBI arrests Brendan on set after Dex finds evidence of his crimes against Thea and nine other women. He is charged with multiple counts of nonconsensual pornography, fraud, and stalking. Dex also anonymously drains Brendan’s bank accounts, donating the funds to women’s shelters. Raina is placed in a psychiatric facility, and her testimony leads to Russ being sentenced to five years in prison for abuse.

One year later, Thea works as a landscape designer for Shep’s company. She has a phone and internet again and lives with Shep in his fully renovated farmhouse. He surprises her with a custom-built greenhouse in their backyard and proposes. Thea accepts, and they are immediately surrounded by the entire Colson family and Nikki, who have gathered for a surprise engagement party. Finally free from her past, Thea is surrounded by her chosen family.