CHAPTER ONE
RILEY
My eyes scan the crowd around me for Josh. I haven’t seen him in so long that a nervous eagerness pulses through me.
When they finally lock on my brother, I let out a squeal of excitement. I break out into a sprint, swerving through all the people crowding the airport.
“Josh!” I shriek with happiness. I jump the last distance between us, throwing my whole body at him.
His laughter bursts over my head and then his arms wrap tightly around me.
“Riley-Star,” he whispers and it makes my heart glow with warmth. His voice is hoarse, overflowing with love. His arms tighten around me just as a sob escapes my lips. I’m so happy to see my big brother. It’s been way too long.
“I missed you so much,” I whisper, my voice thick with the overwhelming happiness coursing through my veins.
“I missed you more,” he says, setting me down on my feet. His eyes sweep over me and then he shakes his head in wonder. “Did you actually get taller?”
He looks different from when I last saw him. His hair is cut really short, even shorter than when he used to serve in the army. There’s a harsh look to his once kind features. I stand on my toes and manage to look Josh right in the eye. The gentleness quickly creeps back into his dark green eyes, the same color as mine, and it makes me smile.
“Yeah, one of these days you’ll be looking up at me.” I can’t keep the laughter from bursting over my lips.
“In your dreams, little sister.” He takes my bags from me and swings one over his shoulder. “Let’s get you home. Mom and Dad can’t wait to see you. Logan even took off from work today.”
My smile widens, hearing that the whole family is getting together today.
“I can’t stay long.” Josh bursts my happy bubble. The smile drops from my face which quickly makes him explain. “We’re busy. Griffin’s covering for me so I could come and get you.”
“How’s Griffin?” I ask.
I haven’t met Griffin face to face yet, but I’ve exchanged a few emails with him. We started writing to each other back when he was serving with Josh. Out of all the men that were on Josh’s team, Griffin is the only one I still write to every once in a while.
After Josh retired from the army, he joined Griffin’s security company. I’m not sure what they do. Josh once said they take on jobs that no one else wants. I hate that Josh risks his life on a daily basis but I understand that working in the security business makes him happy.
“Griffin’s good. Stubborn as always, but good.” He smiles down at me. “Hopefully you’ll get to meet him and the rest of the team soon. You’ll love them.”
“It would be great to finally put faces to the names I keep hearing about, and to see who you spend all your time with.”
On the way home, Josh fills me in on what I’ve missed out on since his last email. “Logan got a promotion. He worked his ass off for it.”
“Yeah, he got the brains and you got the beauty … tsk, what does that leave me with?” I say jokingly.
“All the luck,” Josh laughs.
“I’m sorry I missed your birthday. I really tried to get home earlier.” I’ve missed too many birthdays and holidays with my family. There’s a lot to make up for.
“Nothing huge, Riley-Star. Only my thirty-fifth. Your big brother is getting old now.”
I start to laugh. “Yeah? Soon I can call you grandpa.”
“Don’t you dare,” he growls. There’s a teasing tone to his voice, though, so I know he’s only joking.
Josh pulls up to the house and I can’t help but stare. It still looks the same as when I left it. Mom’s roses are in full bloom. There’s just something about coming home, it’s the one place you feel centered, where you can fully relax and recharge.
I grab the smaller bag and wait for Josh to haul the heavy one out of the car.
“Act surprised. Mom went all out. She’s been up baking and cooking since the crack of dawn,” Josh warns as he opens the front door.
A smile instantly forms around my lips. That means tons of yummy food. I can’t wait to dig in. It’s one of the things I’ve missed most about home. Nothing beats Mom’s cooking. She’s the best.
Josh lets me walk in first. I drop my bag in the entrance hall and walk through to the kitchen. The house smells divine with Mom’s cooking, making my mouth water.
“I’m home,” I call out, all excited to see my family again. I walk into the kitchen and take a deep breath of the tasty aroma hanging in the air.
“Riley!” Mom shrieks. She comes running towards me and I open my arms wide to brace myself for the impact. She engulfs me in a loving hug.
I smile widely as she starts to jump up and down, still holding me.
“You’re home … ahhhh … you’re home!” she squeals with happiness. She pulls back, frames my face with both her hands and smiles tearfully. “My baby is finally home.”
“Hi, Mom,” I whisper warmly.
“Share her with us,” Dad’s deep voice says from behind Mom.
Mom comes to stand next to me, her arm still around my waist.
“There’s my baby-girl,” Dad says with a proud smile on his face. “You’ve conquered the world. We’re so proud of you.”
His strong arms fold around me and he places a tender kiss to my forehead.
“I missed you all so much,” I whisper, basking in this moment of finally being back with my family.
“Who’s that I hear?” Logan calls from the passage and then he walks into the kitchen. He shakes Josh’s hand and gives him a pat on the shoulder, before he turns to look at me. “Riley, just look at you.” He grabs me in a bear hug, lifting my feet from the ground. I laugh into his shoulder. “You’re all grown up.”
Sigh … nothing compares to finally being home. This is my happy place, right here with my loved ones.
“Go put your bags in your room and let me have all the dirty clothes so I can wash them,” Mom says, and then she points to all the delicious eats. “We’ll eat as soon as you’ve finished unpacking. You must be tired from the long flight.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “I’ll unpack it all quickly. I just want to shower the long flight off. I’m getting into my PJ’s and then I’m stuffing my face with all of that deliciousness.”
“You do that, sweetheart.” Mom gives me a loving smile which warms my heart.
I go upstairs, and as soon as I walk into my bedroom, I feel a sense of homeliness wash over me.
Sigh … there’s just no place like home.
It’s been a week since I got home. Everything is still the same as before I left for the trip so it’s pretty easy to fall back into my old routine.
During the day I help Mom at the daycare. Mom’s always had a soft spot for kids, especially babies, so as soon as I finished school she opened Tiny Feet.
Three other ladies help her so she doesn’t really need me, but I know she loves having me close to her after I’ve been away from home for so long. I really don’t mind. It gives me time until I figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.
I plan on surprising Josh with some pizza tonight. I haven’t seen him since he picked me up from the airport, which sucks.
Out of everyone in my family I’ve always been the closest to Josh. I look up to him, the way a little sister looks up to her big brother. I suppose it’s because he’s always spoiled me rotten. There was never a moment Josh didn’t have time for me.
I’ve always been his little star … his favorite person.
Traveling to other countries has made me realize just how lucky I am to have the support and love of my family. I do treasure it, even if I don’t always show them how much I appreciate them. I plan on changing that, starting tonight. I have something special planned for each of them. I’m definitely going to be spending more time with them so they will know how much I love them.
I know Josh loves pizza and that’s why I’m getting it for him as a treat. We’re going to have a nice relaxing night where we can just catch up.
I knock on Josh’s front door, excited to spend the night visiting with him. Suddenly the door is yanked open and the pizza is slapped from my hands. Fingers dig into my bicep, yanking me forward and into the house.
A panicked sound escapes my lips as I take in the huge man in front of me. His watery eyes make fear slither down my spine.
What the hell is going on? Who is this man? Where is Josh?
I hear a growl from deeper inside the house. “Don’t dare touch her! Let her go. She has nothing to do with this!”
It’s Josh. He sounds different, though. His voice carries a dark undertone I’ve never heard before and it makes a sinister fear bleed into my veins.
“Nah,” the man snarls, “She’s coming, too.” He shoves at me and it makes me take a stumbling step deeper into the house. “You saved us the trip of finding you.”
An alarm starts to ring somewhere deep inside of me … something is wrong with this picture.
I get shoved again and take a few more stumbling steps forward. I glare at the huge man for daring to shove me around like I’m nothing.
It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m in any danger because I’m still living in my safe little bubble.
Right now, in this second, I still believe nothing can touch my happy life.
Ignorance is bliss.
Funny how you refuse to see danger when it’s staring you right in the face. You refuse to admit that just maybe your safe little bubble is not strong enough to keep the monsters out.
But bubbles pop. You can feel the moment when your safety net gives way. It’s an earth-shattering shock. It’s a devastating blow to the axis that’s supposed to keep your perfect life in place.
Josh comes into my line of sight and I feel a foreign shift in the deepest part of my life. As I gasp in shock everything that makes my life perfect starts to dim. A darkness starts to creep closer, tainting the edges of my world. It’s an alien feeling, something I’ve never felt before. Cold, volatile … a hostile intrusion.
Josh’s face is bloody and all beaten up. He’s being held back by two men, each gripping one of his arms tightly. I can see how much of a strain it is for them to keep holding him.
I blink a few times, unable to comprehend what I’m seeing.
“Josh,” I finally manage to breathe. I try to move forward so I can get to him, but the huge man yanks me back.
“Let her go,” Josh grinds the words out but this time the dark undertone is missing from his voice. He actually sounds scared, and that makes panic and dread wrap forcefully around my heart.
He drops his head forward as if in defeat and begs, “Let her go … please.”
I feel my heart crack at seeing my brother like this. He’s always been the strong one … unbreakable. I can only stare at him with wide eyes. My brain is refusing to comprehend what’s happening.
Josh closes his eyes and when he opens them again, they’re flooded with pain and desperateness. His legs give way and I watch in suspended dread as my brother falls to his knees.
“Please!” he screams. “Please, she has nothing to do with this! Your fight is with me.”
The man starts pulling me back … away from Josh. I watch the distance grow between my brother and me and it makes the panic I’m already feeling ignite in my veins.
I see his blood smeared all over his face.
I take in the two angry men who are still holding him back ... and it finally starts to fall into place.
I walked into something awful.
This is bad, so very, very bad!
I shake my head as shock ripples over me like tiny thorns pricking at my skin.
“Josh.” The whisper comes from far away, as if it’s being dragged through a wasteland of despair as the reality of what’s happening slams hard into me, making me hiccup with fear.
My pulse speeds up until it makes my blood rush through my veins.
My mind switches over to a higher gear, until all my thoughts are a blur.
The man’s fingers dig painfully into my bicep as if he can feel the realization seeping into me. He yanks harder and as I lose sight of Josh, fight finally explodes inside of my chest.
“No!” I jerk my arm free and rush forward. I run into the living room where I’ve spent so many happy nights laughing with my brother.
The men are busy pulling him to his feet.
“Let him go!” I scream at them and in this irrational moment I actually believe I can take both of them down.
The man holding Josh’s right arm actually smirks at me, as if I’m nothing but a pesky fly.
I reach out and just as I’m about to grab hold of Josh, arms come around me. My eyes meet Josh’s and I see nothing but dismay and despair reflected back at me. I don’t understand why he’s not fighting.
I try to yank free from the tight grip, but it’s useless. I’m just not strong enough.
The man who was smirking just a minute ago moves his right arm and only then do I see the flash of metal. A gun. For a stunned second I frown, but then I notice the other gun, glimmering in the hand of the man holding Josh’s left arm.
These men are armed!
Gears click into place and my mouth dries up with terror. My body goes stiff from the sudden wave of tension that hits me.
These men are going to hurt us badly. I have to do something. I have to get help.
I turn around to run but I’m stopped dead in my tracks as a fist slams hard into the side of my head. The pain is sharp, burning a scorching path down my cheek and into my neck. My whole body flies back from the unexpected blow. I try to reach out … to grab hold of something, anything. But there’s nothing. My shoulder blades hit the floor first, jarring my upper body. The back of my head slams into the side of the wall. A dull ache creeps down my neck and then my vision blurs.