CHAPTER ONE

Present

 

Bad luck always comes in threes.

It’s the way of life.

And for four months, I’ve been on edge, waiting for the third to kick me right in the arse.

Because four months ago, I was robbed. My identity, my money, my belongings, and my trust in the world taken from me in the blink of an eye.

And a week later at one our family Sunday barbeques… I lost both my great-grandparents. On the same day. On the day I’d made myself sick with worry about telling my parents what had happened to me.

I’d spent the week hiding from my family, blocking their calls and turning them away at the door. I didn’t want them to see what had happened, how stupid I had become.

Plus, I was worried what their reactions would be.

You see, when you mess with a Carter, you mess with us all. It’s always been that way and always will be. We grew up close. If one of us had a problem, we all helped. If one of us were sad, we were all there to cheer you up. If someone fucked you over, we made them pay. All of us.

But today, I know I’m going to have to tell them. My mum has been worried sick, demanding to come see me, asking me why they weren’t allowed to visit me at my home.

It’s been hell having to lie to them, especially when we are all still grieving my great-grandparents. They were the best anyone could ask for, and Sundays aren’t the same without them.

Nina promised to keep my secret and had even stayed with me until the landlords came and replaced the locks and added security in the hallway. They weren’t happy to find that one of their buildings were broken into, but they were more worried about my safety. They were a great couple, even going so far as to invite me to stay with them.

A knock on my door jerks me out of my daydream and my nerves resurface. I’m hoping, after this, I will have more to tell my parents, to give them some peace of mind.

I open the door and smile when I see the officer working on my case. PC Collings came on the scene after police came to take fingerprints and whatever else they needed. He also took the list of belongings that were stolen.

Money wise, I’m going to have to wait for the bank to refund me my stolen money.

“Hi, Collings. Come on in. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

He smiles as he shakes my hand. “It’s okay. I can’t stay long. I just wanted to get you up to date on the case.”

From there, I know it’s not going to be good. It never is. We’ve had this conversation a few times, and it always leads to him telling me they have nothing.

“I’d offer you a seat but the garden chair broke last night when I tried to fix the lightbulb.” Thanks to Nina’s mum, I was able to scrounge an old TV, a sleeping bag, a garden chair and a few blankets. Nina gave me some clothes and a bit of money to tide myself over. After four months, they’re still my only possessions.

My wages have gone straight on bills, rent, food, toiletries and other essentials that were broken in the burglary.

He chuckles. “It’s fine. I’ll stand. It won’t take me long.” He leans against the kitchen counter before facing me. “As you know, we have alerts out for your necklace and other items they might want to sell, but so far, nothing has come up. The profile for Noah has been deleted and we are no closer to finding him.”

“But you still think it was a bogus account?”

“We do. It’s what most internet trolls do. Today, I just wanted to let you know we spoke to your bank again and they will be issuing a refund on the money taken. We also have a private investigator/officer coming in soon to go over everything once again with you. There may be something you missed, something small that could help us.”

“Someone new?” I interrupt. “Why?”

“We’re afraid, after doing a wider search, that you aren’t the only person this has happened to. Johnson has been working on the case for a while, following this person’s steps in his own time, but so far, no luck. Whoever this person is, they’re a professional. Johnson’s agreed to come on payroll since the latest victims have all been around this area. Either the offender has ties here and needs to stay, or something has happened and he can’t travel as far as he had been before.”

“Oh, God,” I gasp, my hand going to my chest.

“I have to go, but I’ll be in touch and keep you updated if any new information comes to light. You’ll be getting a phone call or a visit off Johnson in a few days. Don’t worry, he’ll have identification, and I might be with him—if I’m not put on another case.”

“Wait. Before you go, did they all happen around here?”

He grimaces. “No. All over actually.”

It sickens me that someone has got away with this for so long. Hope for getting my necklace back has just flown out the window.

“Okay, thank you for keeping me up-to-date.”

“My job, Faith. Stay safe,” he tells me, before leaving my flat.

I deflate against the door. I thought for sure I’d finally have some good news to share with my parents—when I tell them. Now I have nothing. They’re already going to be disappointed in me.

Knowing I need to face the music, I grab my bag and coat, and clip Roxy’s chain on her before heading out the door. I’m on the stairs when I bump into someone carrying a cardboard box. Stuck in my own little world, I pay no attention, calling a quick apology over my shoulder.

 

*** *** ***

 

Walking into my childhood home, I feel sick. I’d made sure to call ahead and tell my mum to keep my brothers, sister and cousins away.

I should have amended that to include my uncles, because when I walk in, my stomach sinks at seeing all five of them. No Mum or Dad.

Malik is sitting in the chair, looking bored; Max is talking to Myles about someone he thinks is sniffing around his daughter; and Mason is chatting to Evan.

But when I walk in, all eyes turn to me, questions lurking behind them.

“Um… where’s Mum and Dad?”

Uncle Max steps forward, a frown on his face. “I’m telling you now, girl, if you’re pregnant, you’re going to be a single mum, because I’m going to fucking kill him for touching you.”

“Max,” Myles scolds, coming over to place a warm hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, baby. We’ve got you. You’ve got support from your family.”

“I’m with Max.” My uncle Malik stands up next to Max, showing him his support. I’d roll my eyes, but I’m too confused and embarrassed. This is worse than when Max tried to give all us girls the sex talk.

With diagrams.

And pictures.

It was one of the most humiliating days of my life. All the other girls in my family agreed, and we’d begged our mums to warn him away from ever giving us one again. And if that wasn’t bad enough, he always seemed to know if one of us started our period. He took us to Boots and bought us everything a girl could ask for.

At the time, all I’d wanted was a hot water bottle, my mum, and my bed—okay, and chocolate. I didn’t need my uncle buying my sanitary towels for me, and then proceeding to let everyone he spoke to know that I had just turned into a woman.

Yeah, it sucked.

“Me too,” Evan pipes up.

“Leave her alone, guys.” My mum’s voice carries warning as she steps into the living room.

“Mum, I said alone,” I whine. She walks over and hugs me, and I hold her a little longer, needing her comfort. I’ve stayed away for so long, even when they’d needed me after my great-grandparents’ passing.

“Whatever you’re gonna tell us can be said in front of your uncles. We need to know who we gotta kill.”

My dad, handsome as ever, walks in the room, all intimidating. I can see the worry around his eyes, and I know I’ve been putting them through the wringer.

I sigh, giving in to my fate. They’re going to find out eventually, if not straight after I tell my parents, so I might as well get it out the way and tell them all together.

“Alright. I need you all to sit down.”

“Oh, God, she’s pregnant,” Max yells, throwing his hands up dramatically.

“Max!” I shout, wanting to die right there.

“No, she’s not,” Dad shouts back, before turning to me. “Right?”

“I’m gonna fucking kill him.” That from Malik.

“Just let her talk,” Myles puts in. “She needs to know we support her.”

“Jesus-fucking-Christ, sit down and let her fucking talk,” Mason yells, grabbing everyone’s attention.

They all listen, and as they take their seats, leaving me standing there like I’m on stage, I clam up, wondering how to begin.

“I—I don’t know how to tell you.”

“Please, just tell us,” Max pleads, sitting on the edge of the chair. “Your dad is gonna get a hernia if you don’t spit it out.”

More like he is.

“I just don’t know where to start,” I say softly, already feeling tears beginning to burn the back of my eyes.

“How about from the beginning, darling.” My mum reaches out, squeezing my hand, and that’s all I need to begin.

“I’m twenty-five, I’m single—”

“Thank fuck,” Max mutters.

“Max,” Myles warns.

“Just wait until this is Charlotte standing there, telling us she’s pregnant. Let’s see how calm you stay then.”

At that, Myles goes deathly pale and glares at Max.

“Did you really need to bring them in? I can’t say what I need to,” I tell my mum, frustrated.

“Just ignore them. Go on.”

“Okay, well, I was getting fed up―”

“Sexually frustrated,” Max puts in, and I glare.

“So, I let Nina talk me into signing up for a dating site.”

“Please tell me you didn’t get married to some old, hairy bastard?” my dad yells, standing up. Mum shoves him back down, glaring at him.

I keep going, needing to just get it out. “I ended up picking a date, just one, to see what it would be like and… well―”

“You got pregnant?” Max interrupts.

“No,” I yell. “I’m not pregnant!”

“Hallelujah,” Max roars, falling back on the sofa.

“What happened?” my dad asks, his jaw hard.

I gulp as I watch his hands fold into fists. “I went on this date and he didn’t turn up.”

He relaxes, but then squints at me, clearly confused. “And that is why you’ve been avoiding your family for months?”

I shuffle on my feet, eyeing the floor. The minute I look up, tears are spilling down my cheeks and it all comes out in a massive ramble. “I got home, and it was gone. It was all gone. Roxy was locked in the bathroom and my necklace—our necklace, the one you got me the day you adopted me—had been taken. He took all my money and savings and trashed everything. I’m behind on bills, student fees and loans. I have nothing. I’ve been sleeping in a sleeping bag for months and have a garden chair for a sofa—had; it’s broken now. I’ve lost everything. And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you but I’ve been so ashamed. I know it was the man I was meant to meet. Somehow, someone took my keys from my bag, cards from my purse, and I didn’t even notice. And all because I was embarrassed about been a twenty-five-year-old virgin.”

I end the rant on a shout, breathing hard. They all look stunned, my mum the only one with the ability of motion as she comes to hold me.

“And stay a virgin,” Max tells me before giving Myles a look I can’t read. I don’t see anything else because I fall into my mum, sobbing.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me. And I knew when you found out you’d want to replace everything, but my necklace was irreplaceable. I failed you. I let you down. You’ve told me, throughout most of my life, never to talk to people I didn’t know on the internet. I’m just sorry, Mum.”

“It’s okay. This isn’t your fault, girl. You did nothing wrong, nothing at all. You have nothing to be sorry for. But you got one thing right: we would have replaced your shit. And we will be doing that too. I don’t want excuses. You have a business that you love and have worked hard to run. There is no way I’m letting you lose that as well because of some predator.”

“I let you down.” I look up from her shoulder, eyeing my dad, who’s barely keeping it together. “I’m sorry I got my necklace stolen, Dad.”

He snaps out of it, looking at me. His eyes soften, and when he holds his arms out for me, I run into them like I did when I was a kid. And the minute he envelops me in a hug, the weight I’ve been bearing, lifts. I feel safe for the first time in months.

Not even when my landlords put locks on the windows, changed the ones on the front door, or when they put cameras in the hallway and entrance, did I feel safe.

But my dad… he’s made me feel safe from day one.

“Liam is already looking into it. He’s hacked into her file at the police station. He’ll call when he has something,” Myles says.

I pull away, but still hold on to my dad as I shake my head. “No. You have to let the police deal with this. He’s done it before and I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

“We won’t get caught.” Malik shrugs, like it’s no big deal.

“But he knows where I live,” I whisper.

“Trust me, after we’ve finished with him, baby, he won’t even remember your name,” my dad growls, hugging me tighter.

“Can we eat now? I’m―” Max starts.

“Hungry?” Mum interrupts, rolling her eyes. “Come on, everyone is waiting round Harlow’s for us.”

We all head out, walking down the street to Harlow’s. My gaze shifts to my great-grandparents’ house, feeling a pang of grief hit me, like it does every time I think of them.

The house is empty now. Harlow, my mum and other aunties cleaned it out a few months back, keeping everything of importance and taking the rest to a local charity shop.

Mum has plans of letting Hope, Maddison and Maddox move in there, since, after me, they are the eldest, until the time comes when one of them wants to start a family. But Hope works in a library and lives in an old cottage next to it where she spends most of her time writing. She still hasn’t decided what she wants to do with her writing, but I have no doubt it will be epic. The others are waiting for it to be redecorated.

As happy as it makes them to remember our great-grandparents, it’s hard to live in their home—with reminders everywhere. They decided to update everything and give the place a new look, so we don’t feel like they’re going to walk around the corner any second.

“Come on,” Mum coos softly, rubbing my back as she steers me up Harlow’s path and around the back, into the garden.

Everyone is gathered around the picnic tables. Mason walks over to his son Ashton who is manning the barbeque.

“Hey, you okay?” my sister Lily greets.

Lily is a rare creature. She’s quiet, incredibly kind and so intuitive of others around her it’s uncanny. She’s also soft-spoken and easily intimidated. How she survives in a classroom teaching English still amazes me.

“I guess you’ll all find out in a second. I think they’re going to want to tell everyone.”

“What?” she asks, her brows pinching together.

“Come on. I need a drink if I have to listen to these guys yell at each other over who will be the first to beat him.”

She stops me, her beautiful, delicate features scrunching up in confusion and hurt. “What do you mean? What haven’t you told me?”

Seeing the hurt flash in her eyes, I drag her over to the tables and proceed to listen to my mum and dad fill everyone in; Max butting in every few seconds to remind everyone I’m not pregnant.

I’m still shocked he didn’t demand I pee in a cup.

“Does this mean you’ll bake me some cakes if I buy all the shit you need?” Aiden, my youngest brother at seventeen, says. “And thank fuck you’re not pregnant.”

Giving him a small smile, I nod. “Yeah, but you’ll have to buy new pots and pans. Everything was destroyed.”

His jaw ticks. “I’m still pissed you didn’t tell me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want anyone to know,” I tell them.

Lily stands suddenly, her fork clattering on her plate. “I need to go. I’ll see you all later.”

Everyone watches for a split second before they try to call her back. Mum goes to follow her, but I shake my head, standing up.

“I’ll go. Be right back.”

“Bring her back too. This is family time,” Dad warns.

I nod before rushing off after her, finding her opening her car door. “Lily, wait.” She stops but doesn’t turn, giving me her back. “Lil, please, look at me.”

She turns slowly to face me, tears running down her cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I didn’t realise she would be this hurt. Since Maverick brought her home to us, she’s been my best friend. She wasn’t just my sister, she was the greatest friend a girl could have.

“I didn’t want you to be worried. I knew you’d want to help in some way and I couldn’t have that. You’ve got your own life to live. You didn’t need to worry about mine.”

“I thought we were sisters who told each other everything,” she tells me, her words choked.

Tears spring to my eyes. “We are. We’re best friends. I didn’t know you’d be this hurt. I’m so sorry.”

“You didn’t think I’d be strong enough to handle this. I’m not weak. I might be quiet, I may find certain things hard to cope with, but I’m not weak.”

Lily had a rough upbringing before she came to live with us. Some of it she’s shared with me, some I can only guess. But whatever her psycho mum and her boyfriends put her through, still gives Lily nightmares.

She can’t be around alcohol unless it’s with family, so it stopped her going out and having fun with friends who did drink, and she still suffers with night terrors. But she’s never let that bring her down or scare her from living.

It’s why she moved out as soon as she turned nineteen.

“You’re the strongest person I know, Lily. I didn’t not tell you because I think you’re weak. I was ashamed—ashamed I had to use a dating site to try and find my Prince Charming,” I admit, using the term I’ve used since I was five. Yep, Prince Charming has been someone I’ve been searching for, for a long time.

Her eyes soften as she steps close and pulls me into her arms. “I love you. Don’t ever keep stuff from me again. Now, I have a double bed at home with a new bed frame, and a bunch of other stuff you can have.”

“No—” I start, but she puts her hands up, stopping me.

“The only people to ever crash at mine is Maddox when he’s been out on a bender and doesn’t want to get a taxi home, or Aiden when he’s too full from eating all my food. I don’t actually use any of it, so it’s yours. I haven’t gotten rid of my sofa yet either. It’s still in my garage if you want that too.”

She really is the best sister anyone could ask for. “Thank you,” I tell her, hugging her hard. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Now come back in before Dad comes out to get you.”

She pulls back and rolls her eyes, ready to deny it, but then a booming voice startles me. “Too late, you took too long to get my girl back. Now come on, it’s family time.”

We both turn to face Dad, finding him smiling, a soft expression on his face. As hard as he looks and as badass as he is, when it comes to me and Lily, he’s a huge softy.

Holding hands, we both rush up to him and give him a hug.

“We love you, Dad.”

He clears his throat, holding us closer. “Not as much as I love you pair. Now come on, your mother’s going grey.”

We laugh, and each tucked under a shoulder, the three of us walk back into the garden together.