The storm tonight was loud and angry. It wasn’t the usual type of storm that passed through mildly without leaving chaos. This one, Darcy could tell, would leave a trail of destruction in its path. Yet again, lightning flashed, and he watched the island and sea under the bright light for a flick of a second. He thought at that moment that it was both beautiful and frightening.

“That was a nasty one,” Sebastian said.

Darcy agreed, wondering how much cleaning up they’d have to do tomorrow morning when all this raging wind and lightning disappeared, providing them another calm, beautiful day here on St. Thomas Island.

Once the noise of the thunder had died down, the room was once again rowdy with chatter and laughter. At the moment, the Princeton brothers and their friends were gathered in the living area, scattering around, sitting on the sofas and armchairs, having a fine time talking and drinking coffee. Meanwhile, the brothers’ parents, James and Brenda, were enjoying their coffee and conversation with Haruka and Beth in another room, away from the loud chatter and laughter.

The start to their two-week vacation had gone well so far, with the delicious evening feast along with the wonderful company. Then tomorrow, the fun would begin—snorkeling, jet skiing, swimming, and just doing whatever they wanted. Of course, they could even explore the forest in search of wildlife if anyone so desired. Then when evening came, Darcy and Sebastian would be confessing their love to Sakura, and then...

Darcy smiled at the thought of what would happen after.

Sakura, she had been lovely this evening, and of course, that kiss in the middle of the Alice’s garden earlier had been passionate and beautiful. Even if Michael and Akira hadn’t turned up and interrupted them, Darcy knew they wouldn’t have gone further. God, it was getting harder for him to control himself where she was concerned.

“I wonder how the girls are doing,” Sebastian said, which drew Darcy’s attention.

Conrad said, “I heard Michael say he and the girls are gathering in Akira’s room for scary stories.”

Tristan raised a brow at this. “How come we’re not invited?”

Sosuke said, “Akira telling ghost stories? That’ll be interesting.” He chuckled with amusement.

Nicolas asked, “Why is that?”

“Because she’s very good at it. She knows a lot of the Japanese ones, too, ones that’ll make your spine crawl.”

Conrad shook his head. “No, thanks. I hate ghost stories. I mean, they’re not real, the ghosts, but...” He shuddered at the very thought of having to listen to the tales.

Everyone chuckled in amusement at Conrad’s reaction.

Hayden said, “The girls are sorted with their entertainment for the evening. It looks like we men will have to come up with our own diversion. Any suggestions?”

Tristan put his hand up enthusiastically and was about to propose an outrageous drinking game, which would make everyone, especially Darcy, fall sick with a hangover the next morning, when the door crashed open with a bang! The loud, unexpected noise abruptly silenced the merry chatter and drew everyone’s attention to where little Michael—completely soaking wet from head to toe—stood, heaving and shivering.

Jim, Michael’s father, uttered, “What the...” He immediately got up from his seat and rushed over to his son.

The brothers eyed one another, concerned, especially when they saw the pale horror on Michael’s young face. They, too, rushed over, along with Sosuke and Peter, wondering what the hell had happened.

At the entrance, Jim took Michael into his arms and asked, “What happened? Have you been out in the storm?”

Michael nodded. His lips were blue now and his whole body was shivering from the cold as his father frowned and said, “I thought you were with Katherine.”

Michael shook his head. He found it hard to talk, especially with his teeth clattering.

Sebastian said, “It’s dangerous outside in the storm, Michael. Why did you go out?”

Michael took a deep breath to calm himself. Once he managed to control his clattering teeth and shivering lips, he said, “I went to get Sakura.”

At this, Sebastian and Darcy instantly looked at each other, their stomachs fluttering sickly. They knew in their gut something wasn’t right, and it involved their beloved woman.

“And...” Darcy said, his voice dark with dread.

Tears brewed in Michael’s eyes. “I saw a woman and a man take her. Sakura looked like she was asleep or something. She’s unconscious, maybe? I don’t know, but they took her out into the storm.”

Darcy felt sick to his stomach at the news. He swore under his breath. “Shit!”

Instantly, he turned on his heel and headed toward the door as he whispered Sakura’s name, praying she’d be all right and that he’d get there to save her on time.

Rushing along with him, Sebastian said, “She’ll be fine. She has to be fine.”

Darcy turned his gaze to his brother, dread and fear exuding from within the depths of the mauve-gray eyes. He nodded, though he wasn’t confident that everything was going to be all right by the time they got to her. If they got to her at all. Fuck! That thought made his head spin in fear, and he had to control the terror that surged within his chest.

Sebastian felt his heart racing and his stomach flipping sickly. Fuck, he should have been more vigilant. He should have stayed by her side whenever she was alone, but... Shit! He had thought because they were in a private retreat with tight security that he could relax, that nothing was going to happen to her. But, of course, he was wrong.

Mrs. Clark and Ray Woods. Sebastian knew without a doubt it must be those two. But how? They’d never been on the island before, so how could they possibly know the ins and outs of the house and the estate?

“It’s Tara!” Darcy said, interrupting Sebastian’s thoughts. “It’s her. I know it in my gut.”

Sebastian nodded. Of course, it had to be Tara. The girl had been on the island countless times with the brothers since they had been young. Instantly, he felt betrayed. They had trusted her. They’d treated her as a sister, a family member, and now? She went and hurt one of their loved ones.

Behind them, Nicolas shouted, “Where are you two going?”

Sebastian said over his shoulder, “To find Sakura and save her.”

Tristan shouted, “I’m coming, too.”

“Me, too,” Hayden said as he rushed after them. “I’ll get the flashlights and raincoats.”

Returning his attention to Michael, Nicolas came down to his knees. Keeping as calm as possible, he asked the boy, “Do you know who those people are?”

Michael shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

Conrad said, “This is not the time to ask who those people are, Nicolas. Sakura was taken. We have to go after her.”

Logan said, “We can’t leave our princess sister when she needs us most.”

“I know that.” Turning his attention to Jim, Nicolas requested, “Get as much detail about the abductors as possible from Michael. And tell Dad what has happened. We need all the help we can get.”

Jim nodded firmly in understanding.

Sosuke said, “I’ll help find Sakura, too.”

Peter agreed.

Nicolas shook his head. “You two don’t know the island. It’s safer if you stay here for now.”

Sosuke and Peter glanced at each other. They knew Nicolas was right, of course, since this was their first time on the island, and them joining in the search without knowing their way about, especially in the dark and in the storm, would only lead to further burden.

A moment later, Nicolas, Conrad, and Logan rushed out the door.

At the other end of the house, the moment Sebastian and Darcy sprinted out onto the balcony of the west wing, they came to face the full wrath of the storm. Wind howled angrily across the heavens and rain poured on them as they raced down the winding stairs leading toward Alice’s garden below. Behind them, Hayden and Tristan came down the slippery stairs.

Upon landing, Hayden shouted, “Raincoats and flashlights!”

The brothers hurriedly put the waterproof coats on and each took a flashlight. Then they went about searching, the light of the flashlights fluttering about here and there within the darkness.

“Which way do you think they took her?” Darcy shouted, his voice fighting to stay above the thunderous noise echoing across the sky.

Sebastian shook his head. “I don’t know. We should go separate ways.”

It was then Nicolas, Logan, and Conrad—all wearing raincoats and holding flashlights—joined them.

Nicolas asked, “What happened? Which way did they go?”

Sebastian shook his head. “We have to split ways. Darcy and I will go this way.” He pointed to the pathway leading toward the beach.

“Then Conrad and I will go this way,” Nicolas said, pointing to the pathway leading to the forest.

“And we three that one,” Tristan said, indicating that he, Logan, and Hayden would take the pathway leading to the front of the house and then the beach house below.

Sebastian said, “We’ll meet up at the house in two hours if we can’t find Sakura.”

The brothers nodded in understanding, and a moment later, they headed toward their designated pathways.

Sebastian and Darcy hurriedly headed toward the route that led them to the beach. Despite the fact that the track had been kept perfectly maintained, now, however, it was cluttered with broken tree branches due to the storm. The wind gusted past them and rain spattered on their faces as the brothers marched forward. Though they were cold and wet, the two men were determined to keep going. They needed to find and save their beloved woman, after all.

From this path, it would take them at least twenty minutes on foot to get to the beach. That timeframe could usually be accomplished on a beautiful sunny day that was typical of St. Thomas Island. Now, however, it might be longer because of the bad weather.

“Sakura!” the two men shouted in vain against the howling wind. “Sakura!”

Darcy felt his heart aching and his mind racing. Fear overwhelmed him as he desperately shouted Sakura’s name repeatedly. God, he felt like he was dying, so frightened he was of losing her.

Beside him, Sebastian, too, shouted Sakura’s name, his voice lost in the noise of the thunder above them. He felt his stomach flipping in dread as he continued to search frantically.

It was some half-hour later when they finally came to the clearing and reached the beach below the hill. The sand was thick and wet against their shoes as they raced across the length of the place, the light of their flashlights flashing about the area, searching for signs of human tracks.

“Anything?” Sebastian shouted at Darcy.

“No!” Darcy yelled back, shaking his head.

Huge waves crashed into the shore and flooded against the brothers’ legs as they directed the light of their flashlights toward the tumultuous sea. They were searching for any signs at all that could give them clues. But so far, none.

The two brothers continued to search the length of the west side of the beach and then headed to the south, where they then met up with Tristan, Logan, and Hayden. After the five did a very thorough search of the area, to no avail, they reluctantly decided to head back to the great house for the meeting.

---

When Sakura came to, it was to the deafening noise of thunder echoing loudly above her, which made her gasp out in fright. Her body tensed and jerked as her eyes fluttered open, her heart racing. Once the clamorous blast died down, she could hear the howling wind and splashing rain.

Her head felt dazed and numb, while her body felt heavy and strained. Her breathing was laborious as she tried to concentrate, to clear the fog that hung over her like a thick dark cloud, overshadowing the clarity of her mind and thoughts.

Where am I? She wondered, as she blinked a few times, trying desperately to focus.

Sakura moved, trying her hardest to shift her body, but it was to no avail. She glanced down and noted her hands and feet were bound tightly with ropes, as was her mouth with a cloth.

Why am I tied up? What happened?

Panic seized her and her head spun with fear. No, she needed to stop this. She shut her eyes, telling herself she needed to think clearly and calmly. Yes, she was bound, and yes, she was in a place she didn’t know, but she was still breathing. Living. And now she needed to clear her head and think.

Her eyes strayed from one spot to another, scanning her surroundings. What is this place?

She noted the wooden floor and the chic furnishing of the small, cramped room. She felt the swaying motion and heard the crashing of waves amongst the howling noise of the rainstorm. It was then she knew she was on a yacht, a small one, and she was at sea. Everything came back to her.

Tara! Ray Woods!

She swallowed hard at the realization that she had been taken against her will. She had been kidnapped!

Tears welled in her eyes as she forced herself to stay calm. And what about the Princeton brothers? Sebastian! Darcy! Did they know she had been taken?

Suddenly, she felt cold, and the thought that these might be her last moments made her head spin in terror.

No. No. She shook her head. Stop thinking about dreadful things, she told herself. This was not her last moment. She still had a whole life ahead of her. Sebastian and Darcy, her two beloved men, hadn’t yet told her of their true feelings. They hadn’t yet accepted her confession. She hadn’t yet tasted the beauty of being treasured by the two men she loved, so there was no way she’d just succumb and let these be her last moments, as Tara had so gleefully told her back in her room a few hours ago.

Or has it been a few hours at all? Can it have been more? God, she didn’t know.

She moved, trying her best to sit upright, to relieve her body, sore from lying in that uncomfortable position. Plus, she wanted to survey the room, see if there was anything in here that could aid in her escape.

After a bit of a struggle, she managed to sit up. Leaning her back against the wall from the exertion, she sighed in relief. Then she scanned her surroundings once again, this time taking in every miniscule detail. She noted that she was in a living space. There was a small kitchenette as well as the dining table booth. In front of her was a small sitting area with sofas and a coffee table.

Her gaze flew back to the kitchenette. Where there was a kitchen, there were bound to be cooking utensils like knives, which she could use to cut the rope and release herself from the bindings. Now, she just needed to get herself over there and find one.

She pressed her back against the wall for support as she pushed up, rising. She was nearly on her feet when the door crashed open and then shut again. This was followed by the stomping of footsteps, which grew louder. A moment later, the noise stopped, and instantly, Sakura felt the back of a slender hand smacking against her cheek, sending her face to the left.

Tears burned in her eyes as Sakura turned her gaze to Tara, who was glaring at her.

“Who the fuck told you to wake up?” the woman said in outrage as she shoved Sakura back.

Sakura fell on her side, her body hitting the hard floor. She groaned in pain, her voice muffled by the cloth between her lips.

The door opened and then shut again, and Sakura saw the legs of another woman walking toward her. A moment later, the woman came to kneel in front of her.

A plump, round face with a sharp nose, thin lips, and beady eyes greeted her, and Sakura knew without a doubt that this was Mrs. Clark, the woman who had tormented and terrorized her when she had been young.

Mrs. Clark must have seen the apprehension in Sakura’s eyes and smiled with smugness. “Sakura,” she said. “It’s been a long time.” She then pulled Sakura up so that the girl was in a sitting position again.

Leaning against the wall, she stared at the woman, guarded.

Mrs. Clark chuckled as she made herself comfortable on the sofa in front of Sakura. Tara chose to sit in the booth across the dining table, her arms folded arrogantly as she watched. “Mom! When are we going to finish this?”

This drew Sakura’s attention to Tara. Mom? So, Tara had known Mrs. Clark was her mother all along? This, of course, didn’t surprise Sakura one bit.

Shifting her gaze back to Mrs. Clark, Sakura stared at the woman long and hard.

Mrs. Clark must have understood her intense gaze because she chuckled in amusement. “I can tell from the look in your eyes that you want to understand what the hell is going on here.”

Sakura simply continued to stare.

Mrs. Clark said, “Okay, I’m going to tell you, since you’re begging for it. I will tell you the whole truth. I mean, after all, you aren’t going to be alive much longer, right? Because you’re going to accidentally die in this storm.”

Sakura tried not to flinch in reaction to the woman’s taunting words. But being in such a vulnerable position, she couldn’t control herself and shuddered in dread.

So, that was their plan all along? To kill her and make her death look like an accident. It was no doubt very plausible, especially in this weather and in the middle of the sea.

Sakura’s fearful reaction made Mrs. Clark chuckle in amusement. She said, “You’re always trying to be brave, Sakura, since you were little. And that pisses me off. Why can’t you be like every other girl? Obedient. Quiet. But then again, everything you do pisses me off.”

Tara said, “Same here. Everything she does pisses me off.”

Mrs. Clark shook her head. “That can’t be helped. We just don’t like you, Sakura.” She crossed one leg over the other as she leaned back against the comfortable sofa. “Now then, I’m going to tell you everything because I just know you’re curious about how we all came to be here.” She cocked her head to one side as she narrowed her eyes. Then she began.

“It started some... Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t pay much attention to timing because it’s not important to me, but anyway, it started when Mrs. Taylor, the headmistress of Queen Mary Orphanage, found you in front of the facility’s doorstep. And oh, my, but I remember she fell in love with you on the spot. She said you’re such a beautiful baby, you know, with such rosy skin and black hair. She said you’ll grow to be a beauty and that you’ll break many men’s hearts. And you know what? That pissed me off, those words, because she had never said it to my Tara. Or ever adored my Tara like she adored you.”

She sighed, her eyes staring off into the distance now, remembering the past.

“Then the checks started coming yearly, in the hundreds of thousands. Mrs. Taylor and I knew it was from your mother, and we knew she was filthy rich. I knew your mother was probably young and naive and had done some stupid things, like sleeping around and then accidentally having you, unwanted. That’s why you ended up at the orphanage.”

She paused and chuckled, as if she found it so amusing. “Just like what I’ve done, except I wasn’t well off, and I wasn’t so heartless as to throw my daughter away in an orphanage. But anyway, all that money. Of course, I couldn’t help myself. I wanted that money. It was just so much for a little unwanted baby like you. I knew I had better use for it than making the orphanage better. I mean, I did control myself from doing anything rash at the beginning, but after seeing how much love you received from Mrs. Taylor, doting on you, it just made me sick. I snapped, I guess. I. Just. Snapped.”

She turned her eyes to Sakura then, and laughed out insanely. “I did what my instinct told me was best. I pushed Mrs. Taylor over the balcony one night in winter. It was so easy. The police concluded it was because she slipped. She was old, after all, and there was ice on the balcony from the snowstorm the night before. God, it was so easy to get away.

“Then I became the headmistress of the orphanage, and I changed everything. It was so much fun to be in power, to be in control and just be able to do things that I wanted to do. And the money sent to you? Well, it accumulated. Mrs. Taylor had put it in a trust for you, for when you grew up. You know, your college fund and life savings. But for an unwanted girl like you? In my mind, you were just not worthy of all those millions of dollars.”

Sakura listened to all this new information quietly as she felt her heart crushed in pain.

Mrs. Taylor. Did she even remember the elderly woman at all? Or had she been far too young?

No, there had been times, in her dreams, when she’d seen a kind elderly woman cradling her. She felt the woman’s warm presence and smelled the sweet, calming scent lingering in the air.

Sakura closed her eyes, trying to remember. Then as tears brewed and rolled down her cheeks, she saw the elderly woman. In a light-gray cardigan and long skirt, her gray hair formed into a bun at the back of her head, her pleasant face wrinkled and her eyes bright, she was smiling as she hummed a lovely tune. She was holding a toddler in her arms as she strolled back and forth under a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. That child had the palest skin and the darkest hair, sound asleep in the woman’s cozy embrace.

Sakura opened her eyes. She felt pain piercing her heart at the loss of someone who had loved and cherished her. At the loss of a life.

She glared at Mrs. Clark, the woman who had the blackest heart she had ever known. God, she wanted to scream at the woman and ask her why. Why would she do such a thing?

When Mrs. Clark saw the raw anger in Sakura’s eyes, she was, surprisingly, taken aback. But of course, she didn’t let it bother her and continued with her tale.

“Then, when you turned seven, that was when I formed a plan. Well, the plan came after the picnic at the Princeton estate. Seeing how much the Princeton children liked Tara and how happy she was with them, and after Tara told me how much she loved the Princeton brothers, especially Sebastian and Darcy, and wanted to be with them, I hatched a plan. I knew in my gut that Tara would be better off living with the Princetons as their adopted daughter. I mean, to be adopted by the Princetons, having their last name and being a part of their family, that was any orphan’s dream. Although, Tara isn’t an orphan to be exact, but I did know how to make her become one. And of course, you already know what happened that night.”

Sakura understood then the fire that night was of Mrs. Clark’s implementation. She had faked her own death so Tara could become an orphan and be adopted by the Princetons. Of course, that sounded nonsensical. Who’d go that far just to be adopted by a very influential, rich family? She knew there was more to the story than what she had been told so far.

Mrs. Clark laughed then. “Ah, I can see it in your eyes that you don’t believe this is the whole story. You’re clever, aren’t you, Sakura? And that’s why I hate you.” The woman sighed and then nodded slowly. “That’s right. Faking my own death and making Tara an orphan so the Princetons would adopt her as their own was only part of my plan. My real plan? Oh, that was to start a new life as someone different. Someone wealthy. Someone happy.”

She turned her eyes to Sakura again. “I wanted to be someone important. I wanted a new life, where I could be happy and do as I pleased. I mean, who’d want to be a headmistress of an orphanage? Looking after useless children who had no hope in life? Not me,” she said, chuckling. “And of course, the money sent to you helped me do that very nicely. In a way, I should thank you, Sakura, for helping me out by merely existing. But now, unfortunately, you can’t exist anymore. You have to die because you’ve seen too much. You know too much. I can’t afford to let you live.”

Sakura could only stare at this repulsive woman in disbelief.

“Now then, I think it’s time,” Mrs. Clark said, as she got off her seat.

Tara said, “Finally. I just want to get this over and done with.” She, too, stood.

Mrs. Clark came toward Sakura and roughly pulled her up. “Let’s go.”

Sakura protested and put up a fight, which caused Mrs. Clark to become annoyed. The woman growled impatiently as she grabbed a bunch of Sakura’s hair and stilled her. She said darkly, “You’re pissing me off, Sakura. Now, be a good girl and let’s get this over and done with. I don’t want to have to use force, you know.”

Sakura simply glared back in anger.

“Let’s go!” Mrs. Clark snapped, forcing Sakura to walk. But of course, her legs were bound tightly, and Sakura found herself falling onto her knees.

Tara sighed in frustration. “Her legs.”

Mrs. Clark said, “I got it.” She bent down and undid the binding on Sakura’s ankles. Once done, she said, “Now get up.”

Her legs freed, Sakura got up and staggered. As she was forced toward the door, she eyed the kitchen and noted some knives in their holder on the benchtop.