Chapter 3

While the next few days passed, Violet’s anger simmered down to irritation. Her parents just didn’t get it and there was nothing she could do to help them understand. Putting on her new swimsuit. It was a black and white striped one-piece with the strips in the midsection changing direction so it looked like it was a wrap around her waist. She had fallen in love with it as soon as she saw it. Putting on her new lace shorts, Violet went into the backyard to join her parents and their guests. It was their annual ‘Start of Summer’ pool party thing. Most of the guests were people her parents worked with, but some of Violet’s friends made it. Liliane was there somewhere, and unfortunately, so was Brad. Violet’s mom and his dad worked together. Violet sat down at the edge of the pool. The water was warm against her calves. The day had been clear and hot. She had just taken a sip of her drink when she saw Liliane. Violet waved for Liliane to join her by the pool.

“Hey,” Liliane said, sitting next to her. “That suit is so cute! You have to tell me where you got it.”

“You know that store that just opened near the food court? That’s where and they have some great sales right now.”

“Guess I know where I’ll be tomorrow,” Liliane said then wrinkled her nose. “What were your parents thinking letting him come?”

Violet followed her friend’s gaze and saw Brad talking to some girl Violet didn’t know. Jealousy hit her hard but she did her best to ignore it. “We always invite his family. Mom didn’t feel it was right to uninvite them.”

“Well, it’s not right to be throwing their daughter’s ex in her face either,” Liliane said with a slow, exaggerated eye roll.

Her mom wasn’t exactly throwing Brad in her face, but Violet couldn’t bring herself to say that, because part of her felt just like that. “Oh, well, it’s whatever,” she said with a shrug and took another drink.

“Well in a month you will be a free woman,” Liliane said with a grin. “Any plans other than joining us in Europe?”

“I can’t wait,” Violet said with her own grin. “Not yet, Europe sounds good enough for me.”

“Just think of all those European men you’ll meet. So many flavors,” Liliane says with a mischievous laugh.

“As I said I can’t wait,” Violet replied, though she wasn’t sure she was up for the whole hooking up thing. Although she hated it, her eyes sought out Brad through the crowd. She didn’t find him, but she did find her father talking to a man she didn’t recognize. About half a foot shorter, the man and her father were huddled off by the corner of the yard. While she obviously couldn’t hear what they were talking about, they did seem to be arguing about something.

“Hey, Vi-vi!” Jackie said in a high-pitched voice, breaking Violet’s attention from her father and the stranger. She turned to Jackie and waved.

“Hey, Jackie? You going to Europe too?”

Jackie brushed her vibrate red hair off her shoulder. Last time Violet saw Jackie her hair had been blonde. Red was definitely a good change, Violet thought. With her warm skin tone, the blonde tended to wash out all the color of her face. “Of course,” Jackie said, sitting next to them. “You know Europe is in my blood. My great, great grandmother was Italian.”

“Yeah, I think you mentioned that before,” Violet said and Liliane stifled a laugh. Jackie told everyone about her apparent Italian roots only about every other day. She glanced back at where her father had been talking with the stranger, but she didn’t see either of them now. With a mental shrug, Violet focused back on her friends and their plans for the summer.

Nearing ten that evening, the party started to wind down. Jackie and Liliane were going to go out and look for someplace else to continue the party, but Violet wasn’t in the mood so she decided to go up to her room for the night. Looking for her parents, she found them near the grill, talking to a group of people. “Hey, honey, having a good time,” her mother asked, setting her arms around Violet’s shoulders and kissing her temple.

“Oh yeah, it’s been great,” Violet said, only half lying. “But I’m ready to call it a night.”

“You okay,” her dad asked. “I thought you might go out with your friends tonight.”

“Nah, not tonight. Though, I’ll remember you said that. I want to see them before they leave for their trip.”

He chuckled picking on her emphasis on their. “Noted.”

“Alright hun, we’re going to be here for a bit. Mind helping me clean up in the morning,” her mother asked.

“Yes, but you’re going to make me do it anyway,” Violet told her with a cheeky grin.

“You know me so well,” her mother said with another kiss to her temple. “Go get some rest. Love ya, Vi.”

“You too, Mom.” Violet waved to them both before going upstairs.

After a quick shower, Violet dressed for bed, but instead of going to sleep, she opened Instagram and scrolled through Brad’s feed. Why am I torturing myself, she thought as she saw a bunch of pictures of him at the party with that girl, Ericka, who it seemed was going to be going with him and his family to France. “Jerk,” Violet snapped, closing the app and setting her phone down. He wasn’t the only one who could move on. She so was going to go to Europe and so going to hook the cutest guy she could find. Then we’ll see how he likes it, she thought bitterly as she got under the blanket and tried to sleep.

Violet jerked awake, her heart was pounding in her ears. Unsure what woke her up, she laid there listening, but she didn’t hear anything outside the usual sounds of the night. Violet sat up and glanced out at the window. It was still dark and the stars twinkled brightly in the sky. Turning from the window, Violet picked up her phone. The brightness of the screen made her wince. Squinting, she saw that it was four in the morning. Violet laid back down, sighing, and closed her eyes. As hard as she tried, a feeling of alarm prickled the back of her neck. She rolled over on her side and tried to ignore it, but it wouldn’t go away. Throwing back the blanket, Violet got up from the bed.

She made her way down the hallway. Halfway down the stairs, Violet could hear the soft murmur of people talking. A sudden nervousness made her stiffen and she continued down the stairs slowly. She recognized the voices of her parents, but the others she didn’t know as well. Trying her best to be quiet, Violet walked to the living room. That feeling of alarm told her she needed to be cautious. She pressed against the wall and peered into the living room. Her parents were standing, talking to four men Violet had never seen in her life.

“Give us the information now,” one of the men demanded. He had the look of a lumberjack or what Violet assumed one would look like. He was dressed in jeans and plaid with a large, dark beard. “The alpha demands you hand it over!” Violet’s brow furrowed. The alpha? What the hell was that?

“What are you talking about?” Her mother demanded. She was still dressed in the clothes she’d worn to the party. “We don’t have any information for him.” Violet’s mom’s eyes narrowed at the man. “I don’t know what you think you’re going to achieve by this little stunt, but I can promise you the alpha won’t be happy with you barging into our home like this.

“Gwen,” Violet’s father said, his voice a hissing, alarmed sound.

“What? It’s true,” her mother demanded, lifting her chin.

“Gwen, for once stay quiet,” he demanded right back. Violet’s eyes widened in tandem with her mother’s. He’d never talked like that to her before. “The information we have is for the alpha’s ears only. He wants it, he can come and get it. You all better leave now if you know what’s good for you.”

“What? What information? Stewart, what are you...” Violet’s mother said, looking at her father confused when suddenly one of the men step forward and backhanded her hard across the face. Violet watched horrified as her mother crumpled to the floor.

“Do as your man says, woman,” he said with a sneer.

“Do not touch her,” Violet’s dad demanded and leaned down to help her mom sit up. Her mother stared at the men wide-eyed, her hand pressed to her cheek. 

Violet rolled away from the entry wall of the living room and pressed her back against the cold wall. Fear filled her. She had no idea what was going on but it wasn’t good. Hurrying away from the living room as silently as she could, Violet went back upstairs for her phone. She grabbed it and punched in the emergency number. She had just brought the phone to her ear when a large hand wrapped around her wrist.

“I don’t think so,” the man said in a low rumble. Violet’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. He had to be well over six feet and broader than anyone she’d ever seen in real life. She heard the operator asking for her to state her emergency when the man took the phone out of her hand and literally crushed it. He’d crushed her phone! One handed! How was that even possible! “Let’s go.”

With a sharp yank of her wrist, he nearly knocked her off her feet as he dragged her out of her bedroom and down the stairs. Finally, her survival instinct kicked in. Violet clawed at the man’s beefy hand and tried to free herself as he led her back to the living room.