Prologue

Hayden-

“We have something to talk to the both of you about.” My mother said after we finished eating breakfast.

Almost every morning, it was more of a ritual for the family to sit together to eat. It was the only time we were able to spend time together. I was in my senior year of high school, so I rarely had time to be at home between classes, cheerleading, debate team, advanced college classes, and hanging out with friends.

The same went for the rest of the family. My mother was a surgeon at the hospital, so she spent a lot of time away from home. My father died when I was young, but my mother remarried six years ago. Not only did I get a stepfather, but I also got a stepbrother.

My stepfather was a businessman, but I was pretty sure he lied about his job. A few times, I found blood stains on his clothes. My stepbrother, Dominic, was the same way. He was four years older than me and getting ready to graduate from college.

Every so often, Dominic would return home late at night with bloodstains on his clothes or injuries. Two years ago, he came home with a bullet wound, and my mother had removed it at home instead of sending him to the hospital. I questioned my mom about why she didn’t take him to the hospital or call the cops. The only thing she told me was not to worry about it and go to my room.

Since then, I have felt everyone is keeping something from me. After a while, I noticed my stepfather and stepbrother came home less frequently at night. Sometimes, they wouldn’t return home for days.

“What is it?” I put down my orange juice and sat back.

“Your mother and I have discussed it, and we have decided to get a divorce.” My stepfather couldn’t have put it more bluntly.

Stunned beyond belief, I choked on my saliva. Covering my mouth, I coughed a few times while my mother reached over and patted my back. Dominic reached over and handed me a napkin. Once I was able to breathe, I grabbed my drink and gulped it down.

“Don’t worry. After the divorce, we will live separately but still be a family.” My mother leaned back in her chair.

“Then why get a divorce?” I asked, my eyes widening as I looked between the only man I had known as a father and my mother.

“It is because my job will require me to spend more time away from home. It is also for yours and your mother’s safety. When things settle down, I will be able to make frequent visits, but it might be a while. Whenever you need me, you can call me or Dominic, and we will be there for you.” My stepfather said.

“Why would your job affect our safety? It isn’t like you are in the Mafia.” I laughed at my half-hearted joke, as I didn’t know what else to say.

My mother joined in and laughed, but her laugh sounded nervous. Dominic and my stepfather just looked at each other with a stark expression. Apparently, they didn’t think my joke was funny.

“Let’s just say that I work with some shady clients, and they have recently become interested in my personal life. To keep you and your mother safe, I need to cut my ties for now.” My stepfather explained.

“Can’t you just report them to the police?” My chest felt tight at the thought of losing another father.

“It isn’t that simple.” Dominic answered, making it clear that they were all hiding something from me.

“Just think of this as a temporary thing. As soon as the danger is resolved, we will be able to be a family again.” My mother scooted her chair closer to me, placing her hands over mine, which rested on the table.

“You will be going away for college soon, so it won’t make much of a difference. Instead of you coming home during holidays, we will visit you as a family.” My stepfather smiled, but it seemed forced.

Since the day my stepfather came into my life, I had felt as if my life was complete. He was the best father I could have asked for. Although he seemed dangerous at times, he was kind to me and my mother.

Dominic had also been a great brother for the most part. He kept his distance from me, but at the same time, he was the first to offer any time I needed help with something. When I struggled with my homework, he would give me a study guide that made learning a little easier.

Whenever I needed a ride, it was like he could read my mind and show up wherever I was. Times I had been bullied at school, he would show up to put a stop to it. When our parents couldn’t attend events at the school, he would show up.

He rarely spoke to me, but he was always there for me. I have learned to become dependent on him. The idea that he wouldn’t be around made me want to cry. I loved my mother dearly, but having Dominic and my stepfather around has been nice.

Thinking about how much I have gained since they came into my life and how much I would lose, I pushed my chair away from the table and ran up to my room. I heard my mother yell for me to come back, but I ignored her.

Closing myself in my room, I curled up on my bed and cried. I wanted to stay in bed all day, but I had classes to attend. Allowing myself to cry for only a few minutes, I sat up in bed and then got up to get ready for school.

I still had an hour to leave the house before school. After getting dressed, I looked in the mirror, and it was obvious that I had been crying. Grabbing my makeup bag, I exited the room to go to the bathroom across the hall.

Thinking Dominic had already left for the day, I entered the bathroom without knocking. The moment the door opened, all my blood rushed to my head. Dominic had just exited the shower. Although he had a towel wrapped around him, it was no different than seeing him naked.

For the first time, I didn’t see him as my brother but as a man. His short, dark brown hair was dripping from the shower. His bangs hung low over his eyes, making his blue eyes seem darker and more appealing. Water cascaded down his muscular chest and over his taunt and deliciously looking abs.

My hands itched to reach out and trail my hands over the rugged ridges that made up his eight ab muscles. Unable to pull my gaze away, I stood in the doorway like an idiot. Even when he moved toward me, I continued to stare.

“Are you okay?” Dominic asked.

Snapping back to reality, I quickly turned to flee. Dominic grabbed my arm before I could get away and pulled me into the bathroom. He shut the door behind me before shoving me back a few feet and caging me against the door. Sucking in a sharp breath, all of my sensibility fled.

“Why were you crying?” His tone was light and heavy at the same time.

Instead of looking him in the eyes, I couldn’t help but continue looking at his chest. At some point, between him grabbing me and pinning me to the door, my hands found his chest. Instead of removing them, I held them in place and allowed myself to admire how good he felt.

“Hayden...” His voice sounded gruff now as he leaned into me.

His breath was hot against my face, and I noticed his breathing had become more labored. Although I heard him call my name, I couldn’t find my voice. Without realizing it at first, I bit my lower lip.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I might not be able to resist kissing you.” He grabbed my chin, forcing me to look up.

The second I met his gaze, I felt embarrassed. Shoving him away, my senses returned to me. Anger filled me as I glared at him—not because of what he did but because of how I reacted to him. Needing to vent my anger, I took it out on him.

“I hate you!” I screamed as I opened the door. “I am glad our parents are getting divorced because I never want to see you again!”

I regretted my words as I left the bathroom, but I was too embarrassed to take them back. Returning to my room, I realized I had dropped my makeup bag. Instead of retrieving it, I decided to go without makeup today.

Grabbing my school bag off my desk, I rushed out of the room and out to my car. Thankfully, I didn’t run into anyone as I left. When I arrived at school, I remembered I had a little makeup in my locker. Getting the makeup out, I took it to the bathroom to hide the fact that I had been crying.

For the rest of the day, I tried to focus on school, but it was hard. Between the topic of divorce and the incident in the bathroom with Dominic, I couldn’t concentrate. My mood had been drained all day.

When I dragged my feet into the house after school, the house suddenly felt empty. Thinking everyone was still gone for the day, I went to my room to finish my homework. After I was finished, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Making me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I wandered through the house as I ate it. Halfway in a daze, it took me a bit to realize that some things were missing. Running upstairs, I opened Dominic’s door without knocking.

His room was cleared out, where even his mattress was bare. My heart seized in my chest as I ran down the hall to the room my mother and stepfather shared. Although the room wasn’t cleared out, all my stepfather's personal items were missing.

Dropping to my knees, I burst into tears. Now more than ever, I regret what I said to Dominic this morning. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I tried to call my stepfather, but no one answered. I tried calling Dominic, but it had the same results.

After trying a few more times, I still couldn’t get through. I even tried calling my mother, but she didn’t answer either. I tried calling the hospital my mother worked at but was told she had the day off.

For the rest of the night, I tried getting through to someone, but it was useless. At some point during the night, I fell asleep on the floor. When I woke up, I was glad I was done with school and graduation was in a few days.

My mother never returned home that night, and I spent days trying to get ahold of someone. I sent text messages, begging someone to contact me, but I never received any answer. I went as far as to call the police many times and filed a missing persons report.

On the day of my graduation, my emotions were all over the place. I kept hoping someone would show up, but no one did. I was starting to think they were mad at me for reacting the way I did after I found out about the divorce.

The following morning after graduation, I was woken up by someone banging on the front door. As I went to answer it, my chest felt tight, and my feet felt heavy. The second I opened the door, my world fell apart.

“Are you Hayden Delaney?” One of the two officers standing on the front porch asked.

“Y-yes. What can I do for you?” I already had a feeling what I was about to hear, but I did my best to keep calm.

“Miss Delaney, it is our deepest regret to inform you that as of three p.m. yesterday afternoon, your mother, Abigal Delaney, was identified as a victim in a warehouse fire south of town. There were two other bodies present, but they haven’t been identified yet. We have reason to believe they are your stepfather and stepbrother, but we can’t be certain at this time.”

My brain went numb, and I couldn’t catch my breath. As if the ground had caved in, I lost my balance and fell. My last thought before losing consciousness was how I had told Dominic I hated him and never wanted to see him again.