“This?” Forest’s pale gaze sweeps around our loose semicircle.
We gather around a bonfire on a rocky beach along one of the most rugged coastlines in California. The surf pounds against the rocks, and a steady breeze blows in off the ocean bringing a salty tang to the night air and feeding the fire. The sun is set and night rushes in.
The bonfire crackles and pops, throwing off tons of light and heat for those gathered. Behind me, a trolley car squeals on the tracks as it heads back up the steep cliff to bring down more visitors for the night.
Visitors?
Those visitors are the owners of Insanity. Specifically, the members of the mega rock band, Angel Fire. We’re their guests on their secluded beach.
Evidently, Skye and Forest Summers live, work, and play with the mega rock band, Angel Fire. Forest happens to be their manager. I’m really curious about how that happened.
Somehow, the band created a group residence and all live together. To my surprise, not only is Skye married to their lead singer, but Mitzy’s married to their keyboardist.
It’s one massive, interconnected family.
I can’t wait to learn their stories.
Forest is part of a throuple.
I never heard of a throuple until a few hours ago. He married his assistant, Sara, and is in some kind of lifestyle dynamic with a Dominant named Paul. I don’t begin to understand that, but if it works for them, it works for me.
The band is late to the party because they’re coming off a European tour and just landed.
As for the rest of us, all of Alpha team is in attendance. We’re celebrating the arrests of my uncle and the woman I no longer call mother. A court date’s been set and we’re nearly certain of dual convictions with multiple life sentences with no chance for parole.
If I thought the dissolution of my family wasn’t bad enough, it pales to what happened when my mother’s role in the whole disgusting operation was revealed.
Worse than a kidnapper, rapist, or murderer, she bought young women only to watch them murdered for her pleasure; and that’s the sickest part. We are talking pleasure.
She’s a sociopath and psychopath. Now, she’s locked up behind bars forever. I should feel some kind of loss over that, but once Sybil and I were reunited, and after her parents flew out to make sure we were both okay, I realized I already had the best parents in the world. Sybil’s parents adopted me, and I adopted them.
Not to mention all the other members of my new, extended family.
“You pinching yourself again?” Sybil leans over and whispers in my ear.
“I’m deliriously happy.”
And I am.
I glance around the fire and smile at all the new people in my life. People who will drop everything to save me, many who risked their lives so that I might be free.
There’s Axel and Zoe, Griff and Moira, Max and Eve, Knox and Lily, Wolfe and Jinx, and finally my Liam and Sybil’s Brett. We’re joined by CJ and his wife, Melissa, then finally by Sam, who leads the Guardians.
Of course, there wouldn’t be Guardians if not for Skye and her amazing brother, Forest Summers.
“I can’t believe this is my life.”
“Well, it is, and I want to hear the story.” Sybil jumps to her feet. “Forest, you’re not getting away without telling me what brought the Guardians to my sister’s doorstep.”
Tonight’s a night of celebration, and I consider myself an exceptionally fortunate guest, but I’m a bit anxious about the retelling of that story. Considering my father, mother, and uncle’s role in the whole thing, my shoulders lift to my ears.
In many ways, I’m an outsider. I may have been brought into the fold, but the sins of my family weigh heavily on my shoulders.
“Well, let’s see.” Forest’s deep rumbly voice carries over the crackling of the fire, the pounding of the surf, and the boisterous conversation all around us. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who didn't believe nightmares were real. But the girl woke up, trapped in a nightmare.”
“That girl was me.” Axel’s girl, Zoe, stands and presses her hands to her lower back. “Thirteen girls were kidnapped. Six lost their lives. Six went missing. The last girl was me. I nearly died that day, but the Guardians swooped in to save the day.”
“And I got shot in the ass.” Griff cups his mouth with his hands and calls out.
“It wasn’t your ass.” Moira stands and moves to Zoe. “He got shot in the leg.”
“Doesn’t matter. Skye wouldn’t let me operate. Put me in support.” Griff uses air quotes and turns to Skye, scowling. But it’s all for show.
“Right, and somehow support meant you went in guns blazing to save your girl.” Skye fires right back at him.
“Technically, I saved myself.” Moira corrects Skye. “I just didn’t know how I was going to get off that container ship. Fortunately, the Guardians came to the rescue … again.” She wraps an arm around Griff and lifts on tiptoe. “He swooped out of the night sky, scared me to death, then lifted me off that ship. My hero.”
“Then what happened?” I’m with Sybil. I want to hear the story behind the Guardians showing up on my doorstep.
“Well, Eve was one of the missing girls.” Max grabs Eve’s hand. He turns it over and kisses the back of her hand. “Her douchebag father arranged to have his own daughter kidnapped as a way to launder money. The only problem was Benefield didn’t want to give her back.”
“How did you know about Benefield?” Many of these names are still new to me.
“Well, that required some detective work and a bit of questioning of Julian Townsend by Griff,” Mitzy pipes up; her high-pitched voice carries easily on the night air. “And you know how Griff likes to have chats with our prisoners.”
“Who’s Townsend?” Now that’s a name that is new to me.
“Townsend is the asshole who got me and Zoe kidnapped the second time.” Moira rubs at her arms.
“Townsend is a rich, entitled prick who set his eyes on Moira years ago in the Philippines. We rescued Moira from that hell, and she was well on her way rebuilding her life, when that prick paid for the privilege to abduct her again.” Griff tugs her to his side and wraps his arm over her shoulder. “After he lost her during that raid, he couldn’t let her go. Soon as he could, he reached out to Benefield to kidnap her again. Fortunately, we caught him instead. It was a bit of a sting operation. Once I got him alone, he sang like a goddamn canary.”
“That’s Griff’s way of saying he terrorized the poor fool.” Moira punches Griff in the chest. “Townsend told the Guardians about Benefield, and a bit of Mitzy Magic led them right to Benefield’s door.”
“By them, Moira means me and Knox.” Max and Knox exchange a look impossible to interpret. “I had to go undercover as a slave buyer. I thought I was going to buy Eve. Instead, I ran into her looking nothing like a woman being held against her will.”
“That’s because I was trying to survive. Hello.” Eve shakes her head and looks at me. “Benefield had an active interest in keeping me alive. Every month, he sent proof-of-life photos to my dad. My dad paid the ransom, at least until it became clear Benefield wasn’t going to release me. That’s when he called the Guardians.” Eve points at Mitzy. “Speaking of Mitzy Magic, Mitzy used those photos to find Benefield’s compound in the middle of Colombia.”