New house, new life, new start.
Lucinda Cartwright's life was thrown into chaos after her father and step mother died. She became the sole provider for her younger sister, Mary-Beth in a single moment. Uncertainty cloaked her and she decided that m...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I came awake screaming out my sister's name, jolting upward before the dead weight of my body dropped me back down onto the soft mattress beneath me. My head pounded. My skin felt too tight, even small movements hurt.
Tamara's face appeared above me, her weary eyes danced over my face. The urge to empty my stomach burned in my throat as I noticed the smudge of dried blood on her cheek. I clenched my teeth. There was no way I was going to vomit. She arched a brow and asked, "You think you can sit up?"
My eyes remained glued to the blood on her face. I nodded, which didn't help the pounding in my head. The pain must have been clear on my face because she reached down and placed her hand at the base of my skull, allowing me to use her as a support as I sat up.
The world spun around me for a moment. Tamara's warm touch was the only thing that kept me grounded. When everything finally slowed and became stationary once more, I released a heavy sigh. At the show of relief, Tamara stepped away from me and I realized that we weren't alone in the room.
Alec stepped forward and handed me a glass of water, holding my gaze for only a moment. I suppressed a groan as I drank deeply. My mind was draped in a heavy fog, making it hard for me to formulate any real thoughts.
"What happened?" I asked after I finished off the glass of water, setting it down on the night stand beside the bed.
"You fainted," Tamara said. Her eyes shifted to Alec who was focused on the ground.
"Of course I did," I muttered softly under my breath. My sister might be with a murderer, Callum was in police custody, and I was acting like a damsel in distress. I shifted on the bed, tossing my legs over the edge. "How's the boy? Did he say anything more?"
Tamara's eyes narrowed as she watched me. "He's alive but quiet. He needs an actual doctor."
"Do you trust taking him into town?" I asked, legs trembling as I stood up.
Was anywhere safe from these people? Was there anyway to know who was in on this murder scheme? For all we knew, it could be a group of them working together. The only people I trusted without a doubt were Cal, and Mary-Beth. And they were gone.
"No," she replied with an exasperated sigh.
I turned toward her. "Then I guess he's not going anywhere, is he? Because he's the only witness we have. The only person who might be able to fix this."
It was time for me to take some action. It was my job to protect Mary-Beth - she had no one in this world but me. The fear and desperation were consuming me. Restless energy carried me forward to the exit. I was going to save my sister from whatever had taken her, even if it was the last thing I did.
"Where are you going?"
"Where do you think? To get my sister," I said, brushing our shoulders as I passed her. My walk up the hallway toward the living room was unsteady but determined. A headache pulsed behind my eyes -- must have hit my head pretty hard when I fainted. The footsteps that followed mine were firm, and angry.
