So I washed my dishes and stepped out onto the porch to distract myself by checking on the stars. They weren’t nearly as bright on the edge of Valor Springs as they were back in BrokenBend where I’d grown up, but there was something about being able to find the north star no matter where I was that made me feel at peace.
As soon as I stepped outside, the soft rumble of a car engine came from down the road. A dark sedan with tinted windows and lights off sat to one side. Something about the way it just sat there—waiting—made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
I grabbed my phone and took a photo of the license plate, zooming in as much as I could. The car didn't move. Just sat there for another five minutes before finally pulling away, slow and deliberate, like whoever was behind the wheel wanted me to know they weren’t afraid.
Unease settled in my gut.
Not even two minutes later, my phone pinged with a text from Gray, the founder of Lone Star Security.
Gray: Potential collateral in Valor Springs. Check your email.
I stared at the message, my jaw tight, hoping for once that my instincts were wrong. Once I logged into the portal, I skimmed over the encrypted email. According to Gray, Lucas Vega had been running packages for a development firm. Small-time stuff, but the firm has connections to some serious players. He saw something he shouldn't have, and the higher ups weren’t going to let it slide.
I closed my eyes for half a heartbeat, refusing to let myself skip ahead. This was going to kill Marisol. She’d suspected something was going on, but Lucas was way in over his head.
The email continued with a personal note from Gray.
I know this isn't ideal, but you're the best option. Keep the sister safe until we can neutralize the threat and watch your six.
My assignment wasn’t protecting Lucas Vega. It was protecting Marisol.
I pushed back from the table and walked to the window. Her porch light was still on. Through the glass, I could see her at the kitchen table, a laptop open in front of her, her head bent over her work. She had no idea.
The girl next door was now my job.
CHAPTER 2
MARISOL
The alarm wentoff at five-thirty, same as always. I fumbled for my phone and silenced it, then lay there for ten seconds I couldn't afford, staring at the water stain on the ceiling.
Three more hours of sleep. That's all I needed. Just three more hours and I could think straight, could handle everything that was piling up around me instead of feeling like I was treading water and about to go under. But the day didn't care what I needed.
I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the kitchen, where I made coffee in the same travel mug I'd been using since high school. The bills were still stacked next to my laptop where I'd left them last night. I didn't let myself look at the total again. It was more than I had.
The online school portal blinked at me from my laptop screen, a reminder of the two overdue assignments I still needed to complete and the discussion board I hadn't posted to in a week. My degree felt like something I’d started in another life, back when I still slept through the night and believed in five-year plans.
Lucas shuffled into the kitchen, his dark hair sticking up all over, eyes half-closed. He grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and poured cereal without looking at me.
“Good morning," I said.
"Morning." He hunched over his phone while he ate, his thumb scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. He'd been distant and guarded for weeks. And always on that damn phone.
“Did you get your project finished last night?” I asked, keeping my voice casual.
“What project?”
I clamped a hand to my hip, more than a little frustrated. “The one you said you needed to work on with Derek.”
“Oh, yeah. It’s done.”
“What class is it for?”
He glanced up and frowned before looking back down at his phone. “English.”
That was a lie. I could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. But I didn't have time to push. Not this morning. I had to be at the hospital in fifteen minutes, and it took eighteen minutes to get there.
"Just... be careful, okay? And answer your phone when I text.”
