Prologue
Ryker
Fifteen Years Old
Gideon hauls off and punches me in the thigh.Freaking hard.Giving me an instant muscle cramp.
With a glare, I sock him in the shoulder.
“You might want to cut that out.” Reggie glowers at us both in the rearview mirror and then shakes his head, as if he’s disappointed in us.
I don’t really care what Reggie thinks of me. He may be in charge at the boys’ home—a.k.a. hell house—I’ve been living in for the past six months, but as far as I’m concerned, he can kiss my ass.
“Loser,” Gideon whispers at me, and I want to punch him again. He’s still sporting the black eye from the last time I knocked his ass out.
“Fuck off,” I snarl at him.
“Okay, enough,” Reggie snaps. “I get it, you hate each other. That’s fair. You don’t have to like everyone in this life, but you don’t get to mouth off and put hands on every single person that ticks you off.”
“Why do we have to go to this stupid ranch?” I ask him.
Not that I really mind the thought of leaving the hell house and moving to a ranch in the middle of nowhere. I like animals, and I like being outside.
It would be great if I didn’t have to go with the dickface next to me.
“You need to learn what it is to work hard,” Reggie says, dragging his hand down his face.
“Basically, we’re screwups and you want to get rid of us,” Gideon adds, but Reggie shakes his head.
“No, Gideon, I don’t think you’re screwups. I think you need something I can’t give you, and I hope that something is out here at the Triple Creek Ranch with Ray and Debbie. They’re good people, so cut them some slack, yeah?”
I lean my head on the window and watch the mountains in the distance.
Cut them some slack.
When has anyone ever cutmeany goddamn slack in this life?
I must fall asleep because suddenly, I feel the car stop, and when I open my eyes, I’m shocked to see a huge house in front of us. It’s like something out of the movies. Something rich people live in, with log sides, and a porch that wraps around the whole place. Add in the mountains in the background, and it doesn’t lookreal. Am I dreaming?
When we get out of the car, the older couple from the porch walk down to greet us.
“Ryker, Gideon, I want to introduce you to Ray and Debbie,” Reggie says.
I step forward first and shake Ray’s hand. His grip is firm, and he looks me steady in the eyes. He doesn’t look mean. His mouth isn’t turned up in a sneer.
But he’s not smiling. He’s sizing me up. So I keep my chin high and say with more bravery than I feel, “Hello.”
Then, I’m suddenly caught up in a hug by the tiniest woman I’ve ever met in my life, and she’s patting my back, rocking me back and forth, and it makes me want to cry.
Jesus.What is this place?
“I’m Debbie,” she says and smiles up at me with the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen. I’ve been growing a lot lately, eating too much, accordingto the cook at hell house, but this woman is like a little fairy. I could put her in my pocket. “And you’re too skinny. I’m going to put some meat on your bones. Do you like fried chicken?”
At just the mention of it, my mouth waters.
“Uh, yes, ma’am.”
“Nope, call me Deb.” She pats my cheek and then moves on to Gideon, giving him the same treatment, and his gaze meets mine over her head as he awkwardly pats her on the back.
