1
KAT
Sirens sound in the distance, my heart beating faster as the flames climb higher. Panic floods my veins as I cover my nose with my shirt, easing myself blindly toward the door.
I can only pray they get to me in time—that these aren’t the last moments of my life…
I’m frozen.
My eyes read over the words on the screen, the cursor flashing as it waits for more, my mind unable to reconcile what’s happening.
There’s no way.
My hands hovering above the keys, I am hyperaware as the sirens grow louder.
It’s not in my head.
It’s real.
Yelling from somewhere outside has me jumping up from the oversized chair, keeping to the shadows as I walk to the front window.
And gasp.
A small group has gathered at the end of the rental’s driveway, a box almost fully engulfed as an elderly man tries to work a fire extinguisher to put it out.
No.
This can’t be happening.
But in my heart I know it is. This can’t be a coincidence.
Rushing back to the chair, I snatch my phone up, clutching the device in my hand as I race back to the door and throw the lock. Tears stream down my face as my sock-covered feet hit silently against the pavement, smoke wafting into the air as the fire department arrives.
They’re shouting for everyone to get back but I can’t move, the smell of smoke clinging to me like a second skin as the last of the flames are finally doused.
There are so many questions; the police and firefighters pepper me with one right after the other.
Who lives here?It’s a rental.
How long have you been here?I’ve been here since Saturday. I was using it to get some work done.
Did you see anyone lurking around?No, I’ve been consumed with work.
Every question has an automatic answer—rehearsed—as the crowd is finally ushered away, the box hacked open to ensure the fire is really out, and the contents strewn across the driveway.
Books.
My books.
Destroyed.
Charred beyond recognition to the untrained eye.
But I’d obsessed over those covers, made sure every detail was carefully woven into the design. Designs I can never claim in public.
Because to the world I’m Kat Harrington, sister to Colt Harrington, shortstop for the Illinois Blues, a man dubbedcharming both on and off the field and an absolute sweetheart in the public eye.
Kat Harrington—bestselling author of children’s books filled with fun adventures, bright illustrations, and important themes incorporated at age-appropriate levels.
