Chapter One
Monday, August 5, 2019
Orianna McKay wasn’t big on the socialscene. Didn’t matter which city she was in, the parties and gatherings were all the same: boring, predictable, and just plain exhausting.
Not to mention, full of horny twentysomethings looking to sate those irritating urges and find their happily ever after in the process. Wasn’t any different for the young and hip here in Telluride, Colorado. In one night, she’d witnessed more than enoughlet’s get it onandGod, please spare usto last a lifetime, thank you very much.
Netflix and chill—by her damn self—was more her jam. Which was exactly what she’d be doing if it weren’t for the fact she was on a mission. One that was about to calendar flip into year seven.
Yep, six years of searching, traveling, and questioning every Tyler, Brandon, and Jacob—face it, no one named their kids Tom, Dick, or Harry anymore—with absolutely no luck. Now Orianna was just plain tired. And perhaps a bit downtrodden. After all, the only thing she had to show for her efforts was a resumé that proved she was a completely uncommitted jack of all trades.
Thank you, Fate. Or Karma. Or whatever mystical power that kept the universe aligned. Oh, and she couldn’t forget her sister. Thanks, Amber. For nothing.
Had it not been for her older sister taking off for parts unknown all those years ago, Orianna would’ve been back home in Texhoma, Oklahoma, vegging on Cheez-Its and Mountain Dew, watching reruns ofAmerica’s Next Top Model. Instead, she was strolling the streets of Bumfuck, Colorado, looking under every rock she could turn over to see if her sister was lurking. Unfortunately, Amber’s last known sighting was proving to be another dead end.
But there was one more place she had to look before she could call it a night. A few more minutes and she could get back to her crappy motel and chill. Tomorrow, if she was lucky, she would be making like dust and scattering.
“Well, look who it is,” a gruff voice sounded from behind her.
Orianna kept walking, peering into storefronts, knowing damn well Amber wasn’t hiding out in a dusty old antique shop, but wishing she’d appear, nonetheless.
“Hey, bitch!”
Curious, Orianna cast a quick look over her shoulder, wondering who the asshole was talking to. Whoever it was, she hoped like hell the woman gave him what for. No man would ever talk to her that way. Not if he wanted to keep his twig and berries intact.
“Yeah. I’m talkin’ to you. Come back here.”
Instinct had her legs slowing though she probably should’ve been moving faster. Single woman out late at night wasn’t the smartest move, but Orianna had long ago learned her sister was a night owl, and if she was going to track her down, it would likely be when the creeps were trolling.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Where you been, Amber?”
Orianna came to an abrupt halt, spinning around to study the man who clearly thought she was her sister.
“I been waitin’ for you to show your face. You lookin’ for Daddy Dearest?”
It wasn’t the first time she’d been mistaken for her sister. Since they both had blond hair and blue eyes, Orianna could see how someone might think she was Amber.
From a distance.
In the dark.
Without their glasses.
Truth was, Orianna looked nothing like her older sister aside from their fair coloring. While Amber was short, Orianna was all leg, clocking in at five foot six. While Amber had a round face and a cute button nose, Orianna’s was all angles. Then again, if she wasn’t ten pounds underweight, perhaps she’d have full cheeks, too.
Good news was, Orianna seemed to be in the right place. Maybe. She should’ve known Amber would be hot on Erik’s heels. Chasing their deadbeat father to the ends of the earth was Amber’s favorite pastime. Her older sister had been following his breadcrumbs since she was old enough to drive.
“I was wondering if you’d ever show your face here again. It’s been a long time, sweetheart. You find him yet?” the asshat asked.
Assuming he was talking about her father, and not sure how to answer, Orianna kept her expression blank, waited for him to get closer. As soon as he did, she realized how foolhardy her curiosity was. Before she could ask him how he knew Amber, the asshole pounced, throwing one skinny arm around her neck and jerking her backward.
Orianna shrieked, attempting to keep her feet beneath her as he cut off her airway in his effort to drag her into a dark alley. Her mouth opened, lungs filling as she prepared to scream when he rammed something into her kidney.
“Don’t you dare scream, Amber,” he hissed, his foul breath wafting into her sinuses. “I’ll shoot you where you stand. Dear old Dad won’t be too happy about that, will he?”
Nor would she, but that was moot, wasn’t it?
Rather than punch him in the balls and elbow him in the nose, Orianna whimpered, effectively swallowing the scream before it escaped. Clearly this was a case of mistaken identity, but she got the feeling he didn’t care if she was Amber or not. As long as she was a McKay, he would likely be happy.
