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CHAPTER 1
Logan
A flash of lightning streaks through the sky, slicing sharply over my windshield. The rain is coming down in torrents. The bumpy road is dark and completely deserted, the low green shrubbery on either side of it swaying against the force of the wind. My hands tighten on the steering wheel.
I glance at Madison sitting beside me. She has her gaze locked to the window. Her foot taps a beat on the car floor. The image of her playing with her American doll pulls my lips into a small smile.
Madison’s love for rain matches mine. That’s the very reason we’re on our way to my mountain cabin in Denver, Colorado, in the rainiest month, May, instead of in my penthouse in southern California, huddled up in bed, warm.
I’ve been spending this vacation with Madison at the cabin since she turned four. At first, it was to get away from the nature of my job—private security—for a while and also to bond with my nine-year-old, but I sold my multi-billion-dollar globalsecurity company last year and took an early retirement, so I’m hoping I can make up for the time I wasn’t around for my daughter and be an even better father.
“You okay, honey?”
She nods but doesn’t turn to look at me as her gaze remains fixed on the window.
A sharp gasp slips through my lips as I revert my eyes to the road again and see a shape in the middle of the road.
"Fucking hell!" My foot automatically hits the brake hard, my heart pounding out of my chest.
Madison’s face hits the window, and she begins to whimper softly, her fingers tugging on my shirt.
Removing my hands from the steering wheel, I adjust my legs and gently take her hands. “I’m so sorry, honey. Relax back in your seat and take a deep breath.”
After two inhales from her, I risk another glance at my windscreen.
A battered-looking woman is standing in the middle of the road, just a hair’s breadth away from my front bumper. Her hands are above her head, eyes squinting against the sharp light from my headlights. Her clothes are drenched and clinging to her skin, the outline of her lithe figure visible.
Two seconds is all it takes to cause an unfortunate disaster. One more second and I’d have crushed the woman.
I swallow the sudden lump in my throat, feeling quite uneasy.
“Daddy?” Madison’s voice is barely a whisper.
“It’s okay, Madison. I’m going to step out of the car now and help the lady in the rain.” She nods and clasps her hands.
“Stay put in the car and don’t come out, okay?” Another nod.
I ruffle her hair playfully and place a kiss on her forehead. I unhook my seatbelt. Pushing the unlock button with my fingers, I see the woman slump and fall to the ground.
Opening the door, I quickly step out. The rain beats down on me, soaking through my clothes in mere seconds. Fighting against the wind as it threatens to pull me apart, I crouch beside the drenched figure.
My heart aches at the near-lifeless state, hands balling in tight fits in anger at whoever may have caused this.
“He... I...” she stutters.
My heart leaps at the breathy whisper of her voice, glad that she’s still conscious. I gather her into my arms and stride back to the car, pulling the backseat door open and gently dropping her inside.
“Is she okay?” Madison asks as I get into the car again. “Is she alive?”
“She’s okay, sweetheart.”
“Is she coming with us?”
I nod. “But we have to get her to the hospital to make sure she doesn’t have any life-threatening injuries? Okay?”
Madison nods and glances towards the back of the car with worry in her eyes. With fingers gripping the steering wheel, I take extra caution driving down the tricky road, praying the entire time that the woman in my backseat is still breathing.
When we get to the center, I rush out of the car, getting her out of the backseat. Her dress—light and flimsy—clings to her body, and I see a bruise on her forehead, partially covered by her hair.
