Broken Beginnings: A High Heat Small Town Romance Suspense (Citrus Cove Book 1)

I ENDED up falling asleep for an hour or so, which was probably for the best. It gave me the rest I needed before facing Sarah.

By the time Cam pulled us into the diner’s parking lot, my nerves were eating me alive.

His hand gripped my thigh as he pulled into a spot at the back of the cafe. It was within eyesight of where Sarah asked for us to meet. He glanced around us, eyeing the other cars.

“He’s not here,” he confirmed. “And we’re right on time.”

I glanced at the clock. 9:59.

Nerves and worry rolled through me. Having to meet my sister in secret like this told me that she wasn’t safe, and neither were the kids. It infuriated me that no one had done anything.

“Hey,” Cam said softly. “It’s going to be okay. She’s your sister. That much hasn’t changed.”

She was my sister, but she hardly felt like it.

We sat in silence for a couple of minutes. He squeezed my thigh gently. “I’ll be right here,” he murmured. “Nothing will happen. Okay?”

I nodded. I swallowed hard as the back door of the diner swung open. The worst of the storm had passed, and now it was just raining. I grabbed my umbrella, leaned over and kissed Cam’s cheek, and then got out of his truck.

I popped the umbrella open and walked over to Sarah. She glanced up at me, leaning against the brick wall as she lit a cigarette.

“Hey,” I said, giving her a soft smile.

She blew out smoke and put the cigarette out. Our gazes locked, her eyes filling with tears.

“Sarah,” I whispered. “Fuck, you’ve got me so worried.”

“I know,” she said and then threw her arms around me. I stumbled back slightly but found my footing, holding on to her.

Tears filled my eyes. “I’ve missed you,” I croaked. Her hug was like a knife to the chest, my heart squeezing. I’d missed her so damn much and had done everything I could to forget it. But now, standing here with her, I felt every emotion.

The feeling like we’d abandoned each other.

That she’d stopped caring for me.

There had been many moments over the years, but I’d always shoved them back. Always told myself that we were just busy. She had her kids, and I had my career.

Different lives.

“I’ve missed you more than you know,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I stopped calling. I’m sorry I ignored your messages and calls.”

Fuck. Tears started to stream down my cheeks. I didn’t let her go, holding her tight, the umbrella protecting us from the rain. Over the last ten years, I’d convinced myself that she’d stopped loving me, but I knew that wasn’t true.

She pulled back, cupping my face. “I’m really proud of you. You got out. You made a career and a life for yourself. You followed your dreams, and you do whatever you want. I’ve never had it in me to do that.”

“Yes, you do,” I said. “Sarah, you can do whatever you want. And I can help. I can help you get away from him.”

Her eyes widened and then softened. “It’s impossible to,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “He’s never hit one of us. But he breaks things. He yells. He controls everything, Hal. He has all of our finances wrapped up. All of my paychecks go to him. Jake and David do their best to stay away from him.”

My stomach twisted, rage rolling through me. “How did it end up like this?”

“It was slow,” she said. “At first, he was good. And then we had the boys, and after that, things changed. I don’t think he ever loved me to begin with. And I’ve tried fighting. You know I have a temper and a backbone. But it’s not about me anymore.”

“It’s about the kids,” I whispered.

She nodded, swallowing hard.

“You can leave him,” I said. “You can. We’ll start a new bank account. I’ll do whatever I can to help. You can move in with Honey, or I can buy a house here for you and the boys.”NôvelDrama.Org owns this.

“I couldn’t let you do that,” Sarah said, her shoulders stiffening. “I can’t take your money. It’s not fair to you. None of this is even your problem.”

“You’re my sister. And you can take money from me,” I insisted. “Especially if it means getting you away from that monster. I had no idea. It seems like everyone else in this fucking town does though.”

She snorted, her eyes flickering over to where Cam was parked. She raised a brow, and briefly, I saw a glimpse of the Sarah I knew. The mischievous one. The one that was fun and smart and kind. That didn’t have a care in the world.

“You and Cameron? He used to bully you. You hated him.”

“Yeah,” I said. “I did hate him. And now I think I’m falling in love with him.”

“Shit,” she whispered. “He’s a good guy. Was an idiot in high school. But he’s tried to help me, which was what led to him and David having problems.”

“I heard.” I was glad he fought for her. That he saw what everyone else turned a blind eye to. “What can I do, Sarah? We can move Jake and David first. Send them to Honey. Then I can come to help you move out.”

“They’re his sons,” Sarah said, shaking her head. She let go of me and leaned back against the wall, her shoulders slumping. “He will have the right to visit them. I can’t just get rid of him.”

I pressed my lips together. She had a point. “You’re telling the truth when you say he hasn’t hit you?” I felt rage flood through my veins that I even had to ask. “I’d bury him if we weren’t in the twenty-first century.”

“Haley,” she hissed, but she let out a helpless laugh. “But yes, I’m being honest. There’s just… something wrong with him. I look back and feel like an idiot. I never saw how broken he was. And it was a slow decline. By the time I realized what kind of man he was, it was too late. I was in too deep. And alone. So fucking alone. I wanted to run away, but I couldn’t. I have my kids, and I love them more than anything else in the world.” Her words were fiercer when she spoke of Jake and David.

“I always thought you and Colton would end up together,” I said.

“Me too,” she whispered.

We were silent for a couple of moments. She finally drew in a breath, steadying herself. “He’s forbidden me to see you. If we get caught, I don’t know what will happen. I’ve never gone against him.”

He was at the very top of my shit list, even above the serial killer that was after me. I hesitated, unsure if I should tell her about everything. About the murder and about how I was being hunted.

But I could see how tired she was. I could see the exhaustion tearing at her soul, and I refused to give her more to worry about.

I reached out, gripping her hand in mine. “We’re going to figure this out. You’re going to make it out of this. I’m going to make sure you’re safe. Do you still have access to my phone number?”

“He checks my phone.”

This fucking bastard. “I’ll get you a burner phone. I’ll talk to Cam. We will figure this out.” I felt like I’d said that a million times now, and maybe I was trying to convince myself of it too.

“I need to go,” she said sadly. She pulled me into a hug, holding me tight until finally letting go. “I’ll talk to you soon. Let’s do this again Monday night. I have the late shift again.”

“Okay,” I said. “Please be safe.”

“I will be.”

I watched as she went to her car and got in. She turned it on, the engine sputtering to life.

I watched her go, my thoughts churning. My sister had been through hell alone. I felt guilty for it, but then I felt the streak of rage that she’d let herself be pulled into this kind of mess. That she didn’t see how she deserved so much better from the start.

But I knew it was hard once you were in that type of relationship to get out. I’d seen Emma go through her own toxic partners, the difference being that she didn’t have children involved. It was easier to walk away from someone when you hadn’t built a life together, but that didn’t mean it was actually easy.

Cam’s truck lights flashed at me, and I finally snapped myself back to the moment. I lifted my head and walked over to him, fighting off a snort as he leaned across the seat and opened the door for me before I could.

“Always the gentleman,” I teased him, pulling the umbrella closed and getting in.

“I am,” he said. “How did that go?”

I sank against the seat, sighing. “Well. Everyone wants to kill me, and all I can think about is murdering David Connor.”