Beneath The Lies

by Riann C. Miller

  “Please trust me. If I thought for even a second that I was in danger or by being around me puts Callie or you in harm’s way, I wouldn’t be standing here right now...but I am, and I’m asking you to please...trust me. Trust that I know what I’m talking about, at least where Damian is concerned.”

  I wait silently for any notion that I’ve made some headway with Gavin. Slowly, the tension in his shoulders starts to relax.

  “I trust you and I love you, and nothing will ever change that. But we’re a team and from this moment forward we have to agree to never keep something important from the other one. And if he contacts you to even say so much as a fucking hello I’m to know about it.” His eyes are pleading with me to agree with him.

  “I promise. I won’t keep anything from you again.”

  Whatever anger Gavin was holding on to melts away.

  “C’mere. I can’t stand being this close to you and not touch you.” I walk straight into his open arms and I feel home again.

  “I love you,” I say as I’m wrapped tight against his chest.

  “I love you, too, babe. And I’m so fucking sorry. No matter what happens, I won’t walk away from you like that again, no matter how angry I am.”

  Gavin pushes my head back and takes my mouth with his reminding not only my body but also my heart why we’re meant for each other.

  ****

  “Do you want pink or purple?” Callie asks me, holding up her Barbie doll polish. Today is my day to have an appointment in her own personal salon, and while I’m not a man, I still regret laughing at Gavin and Kiran when she dresses the two of them up. I’m sure Gavin is going to return the favor when he sees me.

  “Pink. Definitely pink.” My answer lights up her face as she starts to go to town painting all of my nails, and most of my fingertips.

  “I’m going to make you so pretty, Kate.” I smile at her excitement.

  “Good, I want to be pretty just like you.” Callie gives me a small grin but doesn’t say anything. I think she’s still learning how to take compliments—at least from me.

  Today is the first day in over a week that our lives have gone back to normal. When Gavin processes what he did—that he allowed his anger to take over, which basically left me available for Damian to snatch me up— he went back to his over the top vigilant need to protect me, something I know in my heart is not necessary. But I gave him what he needed, which was time, and he’s slowly coming around the idea that if Damian wanted to harm me he would’ve by now.

  “All done,” Callie says as she’s attempting to screw the top back on her polish. I look down at the mess on my fingers as a goofy smile crosses my face.

  “Thanks, sweet pea.”

  “Are you girls hungry?” We both look up at Gavin, who is in fact holding back his laughter.

  “Me. I am, Daddy,” Callie says as she takes off toward Gavin.

  “Good, then let’s go eat.”

  “Come on, Kate. Let’s go.” Gavin is holding Callie but he’s holding his other hand out for me to take, which I quickly do. I’m not sure what the future has in store for me, but I know I want to be right next to these two when I find out.

  “Is that the last box?” I ask Gavin as he and Kiran walk in with what I hope is the last of our stuff.

  “Yep, finally. We’re taking a break and grabbing a beer.”

  I restrain from rolling my eyes. These two big guys act like I’m about to kill them from manual labor alone. “Okay. Go and enjoy your beer.”

  The four of us just moved to Colorado. I still have a semester left before I graduate, but we were ready for a fresh start and somehow that start included Kiran, who’s living with us until he finds his own place.

  Two months ago, Leeta was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. She was found guilty for paying someone to tamper with her late husband’s car, resulting in his death. The man who she paid, plus two other people, were all found guilty and sentenced for various crimes.

  Since Leeta’s arrest, Tanner and Gavin have rekindled a brotherly friendship. After years of dealing with Leeta Tanner left his younger brother behind to deal with her alone and the guilt of his actions ate him up for years, but once he discovered Gavin wasn’t mad and Leeta was officially behind bars, he started making trips out west to visit.

  Carly, on the other hand, was a sticky situation. The evidence the DA has is strong but not solid. Thanks to Damian, however, she’s no longer a part of our lives, and that includes Callie’s.

  Damian somehow came across a mountain of crimes that Carly involved herself in over the years but agreed to destroy the evidence along with giving her a large sum of money in exchange for giving Gavin custody of his daughter.

  When Damian first told Gavin and me what he planned to do, I felt extremely guilty. I know firsthand what it feels like to know your mother easily gave you up for money, and I don’t want Callie to one day hate me or Gavin for the part we played in Carly’s decision, but when Carly didn’t even hesitate in taking the money she was offered, I was reminded why this is best for Callie.

  Gavin and Kiran have been worried about Hill Software’s location for some time now. Due to years of illegal fights, the building is on the police’s radar and keeping employees has been a struggle, which is why we all agreed a fresh start was needed.

  Callie is starting kindergarten and Kiran and Gavin purchased a building for Hill Software in downtown Denver, and as of now life is great.

  Gabby and Noah are still a couple and recently made living together official. I would love to say that Alyssa and Kyler got their act together and made for a great couple, but depending on the day you talk to either of them, they might be in love or hate with each other.

  The guys offered a job at Hill Software to Alex and he’s kindly accepted. He plans to move out here next month, and him and Kiran are planning to get an apartment together.

  I talk to my birth mother usually once a month, and I’m Facebook friends with all three of my siblings, which allows me to see how their lives are going, but I’ve yet to actually see them since my trip to Seattle. Kelly told me she’d like the whole family to make a trip to Colorado once we’re settled, and I’m hoping they do.

  Damian kept to his word and hovered around my life without actually being in it. I can’t imagine what he’d be like to live with, because if I thought my father was protective, he was nothing compared to Damian.

  After our fight, Gavin was still worried that Damian was going to do something to hurt me or worse, and make me disappear, but like I’d hoped over time he’s come around to the idea that he’s peacefully lurking in the background of my life.

  I hear a splash and look out the window to see Kiran, Gavin, and Callie all in the pool. I’m not even sure where my bathing suit is and I know I won’t be able to relax until I get all of these boxes put away.

  As I’m about to take more stuff upstairs, I hear our doorbell ring. It’s odd seeing as we don’t know anyone in the area, so I’m expecting it be a neighbor here to welcome us, but it’s not.

  I open the door and I’m greeted with a stunning blonde. She’s fairly tall, with soft brown eyes that are staring at me in shock.

  “Can I help you?” The woman seems to blink out of whatever daze she was in.

  “I was told to come here. That you’d help me,” she replies quietly.

  “Who are you?”

  The woman bites her bottom lip and looks away for a second before responding. “My father said it was dangerous for me right now and that I should come here and stay with you until I’m told otherwise.”

  My heart drops after listening to her. “I’m Belle.”

  I want to thank my husband and kids for putting up with my crazy schedule and allowing me the time to write. They will always come first but I’m extremely thankful for their endless support.

  I owe a huge thank you to Katie Benson. With everything going on in her life she still reads and re-reads my books without hesitation. Your support and friend
ship means a great deal to me.

  I want to thank Kate Stewart. You will always have a special place in my heart. When I decided to take this leap you grabbed my hand and never let go. I can’t wait for the day I get to meet you in person.

  My editor, Edee Fallon doesn’t just edit my books, she helps them come alive. Your encouraging words and support means the world to me.

  Juliana Cabrera you blow me away with your cover designs. I know there are days when I contact you nonstop but thank you for putting up with me.

  From the bottom of my heart I want to think my beta readers Jx PinkLady, Kelli Collopy, Polly Matthews and Patty Tennyson for taking the time to read Beneath The Lies and for giving me their honest feedback.

  And last but never least, my best friends Aaron and Lisa. I know as I go through life I’m blessed to call you both friends. Thank you for your support not only with my writing adventure, but also with everything I do.

  Riann C. Miller is a wife and a mother of two. She was born and raised in the Mid-West where she still lives today.

  Shortly after she discovered her addition to reading romance novels she started writing reviews and it wasn’t long before actively blogging turned to a desire to write her own romance novels.

  STAY CONNECT WITH RIANN

  Facebook

  Twitter

  Website

  Goodreads

  PROLOGUE

  Have you ever made a mistake; one that cost you more then you ever knew possible? I did. Twelve years ago, I fell in love with a girl who literally crashed into my life. When I ran into her, the hit to my soul was strong enough that it addled my brain to the point I wasn’t thinking clearly. That was my only excuse for what later transpired. Listening to others—no matter how important they are in your life—over what my heart told me ended up being my biggest regret.

  Guys don’t normally admit to this, but we take a lot longer to figure out love and what it truly means once you actually find it. From the moment we met, I knew she was special; it just took me a few years to figure out that I was never going to find that connection with someone else, because she was it for me. But leave it to me to screw up the most important thing in my life.

  PART ONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  KOLE

  I didn’t know something as simple as the sun would feel different, but since I arrived in LA almost a week ago, I’d discovered that life here was a far cry from the small town in Kansas where I grew up. How I even ended up in California was still a mystery to me because I don’t believe in fairytales, or luck for that matter. You get out of life what you put into it. It was as simple as that.

  My story began back in Kansas, where I was raised by my mother, Jane, and her husband, Rick. I use that word loosely because, truthfully, I raised myself and was compelled to live with them. Unfortunately, my parents were deadbeats who loved to party more than they enjoyed anything else, and that included providing me with any quality of life. How I made it past seventeen years old without being raped or beaten to death in their home still surprised me. The type of people my parents associated with were less than desirable. On many occasions, I would lock myself in my room to avoid their guests.

  When I was younger, life was made a lot easier thanks to Rick’s mother, whom I spent a lot of time with. But when I was only nine years old, Grandma Castro became very ill and passed away, leaving me to fend for myself during some emotionally hard years. Rick and Jane used my grandmother’s death as a reason to increase their partying. It helped them with their so-called grief, and any type of peace I once had in my life disappeared.

  A few months ago, life as I knew it changed when my parents were killed in a car accident. It wasn’t surprising to learn that Rick had been under the influence, which was the cause of the accident. Luckily, they hit a tree head on and no one else was hurt. I was only a couple of months away from turning eighteen and the last thing I wanted was to end up in the foster care system. I was told I could stay with my good friend Abby Jackson and her family.

  This is the point in my life where things began to not add up.

  My name was Nikole Elizabeth Castro, or so I’d always been told. When I was filling out some paper work for the state of Kansas after my parents’ accident, I learned that my stepfather never actually adopted me like I was once told. Kole Castro didn’t actually exist, but a Nikole McKenzie did. McKenzie... I didn’t remember my mother ever saying that name before. I knew Rick wasn’t my biological father. He was Mexican, and both my mother and I had pale skin and light blonde hair, so it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out I wasn’t half Mexican. Rick might not have been my real father, but he was the only thing I had close enough to call a dad, and that made me a Castro, like it or not.

  On top of dealing with all the legal paperwork regarding my parents’ death, I was also dealing with my own. Every official document used the name Castro, including my driver’s license. Apparently, when you lived in a very small town where everyone knows you, no one questions if the name you have is legally yours. My mother never talked about the man who helped create me. I just figured she had no idea who he was, so why would she give me his last name and not her own on my birth certificate?

  State officials in Kansas told me I couldn’t get emancipated unless both of my parents agreed to it. Since my mother was dead and I had no idea who in the hell Nicolas McKenzie was, I was stuck. The only thing that worked in my favor was that I was down to only a matter of weeks until I was a legal adult, anyway, so the state didn’t argue and allowed me to live my last few weeks as a minor with the Jacksons.

  Throughout my junior and senior year of high school, I applied for every college scholarship I could find. Getting the hell out of that little, nowhere town and away from my parents had always been my main goal in life since Grandma Castro died, and I knew I had to make it on my own. When you watched your parents live off the system their whole lives, you either become them or find the will to do better. I graduated top of my class, never drank, and only went to a hand full of parties. I’d had a few boyfriends, but nothing serious. In fact, I’m still a virgin. Getting myself knocked up would have kept me in that town forever, and I was not about to let that happen.

  So, when the Jacksons were helping me figure out what school would be the best for me—which one would pay the most and allow me to either not work or work a part-time job to make up the difference—I was astonished to find out I had a full ride to UCLA. I didn’t even apply to UCLA, so receiving a full ride seemed too good to be true. I had applied to Emporia and Fort Hays State, but I was expecting to attend a junior college for my first two years of school. Nevertheless, this scholarship included tuition, books, and room and board. The Jacksons called to check and everything appeared legitimate. I didn’t trust it…but the Jacksons told me to put my faith in what I was given, because mistake or not, I should take what was being offered.

  My next concern was how I would afford to make the trip to California. Then I discovered my mother had some money in the bank. Actually, she had a little over ten thousand dollars. How? I had no idea. Who the hell lived on state assistance and has that much money in their checking account? Either way, I was the only living relative so the money was mine, and that was how I found my way out here to sunny, southern California.

  Since I had extra money, I decided to leave early and spend the summer familiarizing myself with the area before college started in the fall. The school allowed me to pay extra to move into the dorms over the summer, so there I was, unpacking in a small room that I currently had all to myself. I found a job at a coffee shop right off campus called Cup of Joe. It was close enough that I could walk back and forth, and they claimed they would work around my class schedule in the fall. Everything appeared to be falling into place. California was beautiful and seemed like the ideal location to start my new life. Everything was great, perfect, and complete…until I met him.

  ller, Beneath The Lies