The devil?
My skin peppered with goose bumps as I imagined the biblical creature: male-like with red skin, pointed teeth, and a pitchfork. Surely that wasn’t what she meant?
Her next words brought me back to reality.
“I used to wake in a cold sweat, fearing the day had arrived. It’s no longer a nightmare. You’ve been found.”
“Found? I don’t understand.”
“Your biological father made a deal against the devil. He thought if he did what was right, he could... well, he could survive. The woman who gave birth to you was my best friend—a long time ago. We hadn’t been in contact for years. She hoped that would secure your safety and keep you hidden. That deal...it didn’t work the way he hoped. Saving themselves was a long shot. Their hope was to save you. That’s how you became our child.”
It was more information than I’d ever been told. I have always known I was adopted but nothing more. There was a promise of one day. I used to hope for that time to come. With the lead weight in the pit of my stomach, I knew that now that one day had arrived, and I wasn’t ready. I wanted more time.
The only woman I knew as my mother shook her head just before wiping a tear from her cheek. “I prayed you’d be older before we had this talk, that you would be able to comprehend the gravity of this information. But as I said, things have changed.”
The writing on the envelope blurred as tears filled my sixteen-year-old eyes. The man I knew as my dad was gone and now the woman who had raised me was sending me away. “Where are you sending me?”
“Colorado. There’s a boarding school in the mountains, St. Mary of the Forest. It’s private and elite. They’ll protect you.”
I couldn’t comprehend. “For how long? What about you? What about my friends? When will I be able to come home?”
“You’ll stay until you’re eighteen and graduated. And then it will be up to you. There’s no coming back here...ever. This city isn’t home, not anymore. I’m leaving Chicago, too, as soon as I get you out.” Her neck stiffened as she swallowed her tears. “We both have to be brave. I thought at first Byron’s accident was just that—an accident. But then this morning…I knew. Our time is up. They’ll kill me if they find me, just like they did Byron. And Renee...” She looked my way, her grey eyes swirling with emotion. While I’d expect sadness, it was fear that dominated. “…my fate would be easy compared to yours.”
She cleared her throat, pretending that tears weren’t cascading down her pale cheeks.
“Honey, these people are dangerous. They don’t mess around, and they don’t play fair. We don’t know how, but they found you, and your dad paid the price. I will believe forever that he died to protect you. That’s why we have this small window of time. I want you to know that if necessary, I’ll do the same. The thing is, my death won’t stop them. And no matter what, I won’t hand you over.”
“Hand me over?”
We swerved again, barreling down an exit until Mom slammed on her brakes leaving us in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Her gaze again went to the rearview mirror.
“Are we being followed?” I asked.
Instead of answering, she continued her instructions. “In that envelope is information for your new identity, a trust fund, and where you’ll be living. Your dad and I had this backup plan waiting. We hoped we’d never have to use it, but he insisted on being prepared.” Her gaze went upward. “Thank you, Byron. You’re still watching over us from heaven.”
Slowly, I peeled back the envelope’s flap and pulled out two Colorado driver’s licenses. They both contained my picture—that was the only recognizable part. The name, address, and even birth dates were different. “Kennedy Hawkins,” I said, the fictitious name thick on my tongue.
“Why are there two?”
“Look at the dates. Use the one that makes you eighteen years old for this flight. It’s the only way they’ll let you fly unaccompanied. Once you’re in Colorado, destroy the one with the added two years. The school needs your real age for your grade in school.”
I stared down at one and then the other. The name was the same. I repeated it again, “Kennedy Hawkins.”
“Learn it. Live it. Become Kennedy.”
A never-before-thought-of question came to my mind. “Did I have a different name before I came to you?”
My mother’s eyes widened as her pallid complexion changed from white to gray. “It’s better if you don’t know.”
I sat taller in the seat, mimicking the strength she’d shown me all of my life. “You’re sending me away. You’re saying we may never see one another again. This is my only chance. I think I deserve to be told everything.”
“Not everything.” She blinked rapidly. “About your name, your dad and I decided to alter your birth name, not change it completely. You were very young, and we hoped having a derivation of what you’d heard would help make the transition easier. Of course, we gave you our last name.”
“My real name isn’t Renee? What is it?”
“Araneae.”
The syllables played on repeat in my head bringing back memories I couldn’t catch. “I’ve heard that before, but not as a name.”
She nodded. “I always thought it was ironic how you loved insects. Your name means spider. Your birth mother thought it gave you strength, a hard outer shell, and the ability to spin silk, beautiful and strong.”
“Araneae,” I repeated aloud.
Her stern stare turned my way. “Forget that name. Forget Araneae and Renee. We were wrong to allow you any connection. Embrace Kennedy.”
My heart beat rapidly in my chest as I examined all of the paperwork. My parents, the ones I knew, were thorough in their plan B. I had a birth certificate, a Social Security card, a passport matching the more accurate age, and the driver’s license that I’d seen earlier, all with my most recent school picture. According to the documentation, my parents’ names were Phillip and Debbie Hawkins. The perfect boring family. Boring or exciting, family was something I would never have again.
“And what happened to Phillip and Debbie?” I asked as if any of this made sense.
“They died in an automobile accident. Their life insurance funded your trust fund. You are an only child.”
The car crept forward in the line of traffic near the departure terminal of O’Hare Airport. A million questions swirled through my head and yet I struggled to voice even one. I reached out to my mother’s arm. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I’ll always be with you, always.”
“How will we talk?”
She lifted her fist to her chest. “In here. Listen to your heart.”
Pulling to the curb and placing the car in park, she leaned my direction and wrapped me in her arms. The familiar scent of lotions and perfumes comforted me as much as her hug. “Know you’re loved. Never forget that, Kennedy.”
I swallowed back the tears brought on by her calling me by the unfamiliar name.
She reached for her wrist and unclasped the bracelet she always wore. “I want you to have this.”
I shook my head. “Mom, I never remember seeing you without it.”
“It’s very important. I’ve protected it as I have you. Now, I’m giving it to you.” She forced a smile. “Maybe it will remind you of me.”
“Mom, I’d never forget you.” I looked down to the gold bracelet in the palm of my hand as my mom picked it up, the small charms dangling as she secured it around my wrist.
“Now, it’s time for you to go.”
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You do. Go to the counter for the airlines. Hand them your ticket and the correct identification. Stay strong.”
“What about those people?” I asked. “Who are they? Will you be safe?”
“I’ll worry about me once I’m sure that you’re safe.”
“I don’t even know who they are.”
Her gaze moved from me to the world beyond the windshield. For what seemed like hours, she stared
as the slight glint of sunshine reflected on the frost-covered January ground. Snow spit through the air, blowing in waves. Finally, she spoke, “Never repeat the name.”
“What name?”
“Swear it,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
It was almost too much. I nodded.
“No. I need to hear you promise me. This name can never be spoken aloud.”
“I swear,” I said.
“Sparrow, Alleister Sparrow. He’s currently in charge, but one day it will be his son, Sterling.”
I wished for a pen to write the names down; however, from the way they sent a chill down my spine, I was most certain that I’d never forget.
* * *
The twisted and intriguing storytelling that you loved in Consequences and Infidelity is coming back at you with an all-new alpha anti-hero in the dark romance series Web of Sin, by New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig.
Preorder SECRETS, book one of the Web of Sin trilogy by Aleatha Romig, today by tapping on the title.
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Books by New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig
THE VAULT:
UNEXPECTED
Released August 27, 2018
UNCONVENTIONAL
Released individually
January 1, 2018
WEB OF SIN:
SECRETS
Coming Oct. 30, 2018
LIES
Coming Dec. 4, 2018
PROMISES
Coming Jan. 8, 2019
THE INFIDELITY SERIES:
BETRAYAL
Book #1
Released October 2015
CUNNING
Book #2
Released January 2016
DECEPTION
Book #3
Released May 2016
ENTRAPMENT
Book #4
Released September 2016
FIDELITY
Book #5
Released January 2017
RESPECT
A stand-alone Infidelity novel
Released January 2018
THE CONSEQUENCES SERIES:
CONSEQUENCES
(Book #1)
Released August 2011
TRUTH
(Book #2)
Released October 2012
CONVICTED
(Book #3)
Released October 2013
REVEALED
(Book #4)
Previously titled: Behind His Eyes Convicted: The Missing Years
Re-released June 2014
BEYOND THE CONSEQUENCES
(Book #5)
Released January 2015
RIPPLES
Released Oct 2017
CONSEQUENCES COMPANION READS:
BEHIND HIS EYES-CONSEQUENCES
Released January 2014
BEHIND HIS EYES-TRUTH
Released March 2014
THE LIGHT DUET:
Published through Thomas and Mercer Amazon exclusive
INTO THE LIGHT
Released 2016
AWAY FROM THE DARK
Released 2016
TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE SERIES:
INSIDIOUS
(All books in this series are stand-alone erotic thrillers)
Released October 2014
DUPLICITY
(Completely unrelated to book #1)
Release TBA
ALEATHA’S LIGHTER ONES:
PLUS ONE
Stand-alone fun, sexy romance
Released May 2017
A SECRET ONE
Fun, sexy novella
Released April 2018
ANOTHER ONE
Stand-alone fun, sexy romance
Releasing May 2018
ONE NIGHT
Stand-alone, sexy contemporary romance
September 2017
About the Author
Aleatha Romig
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana, USA. She has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of over thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she's not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!
Aleatha impresses with her versatility in writing. She released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES, a dark romance, became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Her first stand-alone smart, sexy thriller INSIDIOUS was next. Then Aleatha released the five-novel INFIDELITY series, a romantic suspense saga, that took the reading world by storm, the final book landing on three of the top bestseller lists. She ventured into traditional publishing with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK were published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016. In the spring of 2017, Aleatha again ventured into a different genre with her first fun and sexy stand-alone romantic comedy with the USA Today bestseller PLUS ONE.
Aleatha is a "Published Author's Network" member of the Romance Writers of America and PEN America. She is represented by Kevan Lyon of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.
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Unexpected: The Vault Page 9