by S. Van Horne
Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.
This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Aurora Rose Reynolds. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original Happily Ever Alpha remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Aurora Rose Reynolds, or their affiliates or licensors.
For more information on Kindle Worlds: http://www.amazon.com/kindleworlds
An Until and More Series Crossover
By S. Van Horne
Until More
At twenty-two, Crystal Kopas didn’t know where her life was heading. Ghost writing romance stories for well-known authors wasn’t an easy thing to do, especially when she couldn’t forget the one man who rocked her world. After moving to Hawaii, she thought she was finally getting her life on track. That is—until he showed up.
At twenty-five, Detective Vigo Conti decided it was time to take a vacation with his baby sister. After a grueling case that took everything out of him, he packed up Maddison and hit the beaches of Hawaii, praying to get his mind off the one woman who stole his heart when she disappeared after only one night together. He was finally starting to relax and enjoy his time with Mads uninterrupted. That is—until he saw her.
Without warning, disaster strikes, and Conti vows he’ll do anything to get his family back. Sometimes finding that special boom makes one cross lines never imagined.
Will Conti be able to save his family before it’s too late?
Table of Contents
BLURB
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HEA KINDLE WORLD BOOKS
NOTE FROM ARR
NOTE FROM SONYA
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
EPILOUGE
AUTISM AWARENESS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
OTHER BOOKS BY S
Other HEA Kindle World Books
Happily Ever Alpha Kindle Worlds is based on the bestselling Until Series by Aurora Rose Reynolds. Every single author included in the world has been hand-picked by Ms. Reynolds.
Some of the authors have chosen to write about characters or couples that you have met in the series while others have just referred to a place or person from one of the Until books.
Every book is a stand-alone, there is no reading order.
Until You're Mine by Jenika Snow
Until More by S. Van Horne
Until Nox by Layla Frost
Until We Meet Again by K.D. Robichaux
Until Avery by Brynne Asher
Until Arsen by K.L. Donn
Until Leo by Rochelle Paige
Until The Summer by Elle Jefferson
Until Kayla by CC Monroe
Until You by Samantha Lind
Until Sunrise by Sarah O'Rourke
Until Brandon by Natasha Madison
Until I Saw You by Jordan Marie
Until Mallory by Ella Fox
Until Susan by C.P. Smith
Until Rayne by Elle Christensen
Note from ARR
Dear Readers,
Welcome to the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World.
I personally chose each author participating in the Happily Ever Alpha Kindle World because I love their books, and the way they tell a story. That said, this book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it, and I didn’t have any part in the process of writing the story.
Enjoy the BOOM!
Xoxo
Aurora Rose Reynolds
Note from Sonya
Dear Reader,
I wanted to take a moment, and not only say my thanks to Aurora Rose Reynolds for letting me take this journey in her Kindle World, but also to give you the link to her books. You’ll also see a few of her characters in this story including characters from another one of her books Obligation Book Two of the Underground Kings series (link below).
There are several books available in this world that belong to other authors. I highly encourage you to check them out.
Also, Angela and Curt, that are mentioned in this story have their own book. It’s called More Than Falling. Len, Sara, Brittany and Roman are from my More series.
Tom and Sonya also have their own book. But I didn’t write it! It’s Until Tom by Mary B. Moore.
I hope you enjoy this story, and if you're new to me, I hope you like what you read and will check out my other works that are mentioned at the end of this book. Included are the links on how you can find me.
Hugs and Love,
Sonya
(S. Van Horne)
Aurora Rose Reynolds amazon: http://amzn.to/2z1vX1B
Kai and Myla – Obligation : http://a.co/bxjoEKX
Dedication
To C.,
I’m so glad we are friends again. I have missed our talks.
As promised, Conti’s yours.
P.S. I still use my blankie daily.
And to Aurora,
Thank you for having faith in my work and allowing me into your world.
You have no idea just how much it means to me.
Prologue
CRYSTAL
“I want my bubby,” Maddison cries out.
“I know, Mads. He’ll be here soon, sweet girl,” I try to reassure her.
Taking a deep breath, I say a quick prayer that we’re found soon. Maddison’s on the verge of a breakdown, and I don’t know how to care for an autistic teenager. I’m going to have to learn since Conti and I are now . . .
The basement door opening brings me out of my thoughts. Glancing up the narrow stairs, I spot the ropes in his hands. My gut clenches at the sinister smile on his face. He’s fixated on Maddison. My arms tighten around her as she starts to cry harder. The ringing of a phone is the only saving grace we have at that moment as it stops him from entering the room. Before he turns on his heels, he looks at me and smiles. The reality of the situation fully hits me, and I realize if I don’t come up with a plan, Conti won’t be seeing his sister or me again.
One
CRYSTAL
One month earlier
Leaning my head back, I close my eyes and take a deep breath of the late morning air. The salty taste of the ocean hits my tongue and causes me to smile. I’m finally living in Hawaii after dreaming about it since I was eighteen years old. It’s a long way away from Nebraska, where I’ve lived all my life, to here. Standing on the beach reminds me of my parents, and the last time we took a family vacation.
Tears sting my eyes as I glance back toward the beautiful scene that’s in front of me. Watching the waves crash onto the shore, my mind travels back. To the time I last saw my parents before they left to go on a long overdue second honeymoon to Sri Lanka. The tsunami that hit it in 2004 took their lives. The day they were supposed to pick me up from my friends’ house is a day I’ll never forget.
My little feet pounded the floor as I rushed to the front door, excited to see my parents after a week of them being away. Don’t get me wrong, I loved spending time with my grandmother. The night before, I'd had a sleepover with my friend, since she was going to pick my parents up from the airport early. After being away from them for so long, well it seemed like a long time to an eight-year-old, I was eager to hug them and tell them all about my adventures while they were away. Plus, I knew they would’ve gotten me gifts from where they went. However, when I opened the d
oor and found my grandmother alone with tears pouring down her face . . . I knew something was wrong.
Next thing I remember, was sitting on her lap while she explained they wouldn’t be coming back. That they were now with angels, and I'd be living with her. My mind couldn’t comprehend what was going on. For the longest time I thought that I must have been a bad girl for them not to return to me. Which led to my little mind thinking that if I did everything to be a better child, so that one day, maybe they would come back. When I turned thirteen, I finally fully understood exactly what happened, and why I'd thought that way for the longest time. There were never bodies for me to see asleep and buried. They were never found, leaving us with a visual service in their memory as our only option.
For the next few years, until I graduated high school, I continued to be everything good for my grandmother. It was too difficult to break the thought that she might be taken from me as well if I didn't behave. When I graduated, I learned that my parents had left me a substantial trust fund. My grandmother suggested we go to Hawaii to celebrate me finishing school. As my feet hit the sand on the beach the first time, flashbacks of the last time I was there with my parents flooded my mind. I felt their souls right there with me so profoundly, that it had me making a choice I never thought I would make at that age in my life.
It was then and there, on that beach with the memory of my parents fresh in my mind, that I became determined to make something of myself, then move there so I could always feel what I felt that day. Grandma was supposed to join me, but passed away when I was off to college to get my degree in English Lit.
Being alone for the first time in my life took its toll on me. The knowledge that I had no family left in the big bad world was a hard pill to swallow. Then I remembered that I really wasn’t alone; I had my best friend, Angela, who I’ve known since first grade. And the truth was there was no way I could have gotten through all my life challenges without her.
College life was harder than I thought it would be, which led to me learning that I really wasn’t cut out for college, but I found that I did have a knack for writing. I had the ability to write stories that captivated people; yet, I couldn’t stand being in the spotlight. Instead, I put my skills to use by becoming a ghost writer. I was fortunate enough to write for some of the biggest bestselling authors out there.
My job’s amazing and I love doing it. Readers loving what the author and I create, it brings so much joy knowing our words touch others. However, deadlines suck, and right now, I have the worst case of writer’s block I’ve ever had. And all because I saw him again after Angela and Curt’s wedding reception. When he tried to talk to me, I ran. I’ve avoided him since that one night in Kansas City. The one night that changed my life and blew my heart to pieces.
“Daddy! Look at that wave,” Maxim shouts, bringing me from my thoughts. Turning to the right, my eyes land on Kai, Myla and their two kids playing on the beach.
“Crystal, come sit with me,” Myla shouts and waves me over.
Taking my time, I walk towards my neighbors’ house. I know we're going to grill tonight since she’s craving steak, and then we’re supposed to watch a movie while Kai spends some time with the boys. She's forcing him to go, saying he needs a break from the kids. He's hardly ever away from his family, especially now that she’s pregnant with their third child.
Just as I’m sitting down, we hear Maxim giggle. “Daddy, Melanie’s naked again.”
“That girl’s a pain. Cute, but such a pain.” Kai takes off, trying to catch the little girl as she streaks along the waves crashing onto the beach.
“Thank you for including me with your family time, Myla,” I smile at her before taking a sip of the wine she has waiting for me. “I would’ve been bored out of my mind if I had to sit on that couch one more night with this writer's block I have going on.”
“So, watching my daughter streak across the beach is a much better plan? And we’re glad to have you over. It’s nice seeing you out of the house for once.” She smiles back before turning to watch her husband chase their daughter.
She’s right, being in the house all the time should be against the law when you live right on a beach. Especially since it’s the most beautiful and quiet one I’ve ever seen in my life. Having a private beach definitely has its perks.
Melanie’s laughter reaches us, as Kai wrestles the little girl back into her swim bottoms.
“I give her less than a minute before she’s out of them again.” Myla's expression is one I wish was on my own face. The love she has for her family shines from inside; something I thought I would have had by now. Groaning, I run my fingers through my shoulder-length, brown hair. “What were you thinking of? That man again?” Myla murmurs.
“Unfortunately, the answer is yes. I need to get him off my mind. That night threw everything for a loop and now I can’t write for shit.”
“Maybe we can set you up with Kai’s brother –” Myla starts.
“Leave my brother out of it, makamae.” Kai’s hand gently squeezes her shoulder as he speaks, causing Myla to reach up to touch him back. “He doesn’t need us interfering in his life.”
Seeing these two side by side, they aren't a couple that seems to suit on the outside. Until you really get to know them and realize they're perfectly matched. When I first met Myla, it was as though we'd been friends for years. She was slightly closed off, but something in her eyes made me feel like I could tell her anything, and it would be safe. Kai, on the other hand, scared me and I thought he would kill me when we first met. But, when he looks at his family, his face transforms. That’s the only time I ever see him look like he wouldn’t harm a fly.
“Shit,” Kai murmurs before storming off back to the beach.
My head turns to where Kai’s headed. Dread fills my stomach when I notice a teenager hanging out with the kids. Quickly, I scan the beach to find out where she'd come from. Off to the right, I spot a man rushing toward them. As he draws closer, my body begins to go on alert. Like it knows him. The need to get closer has me standing and moving before I realize it.
Five steps away, a name is called by a voice I never thought I'd hear again.
“Mads, it’s okay, sweet girl. Breathe.”
Before I can stop myself, his name quietly leaves my lips traveling in the wind right to his ears. His head snaps in my direction, and the shock and anger that crosses his beautiful face causes my gut to clench. Dread begins to fill me as I know this isn’t going to be good, and I’m not looking forward to what’s going to happen now.
CONTI
Four hours earlier . . .
“Mads,” I gently shake my sister’s shoulder trying to wake her up. “It’s time to open your eyes.”
Her hand swats at me causing me to chuckle; Mads is not a morning person and will let you know when you interrupt her sleeping schedule. And she hasn’t gotten much sleep since we got into Hawaii late last night. Once she saw the blue ocean as we drove by, I knew it was a pain getting her calmed down enough to go to sleep since she wouldn’t stop talking about playing in the water.
She hasn’t ever been out of Florida and didn’t do well on the flight here. After finally being in the air after an hour, she passed out and slept the rest of the way. The thought that maybe it wasn’t wise is still swirling around in my head, but her doctors all assured me that she'll do okay now that she's sixteen.
Raising a sixteen-year-old girl at twenty-five is hard. Adding in the fact that she’s autistic makes it almost impossible at times. Between the doctors, therapies, school, family time . . . I barely have time for my career. There are times that I can only squeeze in a two-hour nap before I have to go to work. Which isn’t ideal for what I do.
I went to the police academy shortly after high school. The need to secure an occupation with decent income was a must for me. My parents started doing drugs when I turned six years old. When I was nine, my mom announced that she was pregnant again. Not being able to afford much of anything since t
hey became addicts, they couldn’t afford an abortion. Or medical treatment. My mom, however, not wanting to draw attention to the addiction they had, ended up quitting drugs long enough to carry and give birth to my baby sister. Who became my responsibility to take care of.
Over the years, we discovered something wasn’t quite right with Maddison, and eventually learned she was autistic.
Knowing that foster care would be even worse for her, I hid my parents secret. The need to study hard so I could get a scholarship to the police academy was the only thing that helped me get through the shit my parents put us through. My love for my sister ran so deep that I made a plan. And that plan was to eventually get custody of my sister who needed around the clock care. Graduating top of my class with the academy really opened up my options on where I could work. Immediately, I reported my parents and took my sister away. Two weeks after I assuming her care, I accepted a job at the PPD—Pensacola Police Department causing us to move across the country.
Over the years, I moved up and now instead of a beat cop, I’m a detective in the homicide and Special Victims unit. There are even times that the FBI and U.S. Marshals consult with me about cases. This last case caught national attention, and I found myself in the spotlight with the media often, which was a pain in the ass. So when it finally closed, I told the department I was taking a month and half off and going on vacation. Between work and taking care of a special needs child, I knew I needed a break from reality for a while. They told me to get laid while I was away, but all I could think of was her. The one who changed my whole world with one look, but then shattered it with the next.