Chapter One
Breeze Cain raced through the unfamiliar forest. It was dark, only a sliver of a moon penetrating the thick pine trees and casting unnerving shadows on the ground. Her eyes had adjusted pretty well to the dim light, but she still suspected that at any minute she might slam into a tree, fall off a cliff, or come upon an animal who could rip her to shreds. Any of those options sounded better than what she’d left behind. Her heart was beating too fast and she couldn’t catch a full breath, but it felt so freeing to simply run. She couldn’t make herself slow down. If only she didn’t have to go back.
She’d seen fireworks in the sky up ahead and it made her think of happier times. Fourth of July parties in her small Idaho hometown where people cared about her and watched out for each other. It was silly as she’d only left home a few days ago to come rescue her brother, Ridge, but the den of evil she’d been in since then was almost worse than the abuse that she and her brother had endured before their parents ultimately deserted them.
Breeze heard voices in front of her and slowed her steps. She dodged around the side of a pine tree and stopped as she realized she’d come right up to the voices. She hid behind the tree, listening and praying whoever it was wouldn’t find her. Yet … they couldn’t possibly be worse than the men back at the mansion she’d escaped. Luckily most of the men she’d already evaded were so stoned that she doubted they’d notice her absence. The exception to that was the leader and money behind the party, Flint Brooks. He usually stayed stone-cold sober and watched her with a cold, terrifying gaze. She never showed her fear but kept her spine straight, her chin tilted up, and a look of defiance in her brown eyes. It’d worked enough to keep him from hurting her. So far.
“Did you get all the embers out?” one of the men asked.
“Yes, my fine-looking clone.”
The other one laughed, loudly. “Finer-looking than you, that’s for sure.”
“Pshaw. You’re lucky we’re identical, or I’d knock you flat on your—"
She heard a rustle and shuffle and peeked around in time to see two well-built men rolling around a small clearing, laughing and wrestling and taking pot shots at each other. Men! Why did they act like it was fun to thump each other? The men back at Flint’s mansion seemed to wrestle nonstop. Flint Brooks. Such a stupid name for the thrill-seeking idiot. She hated him but was indentured to him until she and her brother had worked off her brother’s debt. The disgusting man insinuated that she could work it off more quickly if she’d sleep with him. She’d made it clear that she preferred scrubbing puke off toilets.
Rubbing her arms for warmth, Breeze once again missed her warmer hometown. Here, in Jackson Hole, it was cold even in the summertime, once the sun went down. Unfortunately, all she had to wear was the t-shirt and cotton shorts that she’d arrived in three days ago.
The men wrestling in the clearing rolled near the tree she was semi-hiding behind. Breeze gasped and shuffled backward. Immediately, she recognized her mistake as the men stopped wrestling and jumped to their feet.
“Hello?” one called out.
Breeze panted for air while trying not to breathe. She didn’t need more men to run from. She hated running away and feeling out of control. When she’d received the text from Ridge that he was in trouble, she’d immediately driven several hours north to the address he’d given her near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She’d raised Ridge from the time he was twelve when their mom disappeared shortly after Breeze’s eighteenth birthday. It wasn’t much of a loss. Their dad still came by occasionally, mostly to steal food and any money they didn’t hide well enough. The last name Cain was pretty appropriate for them. Devil may have worked even better.
Breeze worked as an elementary school aide during the day and a waitress at night to make ends meet and make sure that Ridge had a better chance at life than she did. Even though the kid was a natural mechanic and builder, she was certain he was going to lose his job at a local garage since he’d turned to drugs, gambling, and extreme sports. Stupid.
When she’d arrived at Flint Brooks’ mansion a few days earlier, the men filling it had exploded with catcalls, whistles, and disgusting offers. She’d told the idiots in a firm voice that she’d only come to collect her brother. Flint had explained that it wasn’t that simple. Ridge owed him over twenty thousand dollars and Breeze didn’t have anything close to that amount of money. Ridge was already working for Flint, maintaining and building the dirt bikes, ATVs, and side by sides that filled Flint’s huge detached garage.
Flint offered for Breeze to stay and help her brother work the debt off quicker. She’d felt like a prisoner ever since. She didn’t know what other option she had. She couldn’t leave Ridge alone with those monsters and Flint claimed he would pay them each fifty dollars per hour, which was five times what she made at home. They had no caring family. Her friends and neighbors back in the small, southeastern Idaho town of Clifton would try to help if they knew where she was, but none of them had that kind of money either. They’d probably organize a Go Fund Me account. She gave a bitter laugh at the thought. It would take months to raise twenty grand.
“Who’s there?” the other man’s voice came, even closer, startling Breeze back to her present predicament.
Did she back slowly away, turn and run, or act like a normal, unsuspicious person and say hello? She wasn’t naïve or stupid, despite the situation she was in. She was alone in the woods and these men could easily overpower her if they had malicious intent.
As she debated, she felt movement far too close when one of the men said, “Are you okay?”
Breeze screamed and jumped at the same time. She would’ve turned tail and run but they were quickly both in front of her. She backed into the scratchy pine tree, fighting for oxygen as her stomach plummeted, somersaulted, and threatened to launch itself up her throat.
She stared at the men. They were a matching set: tall, lean, and muscular both with extremely handsome faces and startlingly blue eyes. Twins. The good Lord must’ve decided when he’d created perfection like this he should double it.
The one on her right held up his hands as if soothing a small child. “Hey, it’s okay,” he said in a deep, sonorous voice that instantly relaxed her. “We won’t hurt you.”
Breeze’s gaze darted back and forth between them. She had no reassurances besides his deep voice and the kind look on his appealing face, but somehow, she believed him. Her shoulders relaxed, her heart slowed, and she didn’t feel like she was going to spew.
“I’m Seth,” he said slowly. “This is my brother, Caleb. Are you in trouble? Are you hurt?”
The brother rolled his eyes. “Stop talking to her as if she’s slow.”
Seth glared at him. “I’ll give you slow.” He punched him in the shoulder. He focused back on Breeze. “Sorry, my twin’s an obtuse idiot.”
Caleb laughed as if the insult meant nothing to him. Breeze and her brother were very nice to each other. Their parents had belittled them plenty so they’d both taken an opposite track.
Seth held out his hand. “Seth Jewel,” he said, as if they were meeting at the local grocery store. His name and face were somehow familiar. Was he a movie star? He was handsome enough to be that’s for sure.
Breeze somehow knew touching this man would complicate her already messy life further, but she bravely put her hand in his. The warmth and safety conveyed by his large hand closing around hers made her feel grounded yet invigorated. She tried to recall feeling something like this before but couldn’t. As if he could and would protect her from all the evil she’d seen throughout her life. She’d never let anyone protect her; always pretending she was tough and in control.
She pulled in a slow breath and focused on his eyes. She’d never studied eyes that blue and beautiful. “Breeze Cain,” she managed.