Page 1 of Ransom

PROLOGUE

BLAIR: 25 YEARS AGO

Am I dead?

This has to be what dead feels like. There’s no color, no warmth, no hope. It’s just a big black hole.

Why? Why would he do that? Why would he lie?

Everything I thought I understood, everything I believed about him, about us, is just…obliterated.

He broke me.

How am I supposed to put the pieces of me back together again? How am I supposed to survive this?

He said he loved me. He touched me like he did.

And now it’s all a lie? He was playing me this whole time?

I thought he really saw me, and loved every part of me.

I thought we had a future.

I was so, so wrong.

1

RANSOM

"Jesus, this place is depressing," I mutter, running my hand along a wall pocked with nail holes.

This is supposed to be our new headquarters, but I can't see it. The fluorescent lights flicker overhead, casting shadows over the empty space, lighting up spots where posters used to hang. There's even a pile of trashed desks in the corner. It looks like someone piled them up to stop a horde of zombies from coming in the windows.

That's not a bad idea, actually. I could rent this place out to film productions. Maybe create a killer haunted house for Halloween. Anything but actually move into it.

Cara snorts beside me, her stilettos clicking against the scuffed linoleum. "Where's your vision, Boss? It's nothing a little paint and some decent lighting can't fix."

I fucking hate when she calls me Boss. In theory, it should be respectful and appropriate. In reality, she makes it sound like she's talking to a child. Admittedly, I'm pouting, so I don't call her on it. "And every penny I have. Fuck, why did I think this was a good idea?"

Cara strolls through the space in her four-inch stilettos, looking all business in a sleek pantsuit, lacy red peeking out at her neckline. "Because it is a good idea. Suck it up, Buttercup. It's going to be great."

"Buttercup?" I mutter under my breath, unrolling the architect's plans. Did her attitude get bigger when she fell in love with Declan? I don’t really know. But I’ll take the attitude over withdrawn, broken Cara. That version of her scared the fuck out of me. She killed a man to save her sister, and it scarred her permanently, but thankfully, she’s come out on the other side.

And I’m so grateful for her being whole and happy, I’ll live with the attitude.

Truthfully, I love the attitude. She’s always challenging me, forcing me to be a little bit better, a little bit faster, to stay ahead of her. I could see her taking the whole company over one day.

I could also see her being a full-time mom or pretty much anything in between. The sky’s the limit for her, and whatever dream she has going forward, I’ll make sure she gets it.

”Let’s see what we're working with here."

We move through the space, Cara pointing out where walls will be knocked down and new ones erected. I try to picture it, but I keep thinking about sitting here in the middle of a meeting when zombies attack from all sides.

"Hey," Cara says softly, touching my arm, nearly making me scream. "You okay?"

I force a smile. "Yeah, just..." thinking about zombies. "Thinking about how fast everything is changing. Sometimes I wonder if this is the right choice."

Cara's eyes soften. "Ransom Kyle, you listen to me. This move? It's exactly what we need. Room to grow, to build something even bigger and better."

---