by Cheri Marie
SCARRED
An Everyday Heroes World Novel
CHERI MARIE
ALEXIS R. CRAIG
Contents
Introduction
Prologue
1. Camryn
2. Owen
3. Camryn
4. Owen
5. Camryn
6. Owen
7. Camryn
8. Owen
9. Camryn
10. Owen
11. Camryn
12. Owen
13. Camryn
14. Owen
15. Camryn
16. Owen
17. Camryn
18. Owen
19. Camryn
20. Owen
21. Camryn
Epilogue
Everyday Heroes World
Other Titles Written By Cheri Marie
Other Titles Written By Alexis R. Craig
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Author
Also Written By
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.
© 2021 KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
Published by KB Worlds LLC.
Cover Design by: T.E. Black Designs
Editing by: TLO Editing Services
Formatting by: Cool Cat Covers & Author Services
Published in the United States of America
Introduction
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the Everyday Heroes World!
I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Scarred is a book based on the world I created in my USA Today bestselling Everyday Heroes Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.
This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.
I truly hope you enjoy Scarred. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com.
Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.
Happy Reading,
K. Bromberg
Dedication
To Kristy Bromberg: thank you for creating such amazing worlds and giving us the opportunity to write in them.
To Our Readers: Some scars cut deep and sometimes the only one that can heal those wounds is the person that left them in the first place. If the two of you are meant to be, have faith that the universe will help you find your way back to each other, even in the most unpredictable ways.
Prologue
Camryn
Hearing a light knock on my door, I turn my bedside lamp on. MacKenzie slowly opens the door and asks if she can come in. Sitting up in bed, I pat the spot next to me and scoot over so she can crawl under the covers next to me.
“Are you excited for today?” I ask her as I place the covers over her.
“Yeah, it should be fun.”
“I’m sure it will be! I know you’re going to have a blast.” MacKenzie stays silent for a few minutes. “What time is it anyway?”
“It’s five thirty.”
“Do you have everything you need ready to go?” I ask and MacKenzie shakes her head yes. “Well then, what are you waiting on? Let’s go.”
Flipping the blanket off of us, I climb out of bed and pull a sweatshirt on over top of my camisole as I follow MacKenzie out into the living room. Being careful not to wake mom, we gather MacKenzie’s stuff, my car keys, and head out to the car. It’s a short drive to the high school where the majority of the Junior class is waiting to board the buses.
“I’ll see you tonight! Have lots of fun and take a ton of pictures!” I tell her, handing her the cash our mother gave me the night before to give to her.
“I will. See you later! Love you,” she says, before closing the door and sprinting off to meet up with her friends and the rest of her classmates.
Pulling away from the school, I stop at my mother’s favorite coffee shop to get us both a coffee before heading home. Today is senior ditch day, so we made plans to have a lazy day at home while MacKenzie is on her trip. I pull into the driveway and grab the coffees from the cup holders, juggling them to unlock the front door. Luckily, my mother opens the door just in time.
“Perfect timing. My coffee almost hit the ground.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that. That’s coffee abuse,” she says, causing me to laugh.
I hand her cup off to her as I walk to the couch and sit down, tucking my feet underneath me. “So, what should we do today?”
“I was thinking, after coffee and breakfast, we could watch a movie and do face masks.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.”
My mother gets to work preparing us breakfast consisting of omelets and pancakes. I devour mine in no time, before helping to clean up and then settling back into my spot on the couch. The next few hours consist of face masks and romantic comedies. Around lunchtime, the house phone rings, and my mother jumps up to answer it.
“Hello? Yes, this is she,” my mother says into the phone. I watch as the color disappears from her face. Afraid that she might pass out, I go and stand next to her, waiting to find out why she looks so distraught.
“Mom? Are you okay?” I whisper. ” Who is that?” She doesn’t say anything as she takes a step back and sits on a kitchen chair. I listen impatiently for a few moments more until she hangs up the receiver, and that’s when my whole world comes crashing down around me.
“It was the school. Mac is missing. They’ve tried her phone and it just goes straight to voicemail.”
My heart drops to my feet. “Missing? What do you mean missing?”
“They went to the museum, then they took a break for lunch and when they reconvened to go to the Cirque du Soleil show, Mac wasn’t accounted for. They can’t find her anywhere.”
“We have to call the police. Mom! Give me the phone. We have to call the police.”
The next few hours were excruciating. After calling the police to file a missing person report, I called Owen. He and I have been together since the ninth grade, and I knew I was going to need his support through all of this.
The police talked to everyone that was on the outing, but all that her friends could remember is that she said she was going to use the restroom, that was the last time they saw her or spoke to her. They were all so excited about going to the show that they didn’t notice she hadn’t returned until roll call was done.
The hours run into days, into weeks, and into months. Still, no leads from the police. Two months ago, I lost my sister. Tomorrow is my graduation day. It’s also the day I leave this town and search for MacKenzie on my own.
Owen
Camryn is
laid out on my bed, lost in some corny reality show. I take a moment to admire her beauty, every delicious curve, her plump breasts hidden beneath a Guns and Roses t-shirt, her long auburn hair fanned out across my pillows. I can’t help myself as I slip my hand beneath her t-shirt. I run my fingers over the scar on her ribs, right underneath her left breast. My thoughts automatically remember the dirt bike accident that caused that scar the summer before. I lower my head to place my lips where my fingers just caressed.
Camryn giggles, she’s so ticklish. “What are you doing, O?” Her hands move to my head, pulling it up so she can look me in the eyes.
“I love you so much,” she whispers against my lips.
“I love you, too, Cammie.”
She places another quick kiss on my mouth and rolls out from beneath me, standing to straighten her clothes.
“What’s going on, Cam?” I ask as she looks like she’s about to bolt. When she glances over at me, there are so many emotions showing in her beautiful light green eyes. Pain, sadness, confusion. I wish I could take it all away, make things better for her but I can’t. MacKenzie has been missing for months and there haven’t been any leads to what may have happened to her. Seeing Camryn in so much pain kills me.
“Oh, you know… same old things. I just can’t let it go, none of this makes sense. Mac wouldn’t just leave without telling someone where she was going.” She sighs, sitting down next to me on the bed and I wrap my arm around her.
“We’ll find her, Cam. Somehow, we’ll find her.”
“I hope you’re right.” She pauses for a moment. “Listen, I have to go. Graduation is tomorrow and I still have a lot of stuff to do.”
“It’s still early, we have plenty of time. Right now, you’re all mine.” I grab her, pull her on top of me, and kiss her full lips. She hesitates for a moment before kissing me back, but when she does it’s full of hungry passion and a deep need. I can feel a trail of heat where her hands run over my skin as she caresses my body. Her hands run down my chest and stomach to the waistband of my shorts. I grab her hand, stopping her, and she looks at me with pleading eyes.
“Please.” Her voice, husky from desire, trembles, and it’s more than I can handle. I release her hand, letting it continue on her mission as I kiss her deeply. Our bodies move in unison, giving her what she needs to lessen the pain, to forget just for a little while the agony she’s feeling over her sister’s disappearance. As our bodies become still and calm, we blissfully drift off to sleep in each other’s arms, just as we have since we got together two years ago, but I’ve never been more in love with her than I am right now.
My alarm sounds, waking me up and I stretch out as I sleepily blink my eyes open. I look around the room and Camryn is nowhere to be found. Sliding out of bed, I go in search of her, but she’s gone. When I reach for my phone to call her, I realize the small bin of her things is gone as well. Panicking, I pick up my phone and unlock the screen to find a text message from her.
“O, I have to do this by myself. Always remember that I love you, nothing will ever change that. Remember this night with love for me. Forget all the rest. - C”
Chapter 1
Camryn
Eight Years Later…
Standing in front of the mirror, I pull my hair back into a tight bun as I reminisce on the last eight years. All of the plans I had made before MacKenzie’s disappearance no longer mattered, the life that Owen and I had planned together no longer mattered. All that matters to me is finding MacKenzie, or at the very least, whoever is responsible for her disappearance.
Four years of college at the University of California, Northridge to get my bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, going through the police academy, and two-ish years as a beat cop in Los Angeles have all brought me to where I want to be, to the level of clearance I felt I needed to achieve to have the means to find my sister, working as a Criminal Investigator with the FBI.
Today is the one-year anniversary of me joining the Bureau. Sometimes I think about where my life would be now if MacKenzie hadn’t gone missing. ‘Would Owen and I still be together? Would we be married and have a family?’ But then I bury all that away. None of it matters, because I made the sacrifices that I had to make to find my sister.
Picking up my badge, I clip it onto my left hip and slip my gun into my holster on my right. I do a once over of my appearance and then grab my keys to head into the office, hoping for an easy day. That wish is cut short when I get a call on my way in to report to a crime scene. Nothing like jumping into another gang war murder at seven in the morning.
Three hours later, I’m walking back into the office from working the crime scene. I spot something on my desk, hopefully it’s what I’ve been waiting for. Picking it up, I look at the return address on the large manila envelope, it’s from the Las Vegas Metro PD. Taking a seat in my chair, I open the envelope and pull out the contents. I take a breath and open the file, flipping through records, statements, interviews and evidence that have been collected since MacKenzie disappeared without a trace almost nine years ago.
I do my best to hold back the tears when I come across the photos that my mother had given the police; one of just MacKenzie being her goofy self, and one of the two of us before homecoming the year she went missing. Bringing them up, I hold them against my chest, squeezing my eyes shut against the memories, and make the same silent vow to never stop searching for answers until I get to the bottom of what happened to her.
“You alright, Barrett?” My director asks as she approaches my desk.
My head shoots up to meet her eyes as she stands next to my desk, looking at me curiously.
“Yeah, I’m good, Director. It’s just been a long day.”
“I hear you on that. You did good today, Barrett. Enjoy your weekend off,” she says, giving me a quick smile before she disappears into her office.
I gather up everything from the file and tuck it neatly back into the envelope before slipping it into my leather messenger-style bag and head out of the office.
It’s a short drive from the office to the apartment I share with my best friend, Remington. Remington and I met in college. Assigned to the same dorm, we couldn’t have been more opposite. I was the quiet one, focused on my studies, while she was the wild party girl. But somehow it worked, we hit it off immediately and have been inseparable since.
Grabbing my things from the passenger seat, I decide to climb the two flights of stairs to our place rather than take the elevator. It keeps me in shape and does great things for my legs and ass. Before I can fidget with my keys to unlock the door and let myself in, the door unexpectedly swings open.
“Welcome home, roomie.” Remington singsongs, her arms open wide for a hug.
“What are you so cheerful about?” I ask, curiously.
“Well.” She draws out. “You know that guy I’ve been seeing?”
“Devon?” I raise my brow at her, unsure if this is a trick question since he’s been here the past few days.
“Yes, right! Devon.” She waves her hand in the air as if it really doesn’t matter what his name is.
“Did you seriously forget his name, Remi?”
“No,” she says, and I look at her pointedly. “Yes, okay, maybe. Anyway, turns out his dad is the owner of the exclusive Skylines Nightclub, but Devon runs it for him. He’s going to talk to his dad about giving me a gig there. I would be tending the bar during the week and performing on the weekends.”
“That’s awesome! I’m so happy for you.” I say, giving her a hug before stepping around her to walk into the apartment.
“There’s something else,” she says excitedly.
“What?” I ask as I place my bag and the manila envelope on the counter.
“He got us on the VIP list for tonight!” she says, bouncing up and down.
I sigh. “No, Remi. I can’t, I have work to do tonight.”
“Come on Cam, please. We haven’t gone out together in forever. Just take one night to let loos
e a little. It could be fun. Who knows, maybe we can find you a hot stud to bring home so you can finally get some dick.” She draws out the word and I roll my eyes.
“I don’t need dick, especially when it’s attached to a man that will undoubtedly just bring me more problems.”
Remington narrows her eyes at me. “You’re coming out tonight, if I have to drag you kicking and screaming. I’ll use your own handcuffs on you if necessary.”
“You wouldn’t.” I challenge her.
“Oh, I most certainly would.”
“Fine,” I say, exasperated, throwing my hands up in mock defeat.
“Yay!” Remington says, dancing around the living room as I make my way towards my room to relax for a bit before getting ready for tonight.
Remington comes strutting into my room in one of her usual club outfits. She’s wearing a black dress that barely reaches mid-thigh with an open back and a neckline that plunges almost to her bellybutton, paired with a pair of gold stilettos that lace up to just below her knee.
“What the hell are you wearing?” I ask, my eyes taking in her appearance, wondering if she’s expecting the same from me.
