by Taylor Hart
A quick glance told Sammy that all of the others were looking at them. She blew out a breath. “Then quit calling them names.”
Tiffany’s face went red. “She keyed my car last week. And how did you help me retaliate?” She glared at Sammy. “Oh, you didn’t.”
“What?” Sammy was mystified. “I didn’t even know.”
Kira nodded. “We included you on the group text Friday, and you ignored it.” She put her hands on her hips, and now both of her best friends appeared to be against her.
Sammy remembered that day. She’d been making out with Karl, and he’d been teasing her about how many texts she got from her friends. He’d taken her phone, looked at it, then made a comment about how her friends were gossiping and it was nothing. Then they’d gotten back to making out.
She shook her head, not wanting to admit that. “I’m sorry.” The words came out quickly. She’d never liked contention and hated being in fights with her two besties. They’d been friends since sixth grade when they’d all started carpooling for competition gymnastic classes they took together. She knew her friends could be spiteful, and sometimes she’d been part of that spite toward others. Now, she was getting the mean treatment.
Tiffany let out a long sigh. “I think you’ve gotten cocky lately. You’ve totally ghosted us for Karl. And you think you’re going to get competition captain and then you’ll be head honcho.”
Sammy knew she had to act quickly, and she pleaded with her other friend. “Kira, you know it’s not true, I don’t think I’m head honcho,” she sputtered. “Maybe I’ve ignored you guys for Karl, and I’m sorry about that. But it isn’t like Tiffany hasn’t ghosted you lately, right? You told me she ghosted you the other day for some mystery guy.”
Kira’s eyes turned to Tiffany for guidance. “I don’t remember saying that.”
“Fine, whatever.” Seething, Sammy picked up her bag and stormed over to the other side of the area, where the cheerleaders had all gathered.
“You’ll regret walking away from me,” snarled Tiffany.
Tears began to pool in Sammy’s eyes, and she blinked them back. Today was the day she was trying out for competition captain. She’d wanted captain sine she’d been little. She remembered the first time she’d sat in the bleachers at a high school football game with her parents and her mother had pointed to the cheerleaders and said, “I loved to cheer.”
Her father had gazed at her mother and said, “You were the best cheerleader ever.”
She’d wanted it ever since. Her parents had been high school sweethearts, and they had always had each other. Sammy wanted that, too, wanted someone to look at her the same way and say, “You were the best cheer captain ever.” Maybe that person was Karl.
She glanced to the football field, where the team was running drills. The ball was hiked and Karl grabbed it, pulling back and throwing the perfect spiral to a sprinting receiver. His friend, Frankie, caught the ball and ran it to the end zone. As the team cheered, Karl turned and pointed at her, a huge grin on his face.
The pain inside of her chest eased. Yes, she was fine. Even if she didn’t have her best friends anymore, all she needed was Karl.
Chapter 3
Zoey
“This is the house where the team in Colorado resides.” Mr. Black sat next to Zoey in his SUV, giving her a moment to take in their base camp.
The vintage house was smack in the middle of downtown Denver, but with the huge garden around the property, the long driveway, and the perimeter lined with trees, it could have been a world of its own. A three-story tower rose from one corner. A wraparound deck stretched around the house, welcoming visitors to a double mahogany door. Light brown brick was a contrast to the darker wood porch and the dark window casings. Never-ending rosebushes ran along the front.
The house had character, thought Zoey. At least, that’s what her mother would have said.
“Are you okay?” Mr. Black asked.
“Yep,” she answered quickly. Now that they were here, she felt a bit antsy.
For the past two months, she’d been at the private facility in L.A., prepping herself for joining this team. She had had lots of counseling with a therapist there named Joy, who had experience with trafficking victims.
She’d also trained in fighting—not just punching, but also MMA, karate, and jujitsu. The conglomeration of methods provided a weaker body the leverage to destroy a stronger one. It was military tactics, the ancient and the new. The physical training had been a release for her. She had been an Olympic athlete…well, almost, until she’d blown it. She loved to learn tactics to hurt people, to even kill, if necessary. It was liberating to know she had that power inside of her mind and body. If she ever got into another situation where she was trapped, she now had the skills to get out of it.
They got out of the SUV and walked toward the house. “Last chance to turn back,” Mr. Black warned her.
Taking a step up some creaky steps, Zoey noted the air smelled like heaven—roses and fresh-cut grass. “I’m ready, Mr. Black.” And she believed she was.
Mr. Black fell into step next to her. “Please, call me Cyrus.”
Before they got to the large mahogany front doors, they swung open wide and a guy pushed through them. For lack of a better description, he looked like a young Thor.
Cyrus hesitated. “Nicholas. So nice of you to be our greeting party.”
Nicholas paused to cast an almost angry glance Zoey’s way. He stood about a foot taller than her five-foot, five-inch frame, and his muscles were huge. He wore an earring in his left ear with a cross on it. His eyes were ocean blue, as one of her stupid old teen romance novels would have said. But this wasn’t a stupid teen romance. He gripped a large wrench in one hand, and there was grease smeared on his cheek.
His gaze swung back to Cyrus. “Please don’t tell me this is the Olympic training champ Cap’s been talking about.”
Zoey tried not to let him wind her up. Her social skills weren’t exactly normal any longer—not that this clearly angry guy was normal, either.
“The same.” Cyrus gave her a reassuring nod.
Nicholas gave Zoey an up-and-down thorough look. It wasn’t like he was checking her out. No. She’d seen that look many times from the fighters who’d been brought into the farm the past few months. He was sizing her up like he would a warrior. “Doesn’t look like she could do something like this,” he said.
Cyrus let out a light laugh. “The girl was training to be an Olympic gymnast. She’s tough.”
Zoey’s fists clenched. “I can do amazing tumbling,” she blurted, unsure why she felt the need to defend herself.
Nicholas grunted. “Oh, the Tumbler. Maybe that’s your superhero name.” Was he mocking her? A smile curved at the edge of his lip.
She thought of her life before, when she’d been obsessed with gymnastics every second—until she’d been obsessed with stupid Marcus. The old Zoey, before she’d gotten trafficked, would have let her ego get in the way. But she wasn’t that person any longer. Not as cocky, and not as gullible, either. Certainty pulsed through her. “Believe me, I could take you.”
“Hmm.” Nicholas coughed.
“Children,” Cyrus said in a parental tone. “No arguing. Let’s be friends.”
There was no being friends with this guy. Sure, he was hot. Fine. She could already tell he was a grade A jerk.
“We can spar later if you want.” Nicholas said it like a challenge.
“You’re on.” Confidently, she moved past both men and into the house.
“Give her a chance,” she heard Mr. Black say in a quiet tone.
“I gave the last partner I had a chance, and you saw how that worked out,” Nicholas said.
Mr. Black moved to follow her. “Good to see you’re doing well, Nicholas. Always so uplifting to speak with you.”
“Cap says my social skills are coming along nicely, so there’s that.”
Zoey noted just a trace of an accent. German? She coul
dn’t tell. Had he been taken? Trafficked? Was he one of those guys who went into schools to help? The guy looked…old. Not old old. He could definitely pass for a college student.
Mr. Black continued walking into the house as Zoey slowed in the entryway. Obviously, he didn’t need to take it all in like she did. She sniffed at the air, catching the scent of some kind of food.
“Cajun,” Mr. Black told her, as if sensing her thoughts. “Captain Jace is a great cook. He prides himself on his Cajun; he probably made it for you. He’s a Southern cowboy, even though he kinda looks like a hippie.”
Zoey found this interesting, but she kept her focus on the house. There was a wide hallway with an eclectic pattern on the walls. Stairs led up to her left, and the room opened to a huge sitting room with a baby grand piano. Light streamed into the room through huge windows, making the place feel warm.
Down the hallway was a huge dining room. “This is where the team usually gathers to eat.” Mr. Black gestured to the table, then pointed to a large room next to the kitchen. The room had a large rectangular table and a huge screen on the wall. “This is the conference room.”
Zoey heard light classical music coming from the back of the house. She noted an African American man sitting at the end of the table, frantically typing away on a computer.
“Ralph. How are you?” Mr. Black asked.
The man’s fingers froze above the keyboard like he was coming out of a haze. “Oh,” he said, a huge smile on his face. He stood and rushed toward them. There were braids in his hair, and he wasn’t as tall as Cyrus—maybe around five foot nine.
The men shook hands, and then Mr. Black pointed to her. “This is Zoey Thompson, the newest to the Denver team.”
Ralph put his hand out. “Ralph Zigg. I don’t live at the house, but I’m here every couple of days, and I’m always on hand for an op if you guys need me.”
She shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
He rushed back to his computer and picked up a phone, then moved back to them. “This is yours. It’s a smartphone, and it’s always tracked. I don’t record you when you’re in the house; you have privacy here. But when you leave the house, the location tracker kicks on and I can put on a video chat or voice chat at random times, just so you know.”
She took the phone, wondering whether to be glad that it could record at any time. “Great.”
Cyrus motioned to the conference room. “Cap said we have something ready to go. I guess you’re here to prep for it.”
Ralph smiled at Zoey. “Yep, she and Nicholas will be moving on this project quickly.”
Zoey forced a grin. She still wasn’t sure about the Thor lookalike with a bad attitude.
“I gotta run, but good to meet you,” Ralph said, turning back to the computer.
“Okay, thanks,” said Cyrus.
“The captain is back in his green room. Check you later, Cy,” Ralph called out.
Cyrus led Zoey toward the back of the house again. He paused next to a room where the classical music was louder. “Yes, you will,” he eventually murmured, like he was lost in his thoughts.
Zoey waited, taking the time to look around a little more. From the street, the house looked huge, but from inside, it felt even bigger. Each room was uniquely decorated.
Cyrus gestured down the hall. “Keep going. Captain Jace will be in the greenhouse room.”
They got to a room that was clearly an add-on; she could feel the heat coming from the French doors. Two girls emerged to greet them.
“Well, hey there, girls,” Cyrus said, putting on a smile and taking a step back to let them through. He motioned to both of them for Zoey’s benefit. “This is Olivia Kelly and Jackie Smith. Girls, this is Zoey Thompson, the newest addition to the North Star to Freedom Foundation.”
Olivia’s brown eyes narrowed on Zoey, and her eyebrows rose. “We’ve heard a lot about you. They’ve really been talking you up. Hopefully you can live up to the hype.”
“Thanks?” Zoey wasn’t sure what else she could say.
Cyrus just grinned at her. “What do you think, Jackie?”
Jackie, the blond girl, stepped up to Zoey and threw her arms around her as if they were old friends. Zoey’s face got buried by Jackie’s long hair, which smelled like flowers. “Don’t pay attention to Olivia. She’s grouchy because she lost a bet.”
“Shut up,” Olivia said.
Jackie moved away, and her blue eyes bored into Zoey’s. “It’s really good to have you here.”
Cyrus smiled, then gestured to a guy trailing behind the two girls. “And this is Warren Scott.”
Warren nodded, but he was definitely not the hugging sort. “Hi.”
Another girl approached from down the hallway, followed by a huge guy.
“Georgia,” Cyrus called out, “come meet the new girl, Zoey Thompson.” He nodded to Zoey. “That’s Georgia Ivans.”
She joined them and shook Zoey’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Cyrus nodded to the guy, who looked like a football player version of Chris Pratt. “Zoey Thompson, this is Noah Fuller.”
Noah stuck his fist out. “’Sup. Welcome to the craziness.”
“Excuse my teammate. He doesn’t use many words. He’s kind of like working with a caveman.” Georgia flashed him a grin.
“You mean a cute caveman,” Olivia said.
“Excuse us.” Mr. Black smiled at them. “I need to introduce Zoey to the captain and be on my way. Good to see you kids.”
They all shuffled off down the hall, calling out goodbyes.
Cyrus opened the door, and inside Zoey saw the captain kneeling in some dirt and digging. The greenhouse room was bright, and assorted flowers sprouted in an assortment of pots. “Cap,” Cyrus said.
“Cyrus.” The man stood. He had short, brown hair, and wrinkles around his eyes. He was thin, but Zoey could tell he was strong by the way his muscles were so defined in his arms. He wore a baseball cap with the Colorado Rockies emblem.
The men shook hands.
The captain’s gaze swung to Zoey. “This must be the amazing fighter you’ve been telling me about.”
Cyrus nodded, grinning. “This is Zoey Thompson.” He gestured to the captain. “And this is Captain Jace Walker.”
The captain put his hand out, and she shook it. “Call me Cap for short.” He turned to Cyrus. “I texted Nicholas to get Val.”
“Good. It will be good for Zoey to meet the resident therapist.”
Zoey was a bit disappointed at the idea of dealing with another therapist.
Cyrus checked his watch. “I’m sorry, Zoey. I have to run.” He nodded to Captain Jace. “He’ll take care of you. In fact, he can give you your assignment.”
The captain smiled at her. “Yep.”
Zoey felt a spike of panic. Was it because Cyrus was leaving her in an unknown place, or because she was daunted by the realization that she really would really have an assignment? “Okay.”
Cyrus hesitated, evaluating the look on her face. “You good?”
Just being asked the question lifted her spirits. “I’m good.” Certainty pulsed through her. She could do this.
Cyrus winked at her. “Yes, you are. Will you walk me out?” he asked the captain.
The captain nodded and motioned for her to follow. “I’ll show you back to the stairway that leads up to your room, and you can get settled while I see Cyrus off. Then we’ll talk.” He led them back down the hallway and pointed up the stairs. “The first room on the right. It’s purple.”
She nodded and went up the stairs, looking back once to see the captain and Cyrus slip out of the front of the house.
At the top, she noted there were several other rooms on this floor, but there was no mistaking which one was hers. Sure enough, the whole room was purple: the wallpaper, the curtains, the comforter, and even the pillows and the furniture. All boasted different patterns, creating a psychedelic effect. “O-kay.” She put her bag on the chair and looked around the room. “He
wasn’t kidding.”
“You must be Zoey,” a voice said.
Startled, she jumped a little.
“I’m sorry.” A gorgeous woman stepped into the room. She wore a white blouse, dark dress pants, and heels that were pretty high, but the woman walked in them easily. “I’m Val Sanchez. I heard you were coming in today.”
Zoey felt stupid for being jumpy, and she shook Val’s hand. Val sure had a strong handshake. “Zoey Thompson.”
“Hey, Zoey.” Val nodded, looking at their hands before pulling back. “Even though I’m little, I’m a black belt in karate.” She scrutinized Zoey with the same fighting evaluation look that Nicholas had given her. “From the looks of it, and from what I’ve heard, you’d be every bit of the fighter people back at the farm are saying you are.”
“I liked the training,” Zoey said, a bit cautiously. “I like knowing how to handle myself.”
“Good.” Val winked at her. “Smaller girls like us are truly secret weapons, because people underestimate us. Now that you have fighting skills, you’re going to be a force of nature.”
Her words hit the center of Zoey’s chest, and she smiled. She liked the idea of being a force of nature. “Thanks.”
“I’ve consulted with Joy, and she told me that you’re a remarkable young woman.”
Joy. Her therapist at the farm. Zoey didn’t know why the compliment made her embarrassed, but she knew she was blushing.
“Zoey, are you ready?” Captain Jace called out from the bottom of the stairs.
Val grinned at her. “You better go get oriented, but I want you to know that if you need anyone to talk to, I’m here.”
“Thank you,” Zoey said.
Val gestured to the doorway. “Better get going.”
Zoey rushed out of the room and down the stairs. “Coming,” she called down the stairs, nervous about what might be coming.
Chapter 4
Sammy
Sammy was nervous as her turn came to perform the cheer routine.
Ms. Montlake held Sammy’s phone that was Bluetoothed to the speaker and ready for her tryout music. “Ready?”
