Time Break

by Jill Cooper

  Cast of Characters:

  Lara Crane Montgomery: 24-year-old former time traveler, Lara turned the world on its head when she used time travel to alter the timeline and save her mother’s life. She’s spunky, always tries to do the right thing, and loves her family dearly.

  Donovan James: Lara’s fiancé. A rich businessman who trades in currency and the stock market, he’s been with Lara since high school in the altered time line and loves her dearly. They’re dedicated to each other and he’ll do anything to keep her safe.

  Molly and Mike: Lara’s half siblings in the altered time line. Twins, they’re fifteen years old.

  Miranda Montgomery: Lara’s twice-divorced mother who was a chief scientist at the Rewind Agency in the altered time line. She’s made mistakes but is trying to make up for them.

  Before Lara changed time, she was murdered to protect Rewind’s Secrets.

  John Crane: Miranda’s high school sweetheart, ex-husband, and Lara’s dad. He was falsely imprisoned for ten years for the attempted murder of Miranda in the altered time line.

  Before Lara changed time, Lara was raised by John.

  Jax Montgomery: Lara’s ex-stepdad who she still loves dearly. He hid the fact that Lara’s dad was framed for Miranda’s attempted murder to protect her family, and to keep Miranda for himself in the altered time line.

  Rex Montgomery: Jax’s evil twin brother and Miranda’s would-be assassin in both time lines. Trying to harness the secrets of time travel, he kept Lara imprisoned in a virtual reality system for years. When Lara escaped over six years ago she killed him.

  Marcus O’Reily: Former US Senator who helped Lara put away Patricia James, former leader of the Rewind Agency in the altered time line. Lara has met him through multiple time lines.

  Patricia James: US senator, founder of the Rewind Agency and Donovan’s mother, Patricia loves power and all that goes with it. She abused her position and mob ties to try to snuff out Lara, Miranda, and silence John Crane in all the time lines.

  Rick Miller: Lara’s high school boyfriend from the wrong side of the tracks in the original time line. In the altered time line, he sold her out for cash to the mob and was arrested for his crimes.

  Cassidy Winters: Lara’s great niece in the future. Lara met her when she accidentally skipped decades and went into a dystopian future where time travel was used to convict people before crimes were committed. She and Cassidy worked together to stop Xavier Daniels, a former tech of the Rewind Agency, and reset to the altered time line.

  Chapter One

  “Fifteen more seconds, Ms. Montgomery,” on her knees, the seamstress smiles up at me with a pin clutched in her teeth, “I know how hard it is for the young to stand still.”

  In the mirror, my reflection glows as I stand in my wedding dress, with its yards of lace and the softest white fabric money can buy. After years of time-travel scandal, my marriage to Donovan James is the societal talk of Boston, but for me, it’s a dream come true. A fairy tale. One that we’ll pass down to our children.

  If I can get through my college graduation first.

  Still, I smile down at the kind seamstress. I hope to live long enough to one day look like her, with lines around my eyes and lips. It wasn’t too long ago that I had thought a time-travel adventure might rip the privilege of life right out from underneath me. “It’s like time itself has stopped.”

  Her nose crinkles as she gazes up at me and I back down at her. Eight short years ago, I changed the course of the world—used time travel to save my mother’s life. Captivity followed for me, as well a whirlwind adventure into the future—and the past. Nothing is as it should be. Not since my final confrontation with my Uncle Rex, the one who had tried to systematically destroy my life…

  Well, let’s just say time travel has some advantages when it comes to an alibi, but now everything has been calm for six years. I finally got the chance to enroll in college. The Time Travel Protection Agency (TTPA) has made sure time travel can no longer be used to change the past or the future. Thanks to my unique brain scans, it’s a future that can be monitored and life is once again a beautiful, sacred thing.

  For me, it meant college, life, love. Marriage after hardship. Donovan James and I have fought every step of the way to get where we are now.

  “There you go,” as the seamstress struggles to her feet, I grip her hand to help, “I’ve never seen a more glowing bride.” She sweeps my long curls off my neck and stacks them on top of my head. It’s grown long, nearly to the center of my back. “What do you think up? Or down?”

  My hand edges to the port at the base of my skull, still affixed to directly into my brain. Some things change, but the technology remains the same. The port can’t easily be removed, so it’s a reminder I live with. A painful memory of the past and one, I hope, won’t give me wonky headaches someday.

  “Down, I think. Or partially up. I guess I’ll leave it to the hairdresser.”

  “We’re dying to see, Lara,” Mom’s voice rings out behind the curtain and I hear the shuffle of not-so-little feet.

  “Come on already!” It’s my fourteen-year-old little sister, Molly. When she pokes her head past the curtain, her blue eyes widen. “Oh, you look like a princess! Mom, she looks like—.”

  Mom pushes the curtain open and I pivot on the platform I’m standing upon. Our curls, the three Montgomery girls, are the mirror image of each other. Mom is just beginning to gray around her crown.

  “You look like me—when I married your father.” She smiles, but it’s bittersweet. Her face is youthful and tears fill her eyes as she covers her mouth. Her finger is free of a wedding band and engagement ring because…well…things are complicated when you’re a Montgomery.

  Maybe even more so than when you’re a Crane.

  “You look so beautiful. Donovan is going to flip his lid,” Mom whispers as she takes my hand.

  My heart fills with gladness. It’s so full, I might float clear away. I hope when he sees me, time stops. Just as it does every time I see him.

  ****

  Boston in the spring is simply beautiful. We take a walk down part of the Freedom Trail and then skip over to Faneuil Hall for a bite to eat. Sitting outside at a patio table, Mom talks, Molly sips her green smoothie, and I gaze at a butterfly landing on a daffodil. It’s the simplest of things, but it’s one of life’s finest pleasures.

  You learn not to take things for granted after you’ve been stalked, kidnapped, and had time-travel assassins lunge after you in the name of revenge. The things that have happened have scarred me. Finding hundreds of versions of me trapped in tight little boxes? It had given me nightmares.

  But seeing their smiling faces…. Mom laughs at something Molly says, and seeing my sister without her iPad is a great thing. An amazing thing. This moment is more precious than I can say, and they can never know what I saw. What I felt. It’s better for them, it’s even better for me.

  Because one thing I learned is you can travel back and forth through time, but you can never remove the hurt. The pain. Somehow, that keeps spiraling on.

  “What about you, Lara?” Mom asks. “How’s your school work going?”

  “My last paper is coming due. I’m going to finish it before the wedding. At least, that’s the plan.”

  “Aww,” Mom stirs her drink around, “maybe you should’ve decided to get married in the summer instead.”

  Molly gasps. “Mom, don’t give her any ideas! She can’t postpone. I need this to happen.”

  “Don’t worry,” my mouth plays with a sly smile. “I’m not postponing. I’m ready to be a James.”

  “You’re sure you’re ready?” Mom asks, and there’s a seed of doubt in her voice I don’t like. I know I’m her first born, her first baby, but I wish she wouldn’t
ask me questions like that.

  “I won’t waste any more time. I spent a year in that cage…” I reset the timeline. It wasn’t real to anyone…except for me. That year of torture and torment was as real as anything I’ve ever felt. Mom doesn’t know, so I can’t hold it against her. Not really. But sometimes a part of me wants to.

  Mom reaches across the table and pats my hand. “I’m here for you. We all are. Now, how about we order dessert? Or are you still existing on carrot sticks and celery to fit into that gorgeous dress?”

  I shrug. “Carrot cake counts as a veggie, right?”

  Molly snorts. “If it has wheat in it, I’m not eating it.”

  Such a teenager. I want to tell her not to waste youth, as if I’m so old at the ripe old age of twenty-four, but my phone rings. It interrupts my thoughts and I pull my phone from my purse. “Just a second, Mom…. Hello?”

  There’s static on the other end. “Lara? It’s Delilah. Are you coming tonight…to the banquet?”

  Delilah is head of the TTPA, and we go way back. So far back, that once upon a time she was my mother’s assistant at the now-defunct Rewind Agency. “Of course. I already RSVP’d back to you.”

  “I need to talk to you.” Her voice is desperate and anxious. My stomach rolls at the sound of it because something about it reminds me of the past. “Meet me tonight in private suite 1001, would you? Before the banquet speech.”

  “Can’t you just tell me now?”

  “I can’t, darling. I’m sorry. It must be in person.” Her voice strains. Whatever she wants to tell me must be serious, but I try to calm my nerves. Time travel is illegal now. It can’t be done. Not without the experts seeing it way before anything bad happens. So why is Delilah upset?

  So why am I so upset?

  “Just be early if you can, Lara.”

  The line goes dead and I’m quick to end the call as a cold shudder races up my back. I’m done with time travel and the adventures that come with it. I’m done with saving the world.

  But that wormhole…sometimes it beckons. Sometimes it wants me back.

  Chapter Two

  It happens at the strangest of times, that beckoning—that pull to travel through time. Maybe it’s just a spilled cup of coffee ruining an outfit, but sometimes it’s more serious. Sometimes it’s because I had witnessed a car accident or I read in the paper about a little boy going missing. Sometimes the pull to time travel is so strong it blinds me with a headache.

  Right or wrong, I haven’t tried to travel in time since the Rewind Agency was disbanded. Watching people suffer hurts, but I know messing around with time travel hurts more. Consequences can’t be predicted and even in those moments when I had wanted to end suffering, I had ended up causing more. The best thing I can do is turn a blind eye to it all. Even slowing things down, or speeding them up, affects things.

  I’m not sure I even remember how to make it all happen again. I’m afraid to find out. Or even try.

  Donovan makes life easier. His strong hands caress the small of my back as he slips my black dress up on my shoulders. Then, smooth as white chocolate, he zips me up. Standing in our penthouse suite that overlooks all of Boston, I gaze at my reflection. Our master bedroom is bigger than most apartments and the six-panel mirror reflects perfection back at me.

  The dress fits like a glove. Donovan’s eyes linger on my curves as he wraps his arms tight around my waist. My hair is long, but pinned back with diamond barrettes, and my make-up is flawless. It’s every girl’s dream to live the life we do, but it is mostly Don’s, not mine. It’s given to me, borrowed. A few great investments along the way have treated him well. He’s on the cusp of amassing a small fortune and he’s not stingy with those he shares with.

  His mouth hovers against my neck and I stroke my fingers through his short blond locks. When he blows against my skin, I shiver. Part of me wishes we didn’t have to go to the banquet, but Delilah’s call plays in the back of my mind, keeping my anxiety high. Donovan’s strong hand touches my chin and nudges my face close to his. As we kiss, Mr. Handsome in his tux caresses my waist. The heat between us knows no words—no bounds. My engagement ring sparkles in the mirror and reflects across his face as he spins me around.

  “Let’s skip,” Donovan whispers and his lips engulf mine.

  I want to give into him so badly that I nod, but then shake my head. “I can’t.” I’m breathless as I hug him and nuzzle his neck. Soon, we’ll have to go. Soon, he’ll look at me and I’ll see the displeasure on his face. There’re few things Don hates more than politicians and taxes; one of those is time travel.

  “I have to speak to Delilah and I’m on the board,” I let out a long deep breath, “I have to show up at the fundraisers or else everyone might realize…I’m not as involved as I should be.”

  As I had promised.

  He nods, but with a faraway glint in his eye. Donovan takes my hand and squeezes it. “You do look gorgeous tonight, rock star. It’d be criminal to keep you all to myself.”

  I’m still more comfortable in jeans and my converse running shoes. Donovan’s affection makes it easy as he takes my hand and leads me out of the bedroom. Out in the posh foyer, he drapes a black wrap around my shoulders and kisses my cheek. “When it’s time to go, the secret word is ‘fruit dip’.”

  I grin at the craziness of it all. “Afraid you’ll turn into a pumpkin if the clock strikes twelve?”

  “You’re giving me too much credit. I’m afraid I’ll turn into a butternut squash.” Donovan’s joke is lame, but it makes me laugh and maybe that’s why he’d said it in the first place.

  We head down to the first floor. In the elevator, he kisses me, pressing my back against the wall. I know what he wants and I want it too.

  The door dings open and the doorman—in his quaint cap—gawks, and I wipe my fingers across my mouth. Sheepishly, Donovan laughs. My arm is hooked in his as he slips a few crisp bills into the man’s hand. “Sorry you had to see that.”

  “No problem, Mr. James.” The doorman gets the door for us and outside a stretch limo is waiting. I scoot inside and see chilled strawberries and champagne awaiting us.

  “You ever get tired of pampering me?”

  Donovan clinks his glass against mine, and as I sip, the bubbles tickle my nose. “Nothing’s too good for you. Is it wrong that I want to treat my girl to life’s finest pleasures?”

  “No, I just want to make sure you’re not spending too much.”

  “Don’t worry,” Donovan’s dimples appear as he smiles, “with the way the investments are going, I can handle it and much more. You just have to trust me. You do trust me, don’t you, Montgomery?”

  Soon, I’d be a James like him. I smile as I pop a ripe strawberry into my mouth. “With my life.”

  As if there was ever any doubt.

  ****

  The banquet is at the Hilton Warf. The harbor glistens through the windows as we stroll into the entryway. The gleaming black floor mirrors our reflections and along the ceiling, three identical chandeliers cast prisms against the wall. It’s elegance at its finest. Waitresses in professional aprons carry trays of food amongst the hordes of businessmen and police officials.

  In a sea of calm, I stand on the edge of a knife. Groups of people still make me uneasy and my breathing is labored as I fight the urge to retreat into myself.

  It intensifies as if my brain wants to be somewhere else.

  Skipping like a faulty CD track, my heartbeat calms and regulates as Donovan takes my hand. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been here. I don’t doubt this is hard for you.”

  The last time we’d been here, we’d changed time and Donovan’s mother had been arrested. Not before I’d been shot at, mind you. The entire city of Boston was one big time-travel memory. I haven’t fled the city for one simple reason—family.

  “Lara Montgomery.” Marcus O’Reily, the former senator, greets me with a warm smile. When he takes my hand, he doesn’t shake it but instead, gives it a tender k
iss. Donovan might have tensed up if he knew about my time travel adventures with Marcus—we had shared a passionate kiss when I time-traveled back to meet him while he was still in college. I had to make sure he’d remember me enough to wait fifteen years and do what I had asked.

  And boy had he. He hadn’t just remembered me. He’d pined for me for twenty years—never marrying, never having children—changing the course of his life forever. It was just one of the many reasons why I had decided time travel was too dangerous. Once, before I’d interfered, Marcus had had children, and now he didn’t. Those people, individual humans, no longer existed because of something I had done.

  “Marcus,” I gave him a tepid smile, “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “You sure know how to throw a great party.” Donovan shakes his hand in greeting as I lean against him. Part of me must make Marcus understand where my future lies. Marcus might be thirty years my senior, but I know what his heart craves. I can’t afford any misunderstandings.

  “Delilah spares no expense. As chairman, I just show up where I’m told. If you’ll excuse me. Lara, beautiful as ever. I’ll catch up with you at the shrimp bowl.” Marcus winks as he makes his way across the room. He’s a smooth talker, weaving away across the floor like a pro. Greasing palms, knocking elbows, all the while making it so I don’t need to do those things. I can have a normal life without the stresses of time travel regulation.

  “Well,” Donovan raises his eyebrows, “Marcus never changes.”

  I grin in appreciation. “He could sell ice to an Eskimo.”

  Donovan and I move into the next room. The dance floor is nearly empty. Surrounded by round tables draped in white tablecloths, the floor sparkles, thanks to the disco ball overhead. I place my hand in Donovan’s as he takes my hip and we move in time. My head falls to his shoulder and I gaze at his strong jaw. His face relaxes into a casual smile and it’s a profile I love. One I’ll grow old with. No woman could be happier than I am.