Page 1 of Into the Light

PROLOGUE

The Next Day

“I’m going to fucking murder her.” The words played on a loop in my head as I forced my eyes open. The dim room was illuminated by the soft daylight, signaling a new day. A sudden movement in front of me caught my attention as I sat up on the couch.

“Step back, now.” The voice was urgent and commanding, prompting me to snap, fully awake. Throwing off the blanket, I took in the scene before me. The memories of last night rushed back, flooding my mind with a mix of emotions.

My chest wanted to fold in on itself at the memory of getting that call, then Maddy’s cold words hit me along with Rain telling me what had happened. I felt as though I was suffocating, trying to get air, but nothing was there to fill my lungs.

“What’s going on?” I asked, piecing together the situation and the ache in my heart. It was as if reality was a cruel dream that wouldn’t let me escape. Rain had positioned himself in front of me as a barrier from four angry men shouting at me. His black hair was tousled, his bright-blue eyes filled with worry and anticipation. His hand lifted, almost like he wanted to touch me but pulled away quickly when he realized what he was doing.

“Ember, please, just quiet down.” Rain’s words cut through the chaos, his tone a mixture of concern and frustration.

“It’s her fucking fault,” one guy screamed in my direction as another one reached for my arm. I’d seen him around before, but this time he had a gun tucked into his waistband, so as his towering body came closer, I moved away to keep him from grabbing me.

I moved as far back onto the couch as I could, then realized there was an angry mob coming for. . . me? They piled in from the back door.

What. The. Fuck?

“What is happening?” I bellowed a little louder while dodging someone’s hand. I leaned to the side, so the hand grazed over my forehead, then I blinked a few more times, willing myself to get my bearings straight. Someone pushed Rain away from me, but he rushed over to my side of the couch, and most of the mob were waving around weapons.

“Your fucking brother killed him.” M-my brother? There was no way Walsh was involved. He promised.

As I let my guard down, a hand grabbed my arm. Their expressions were full of anger, most of them with Glocks in my face.

Bile rose in my throat as someone dragged me off the couch. I yelled bloody murder for someone to save me, for Rain to save me, but he never came.

“He didn’t. I swear,” I cried out. “Please. Stop.”

Walsh promised me, and my brother was anything but a liar. He was a cold and calculating asshole, but never a liar. This was not what I expected to happen the day after my boyfriend . . . I couldn’t finish that sentence. This was not what I wanted to deal with, as every bone in my body felt brittle, my heart felt tattered, and my brain was complete mush.

This was not happening. Why couldn’t life be gentle? Why couldn’t things go to plan like I had expected them to? Fuck. Why was there so much fucking death in a life that I, too, didn’t want to live anymore.

“Stop. Immediately.” I glanced back at Rain, and the hand released me as I shuffled away on the floor.

Rain’s eyes, red-rimmed and swollen, told me he hadn’t slept last night. He looked as broken as I felt. The cracks inside his heart were as earth-shattering as the ones scarring mine.

“Rain . . .” I looked at him with pleading eyes.

“Get up, Ember,” he demanded while looking around the room.

“They’re coming back from the rock.” Quite a few more people trickled in from the back door, all angry based on their tones, and whispered conversations about Ash’s scene.

I shook my head and unsteadily got to my feet, rushing to hide behind Rain, but he moved to the side, so I was exposed to everyone in the room. I was still in my clothes from yesterday, my hair wavy from the rain.

“My brother promised—”

“Not now, Ember,” Rain said, and I crossed my arms over my chest. It was a demand to shut up, either for my protection because we were still around everyone, or because he didn’t want to hear it. He looked at everyone and told them to fucking leave.

“If we fucking kill her now, they will never know. We can say it happened with Ash,” one guy said, and my heart dropped.

Killing me? The thought never crossed my mind.

“We need her to leverage the answer to what happened to Ash. She stays alive!” Rain boomed, quieting the hushed voices.

“Ash would want her here,” he whispered, turning toward me. That sentence was meant for me, yet my stomach kept churning, the contents threatening to spill over.

I turned toward him, reaching out to see if he’d take my hand. My need for comfort was so intense and he was the only person around, but a shift happened between us. I could feel him retreating. Everyone in the room left, leaving us alone.

---