Page 1 of Lyon

1

Lyon

I rememberedthe girl who saved me when I was fifteen. I knew I’d never forget her.

My mother had moved us to Los Angeles, settling in a rough inner-city neighborhood. I had to fight constantly just to survive. But the worst day was when three older boys dragged me into an alley. I was sure I was about to die.

Then, like an angel sent from heaven, she appeared.

Her hair gleamed in the sunlight; she was all legs and fists. She launched into the fight without hesitation, knocking all three of my attackers down. I had always been small for my age, and she was taller than me. She probably thought I was just a helpless kid.

“Shame on all of you! That’s dirty fighting, and if you keep this up, you’ll never be anything,” she scolded, her voice fierce.

Then she turned to me and offered her hand. The moment my fingers touched hers, I fell in love. I’m not exaggerating. She looked to be around twelve, but I didn’t care. I knew, one day, I would find her again.

As we left the alley, a boy stormed toward us. “Where the hell did you disappear to? And who’s this?” he demanded.

“I don’t know his name,” she replied, unfazed. “Those guys were beating him up. Of course, I had to help.”

She glanced back at me.

“I’m Niki. This is my brother, Max. We’ll walk you home.”

“Niki, we’re not supposed to be on this side of town,” Max warned. “We need to get back to Grandma’s before Mom finds out where we are.”

“What’s your name?” Niki asked, watching me as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

“Lyon. You don’t have to walk me home. Was that martial arts you used to fight those guys?”

“Yes. You should take lessons—it could save your life.”

“I will. Thank you, Niki.”

“You’re welcome, Lyon.”

Then, to my utter shock, she leaned in and kissed my cheek. Just a peck. But it sealed my fate.

At fifteen, I hero-worshipped her. As I got older, I thought of her differently. I often imagined what she might look like now.

I had told that story to my buddies once, and I regretted it ever since. Now, every time they saw a red-haired woman, they teased me, claiming it was Niki. I used to draw pictures of her, sketching that beautiful red hair, that perfect face, and those striking green eyes.

“Are you daydreaming?” Raven’s voice snapped me back to the present.

“No, just resting my mind,” I replied. “Do I ask you if you’re daydreaming when your eyes are closed? You’re probably wondering if you have more siblings, but I don’t ask you nosey questions.”

Raven dropped the subject immediately. “How’s Brutus doing?”

“He’s in love with Gage. Every time Gage comes around, Brutus whines and runs to him. Hell, he even tried climbing intoGage’s lap. I had to put him outside because he was acting love-struck.”

“I heard Gage stayed with him through surgery and carried him everywhere while they were looking for you.”

“Thank God they found Brutus before those men killed him. I was glad to get out of that country. So, where are we going?” I asked.

“We just found out there are hundreds of Americans still in Afghanistan. Some people in the government thought it would be a good idea for us to check it out.”

“What people in the government?”

“I don’t know. River has that cousin who never made it out of Afghanistan. Remember how they told River he must have died?”

---