Forsaken

Copyright © 2013 Bec Botefuhr

Published by Bec Botefuhr, Jan 2013

Books in this Series

Witness Protection (Book One)

Forsaken (Book Two)

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For everyone who believed in me, who knew that I could do it even when I didn’t believe it. My family, friends, co-workers and everyone who said “You can do it.” Thank you.

For my husband’s patience and love, and for not hitting me over the head for all the hours I have spent working on my novels. For my gorgeous daughters who are the best children a
Mother could ask for.

For all my fans, for their encouragement and belief, for their kind words and amazing hearts. You all make this possible for me.

PROLOGUE

My sister Sandy sighs, as she lounges bac
k in a blue and white sun chair, “Oh sweet sun, sweet sun.”

I moan, closing my eyes and breathing in the
warm scent of salt and fresh air. “Oh yes, it’s awesome.”

“I can’t believe your wicked sweet boyfriend went right ahead and dumped us off here, with his credit card.”

I snort a laugh, “Oh, he will be checking on us somehow, don’t you worry. We won’t be getting away with anything.”

Sandy lifts her sun
glasses and peers around. “Coast is clear, let’s go shopping.”

I grin wickedly at her
, “Soon.”

“Oh come on Maya! I am shriveling up here.”

“Sandy, do you want Ryder’s credit card or not?”

She p
outs, “Point taken.”

“Besides,
vitamin D and all that,”

“
Vitamin D my ass!”

I laugh and sit, stretching my aching body. I stare around
at the beautiful sandy beach; bodies are strewn out everywhere, just enjoying another day in Miami. Not the most beautiful place in the world, but certainly one of the hottest. Ryder dropped us off here while he did some more investigating on our lost parents. I wasn’t complaining, oh no, not an ounce.

“Alright,” I
say standing and tying up my hair, “Let’s roll.”

“Woo, finally,
”

Sandy leaps up, letting down her beautiful
, blonde hair and pulling on a yellow summer dress. I shake my head at her, always looking like a beautiful doll no matter where she goes. I pull on my dress and sandals, and we both begin walking towards the shopping complex.

“So, how do you think
he’s going?” Sandy asks, stopping to pick up a hot dog.

“Not
sure, I think he has some strong leads. Ryder won’t spill much.”

“Tough
, old macho man he is.”

I laugh,
“Sandy, stop being nasty. Ryder is gorgeous.”

“I never said he wasn’t gorgeous.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I like Nate the most, why are all the gay ones…gay?”

I snort, “That made no sense.”

“It did in my mind.”

“I know; Nate’s beautiful.”

She sighs,
“Uh huh…”

“Don’t dream little sister, he is taken.”

“With the ken doll?”

I burst out into a fit of giggle
s at her impression of Nate’s new boyfriend, Trey. He does, in fact, look like a Ken doll. Tall, bronze, blonde and next to Nate he truly makes an impression. Together, they are every woman’s fantasy. There’s just something about blonde men, with bronze skin and killer smiles.

“Trey
is not a ken doll.”

Sandy gives me a look,
“Totally a ken doll.”

I pinch my fingers tog
ether, leaving a touch of a gap. “Ok, maybe just a little.”

“There we go.”

I hook my arm through my sisters and we stroll down the streets of Miami, so happy to be together safely. Sandy has lived with me since our attack with the murderer last year. We live right down from Ryder and Nate, which can be both frustrating and fun. Everything for the moment is as it should be. Perfect.

CHAPTER 1

MAYA

Sandy picks up a pair of blue, strappy heels. Her eyes go the way all women’s eyes go when they lay them on a pair of gorgeous heels – dazed.

“They are so gorgeous,
”

“Get them,” I say simply, picking up a pair of silver heels and inspecting them.

“Um, sister, they are three hundred dollars.”

I shrug.
“Ryder said go crazy.”

“Is he rich?”

I rub my chin and think for a long moment, I am fairly sure the man is loaded. “Yes, I think so. I never asked.”

“I can’t…”

“I will say they are mine then, come on.”

I take three pairs of shoes to the counter and pay for them,
and then we head out to find a café for lunch. We sit at a small table, covered with a red and white table cloth. I scan the menu, and order an iced tea and baguette when the waiter stops by our table. Sandy has the same. While we are waiting for our lunch to arrive, Sandy leans forward on the table, resting on her elbows, and gives me a long, hard look.

“Do you miss Nate?”

Nate has been away with work for the last two months and I have missed him like crazy. Trey went with him and it’s awful lonely without them around. Nate is my best friend, and the only other person in my world, aside from Ryder, that I trust whole heartedly.

“
Every day,”

“Will he be back soon?”

“I don’t know, I think so.”

While he is on my mind,
I pull out my phone and punch in his number. We text each other every day, and I have grown used to the gesture. I even find myself looking forward to it.

M:
Hey there cowboy, I was just thinking about how much I miss u, bubba xo

I smile at the
message; Nate started calling me bubba about a week after I moved into my new apartment. After catching me curled up on the couch in a teddy bear blanket, that was mine from when I was a child, he decided I looked so childish and small, that the name bubba suited me. My phone beeps almost right away with a return message.

N:
Hi there beautiful girl, I miss u 2. What is happenin?

M:
Spendin up on the big man’s card.

N:
Uh oh, did he let you out with his plastic?

M:
He said go crazy…how’s Trey?

N:
All good, we r doing well. I am in need of some serious female company tho.

M:
Come home, we can snuggle.

N
:
I will do my best.

M:
Love u cowboy, talk later x

N:
Love u 2 bubba.

I
smile, feeling better already. I shove my phone back into my pocket, and give Sandy a weak smile. She knows how much I miss Nate; she knows how close we are.

“He will be home soon.”

“I know; I just miss him. It seems so different without him around.”

“He will be back…”

My phone rings again, causing me to jump. Sandy rolls her eyes and sips her iced tea, I am fairly sure I hear her mumble ‘popular’ under her breath. I pull the phone from my pocket, and see Ryder’s name on the screen. My heart does a silly little flip flop; the man still knows how to affect me. I press answer, and put the phone to my ear. In a sultry voice, I purr, “Hey there, handsome.”

“Hey baby, how you doin
’?”

His voice gives me
goose bumps and I feel my skin tingle. He has that rich, masculine voice that has most women swooning.

“Good
, we stopped for lunch, how’s work going?”

“Busy, l
isten, I want to catch up with you two in about an hour. Where can we meet?”

“Is all ok?”

“Yeah beautiful,”

“Ok then, meet us at the beach where you dropped us off?”

“Have you been spending all my money?” he chuckles.

“Only about fifty percent,”
I laugh.

He snorts,
“Behave.”

“Or what?”

His voice grows husky. “You might be in a public place but I can make you squirm in minutes, is that what you want?”

“Yes,”
my voice comes out far more thick and lusty than I anticipated.

“Stop,
”

“You stop.”

“BOTH OF YOU STOP!” Sandy laughs, shoving her fingers in her ears.

I laugh lightly,
“I should go.”

“Yeah baby, but remember…there is always later.”

“I count on it.”

I hang
up the phone and grin at Sandy.

“You two are terrible.”

“You will be there one day soon with some lucky man.”

She wrinkles her nose,
“Ugh, I doubt it.”

We finish up eating and make our way back to the beach where Ryder dropped us off. When we are close, I see Ryder walking towards us. I smile instantly, it’s hard not to. He is so devastatingly beautiful. His hair has gotten a touch longer in the past months and it blows in the breeze as he walks. His aqua eyes stand out even from here. He is dressed in black jeans
, with a thick black belt, a black shirt and heavy black boots.

“
God Maya, he still looks good no matter how many times I look at him.”

“
Ohhhh yeah,” I say, pulling my bottom lip into my mouth.

I
am about to pick up my pace and run towards him, when the car beside him comes to life and the door opens. Out steps Trey and Nate. My heart thumps wildly in my chest, oh no…he didn’t. Ryder grins at me, clearly having had this planned. I squeal - high pitched and very girlish - before running full throttle towards Nate who is grinning like a Cheshire cat.

When I reach him, I literally leap into the air and land on him. My legs wrap around his waist, my arms around his neck and I kiss him furiously, giving him five or six smacking kisses on the lips. Ryder is used to Nate and I kissing
, and it doesn’t seem to bother him. Some people find it odd, but that is only because they don’t understand how we are together.

“Hey
bubba,” he laughs, squeezing me tightly, “Surprise.”

“You cheeky devil Nate, I thought…when you text me…oh.”

I hug him close, pressing my cheek against his and breathing in his scent. How I have missed him.

“I missed you
, sweetheart.”