You Broke Me First Phoenix Mountain Series Book 3

I wake with a small jolt. I slept so hard last night, I almost forgot where I was.

I was on my stomach and stretched out.

Last night was so amazing. Yeah, it was messy, dirty and a little animalistic, but I still felt so connected to Sam, that it didn’t feel like we were just having sex. It felt way more than that.

As I laid there and thought about it, a little touch of fear crossed my mind.

I slowly turned my head and breathed a sigh of relief.

Sleeping on her stomach with her arms tucked under her pillow, is my goddess.

She stayed.

I smile as I take in her face glowing in the morning sun. Her hair slightly covering the eye I can see.

The soft skin of her arm and back has me tingling all over.

I just lay there watching her sleep. It so different. I never woke up to someone before. I love it. I love that I’m waking up to her. I want to wake up to her every morning.

She stirs as I’m studying the lines of her fit body.

I smile when her lid opens to a slit and her eye finds mine.

“Good morning.” She whispers.

I tuck my arms under my chest. “Good morning.” I whisper back.

We lay in silence, just staring at each other.

“Sleep Ok?” I finally ask.

She stretches out and rolls over. Her gorgeous chest on full display for me. “Yeah. I think so.”

I lift my chest and slide to her. Laying partially on her. I kiss her collarbone. “I did too.” I smile.

“So, I guess we’re next level now.” She gives a little smile as she plays with the chain I always wear around my neck.

The corner of my mouth ticks up. “I want to be. I like you, Samantha. I don’t want this to end. Ever.”

She looks into my eyes. “Really?” Her lips turn soft and almost concerned.

“Yes, really. Sam, I had no idea what I had six years ago, but I do now. You’re different. You do something to me I can’t explain. I only know that even if I wanted to turn it off, I can’t.” I run my fingers across her hairline.

“I'm afraid.” She says quietly.

“Afraid of what?” I ask as I rest my chin on her chest.

“That this isn’t real. That one day I’ll wake up and you’ll be gone. That it’s all just infatuation.” She turns her eyes from me.

I move closer to her face. “Sam, this is real. This is so real. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I’ve never wanted to be with someone so badly. I’ve never wanted to know everything about someone before. Before, I’d barely remember names. I want to…no…I need to know you, Sam.”

She smiles. “You do know me.”

I lean to her and smile back. “Not everything.”

Her face goes a little slack. “What more could you want to know?”

“Where did you come from? How are you here, right now, with me?” I whisper.

“You could thank Azriel, I guess.” She smiles.

“That’s not what I meant, Sam.” I say.

“What do you…” She starts.

“Thirteen…where did you come from?” I ask.

She pushes me off and throws the blankets off. “Darcy…”

I sit up in bed. “Sam, I want to know.”

She stands and slips on her dress. “Why? Why is this so important to you?”

I scrub my head. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I don’t like secrets.”

She huffs a sarcastic chuckle. “This coming from the King of fucking secrets.”

“Sam. That’s different. I feel like you’re hiding something from me and it’s really bugging me. If you’re in trouble, I can help…” I motion my hand to her.

“Darcy, there’s just some things that I want to keep private, Ok. Just because I’m with you doesn’t mean you get know everything.” She glares.

I get out of bed and pull on my shorts. “What? Sam, if you should be completely honest with anyone, it should be me? What could be so bad, that you can’t tell me?” I point to my chest.

“I'm not talking about this anymore.” She turns and walks out of my room.

“Sam…” I follow her out.

“No, Darcy…” She says as she descends the stairs.

“Sam, stop. Please…” I call to her back as she crosses the common room.

She grabs her heels and puts them on. “I'll call you…”

“Sam, don’t leave.” I plead.

“Goodbye, Darcy.” She throws open the door and walks to her car.

I stand in the doorway with a hand on my hip and my other hand scrubbing my hair as I watch her pull out.

I sigh and shut the door.

I don’t know how to feel about this. I should just leave it alone, but I can’t. I feel like whatever she’s hiding is bad and I feel like I need to find out to be able to protect her from it.

I look around the room and see my gym bag.

I take big steps to it and pick it up. Plopping it on the couch, I open it and pull out her file.

I sit and flip through it. Before her file ends is an address. Her last known address.

A town called Coral Landing outside a city called Atlas on the east coast.

I pull out my phone. On the internet, I get directions and book a last minute flight.

I’m going to help Sam whether she likes it or not.

I run upstairs and pack.

****

Seven hours later, I’m standing on a doorstep of a small house. It’s white with a red roof.

I hesitate knowing I’m crossing a huge line, but I got to know.

I knock a couple times and wait.

The door opens and a man answers. He’s older, but he wears it well. He has black salt and pepper hair. His face looks exactly like Sam’s.

“Can I help you?” He asks.

I heave a breath as I think about what I’m going to say.

“Um…I hope so. I’m here about Sam.” I look at him.

His face falls. “Sam’s not here.” He begins to shut the door.

I throw my hand on it to stop it. “I…I know. I…just…I’m a friend of hers from school and I was hoping…”

“Jacob? Who is it?” A woman’s voice came from behind him to the door.

He looks behind him. “A friend of Sam’s.”

The woman came into view. Her eyes widened. “Samantha?” She pushed past her husband. “Did you find her?! Where is she?! Where’s my baby?!”

I step back as the woman started to grab at me.

I put my hands up as her husband grabs her and pulls her back.

“I…Sam’s missing?” I look at them both with confusion.

The man sighs. “You better come in.”

I walk into the small living room with simple white couches, knick knacks on shelves and walls. There’s pictures on the walls. I walk up to a little six year old girl with straight black hair. She’s smiling. I go to touch it, but Jacob took it off the wall.

He lifts it to me. “Samantha.” He looks at her. “I took this after I bought her first bike.”

I give a bit of a smile. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she is.” He leads me to the living room.

He sits beside his wife who’s crying. He rubs her shoulder. “Sorry. Heather’s a little emotional. You’re not the first person to come here about Sam.”

“I’m not?” I ask as I lean on my knees.

He shakes his head. “No.” he leans back and scrubs his head. “Ten years of missing posters, police, pounding streets. You get people showing up saying they seen her and they all turn out to be a dead end.”

I roll an eye to him. “What happened?”

Heather cried a little more at my question.

Her jet black hair falling to the sides as she covered her face.

Jacob stood and walked to the picture window.

“It was just about dusk. The wind was blowing the salt in from the sea. Sam was playing basketball in the driveway. Right there.” He pointed to the driveway. “I stepped out and gave her a five minute warning for lights out.” He stared out the window. “Just a few more baskets, dad.” He placed his hands on his hips. “She loved basketball.”

He shook his head. “I went back inside and helped Heather with the dinner dishes. I went back outside…” He rubbed his face. “She wasn’t there. I called for her. Her basketball was on lawn.”

I watched him, my hands clasped together and covering my mouth. Heather cried softly.

“I looked for hours. Called everyone I knew. Everyone Sam knew. Nothing. Like she vanished in a puff of smoke.” He hung his head.

I hang my head too. “Did she have a scar?" I say to my knees.

“What?” Jacob turned and Heather raised her red, wet cheeks.

I look at them. “A scar. From ear to mouth.” I motion across my face.

Heather breathes. “Sam.”

Jacob approaches me. “You found her.”

I nod slowly.

Heather throws herself at my knees. “Where is she?! Please tell me?!” She puts her hands on my knee and her forehead on them.

I sit back not knowing what to do.

Jacob collects his wife off the floor and sits her back down. “What’s your name?”

“Darcy Bourne.” I answer.

“Darcy. Where’s Sam now?” he asks.

I thought about it, but asked a question first.

“Why wouldn’t she come back?” I look at them both.

Jacob sighs again and sits. “About six months after her kidnapping, investigators found out she was lured. By people who we thought were our friends. Through messages and contacts, they poisoned her mind. Told her we were abusive and she was in danger.”

I arch a brow and eye him. “Were you?”

“No!” Heather shouts. “We loved her! We would never….” Her husband grabbed her and she cried into his chest.

“It was lies, Darcy. All lies.” He looked me in the eyes. “Anyway. About two years of Sam missing, their bodies were found outside of a town called Eden near Falcon Ridge. Sam was never found.”

I rub my neck and blow out a breath.

I raise my head and stare into her parents eyes. “She’s in Phoenix.”

Heather looks at her husband.

I fold my hands between my knees. “She’s…happy. Healthy. I don’t know why she won’t come home, but I can tell you, whatever these people did to her hasn’t affected her too much.”

“I need to see her. Please. Take us to her.” Heather says.

I shake my head. “I can’t. Not right now. She doesn’t know I’m here and she’d probably kill me for doing so. Let me talk to her. I’ll tell her you’re still looking for her. I think she’s still dealing with the whole thing and I feel like she’d just push away if you showed up.”

Jacob nods. “Darcy. Please tell her we’re sorry. Tell her to come home.”

I stood up with them. Heather came over and hugged me. “Thank you. Not knowing is worse than knowing she’s out there.”

I hugged her back. “You’re welcome.”

She separates and Jacob sticks his hand out. “Thank you for finding my little girl.”

I shake his hand. “She’s not so little anymore.” I slightly chuckle.

He does too. He rubs his neck. “No. I guess she’s not.”

They walk me to the door. “I’ll be in touch.” I say as I walk out.

“Please let her know how much I miss her.” Heather chokes.

“I will.” I say.

I give a wave and walk to my rental car.

I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing. Sam was free from her kidnappers for eight years. Why didn’t she return home? Something doesn’t fit.

I’ve heard of kidnapped victims falling into what they think is normal life with their captors, but Sam’s smart. She’s tough. She doesn’t seem like the type that would be sucked in like that.

I look out the wind shield as it starts to rain. Then again, she fell for me. The right words. The right manipulation. You can make anyone do anything you want them to.

They must of done a number on her head like I did.

I need answers and there’s only one place I’m going to get them.