Page 2

CHAPTER 2

Brooklyn set her glass of wine down on the counter and collapsed onto the stool by the breakfast bar. Liam had finally gone to bed, and she’d just checked on him to make sure he was asleep. She wasn’t entirely sure he’d be able to sleep after the ordeal they’d been through.

When they got home, she’d done her best to reassure him. She’d told him it was just a prank, that it would never happen again, and that he didn’t need to worry. But honestly, she was still a tangle of nerves. It had taken her quite a while to get him calmed down. After they finished eating their takeout dinner and Liam finished his homework, they watched one of his favorite TV shows. Then she’d even let him play online with his friends for half an hour. Finally, after he’d yawned several times, she sent him off to bed.

She took a long swallow of her wine. She’d wanted a glass the moment they got home, but she knew drinking in front of Liam would only scare him more. She rarely drank around him, and she wasn’t about to start tonight. A shiver ran through her. She was damn glad she’d taken Taekwondo. If they’d managed to get Liam into the van… Well, she didn’t want to think about it.

Her phone rang and she immediately answered it. “Christie.” A lump instantly formed in her throat, and she couldn’t continue.

“What is it?” her best friend and fellow dental hygienist demanded. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh my God, Christie,” Brooklyn managed to get out before her eyes filled with tears.

“Tell me everything.”

Brooklyn relayed the whole tale. She felt horrible wrecking Christie’s vacation back home in Boston, but she’d needed to talk to someone. “Don’t give it another thought,” Christie said. “You did the right thing calling me.”

“Why are you even up?” Brooklyn asked. “Isn’t it about two in the morning?”

“Jet lag.”

“How’s back home?” Brooklyn sipped her wine.

“It’s great to see everyone, but I miss the Big Island already. It’s fun to visit but I am over living here.”

Relief flooded Brooklyn’s chest. She’d been worried her best friend would move back home and leave her with just some acquaintances here on the Big Island.

“How are you doing? I know Liam is super special to you. Are you okay?” Christie’s voice was filled with concern.

Liam was the one good thing to come out of her brother’s disastrous marriage to Deanna. Every day, she was grateful Deanna decided motherhood wasn’t for her. When Jackson and Liam moved to the Big Island, she’d been devastated. They’d all lived in New Jersey up until then, and Brooklyn got to see Liam at least once a week. After losing their parents in a car crash five years ago, she and Jackson had become really close.

She often wondered if Jackson and Liam hadn’t left whether she’d still be with Nate. Once her brother and nephew headed to Hawai’i, her relationship with her longtime boyfriend had tanked. She turned to her Nate to fill the void only to find out that he wasn’t interested in supporting her emotionally. Theirs had been a one-sided relationship. He liked her because she took care of him. Made sure his world ran smoothly, but he had no interest in hers. How she could have been so blind to that, she didn’t know.

She finally replied to Christie, “I have to say, if Jackson and Liam hadn’t left I might still be with Nate.”

“Ugh. From everything you’ve said about him, I’m so glad you’re not.”

Good-looking and smart, Nate worked in finance in New York City. He was going places, and he wanted someone to keep him organized and do all the menial tasks that life threw his way. Brooklyn didn’t mind when she thought he loved her as well. He made money and they had a great lifestyle. He was so desirable on paper, but it hadn’t taken her long, once she paid attention, to discover that Nate, in reality, was just an arrogant jackass.

“Yeah, I’m not really over the sting of the affair.” She rubbed her face with one hand. “It makes me question my judgment, you know?”

“I do, but I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Nate took advantage of you, and you loved him so you believed him. We all do things like that. I think you should give yourself a break. Now, go to bed and try to get some sleep. Put all of this behind you. Call me if you need to. I’m here no matter what time, okay?”

“Thanks, Christie.”

“I know you’d do it for me as well.”

Brooklyn disconnected the call, feeling much better than when she’d answered. Christie was a miracle worker like that. Taking another sip of wine, Brooklyn’s mind wandered back to Nate.

The affair shouldn’t have been a surprise, but she’d been blindsided. His cheating had been a total shock. She’d said she was going to go with friends for a girls’ weekend, but her friend’s car had broken down and another friend had been called back to work. Brooklyn hadn’t seen the point of staying on her own. She was already lonely enough without her brother and Liam. So, she’d turned around and gone back to their apartment in Hoboken.

Opening the door to find her boyfriend fucking his assistant on her counter was the shock of the century.

Well, until those men tried to grab Liam.

She’d stood in the doorway, mouth open in shock, staring. It had taken Nate a few thrusts to even know there was something wrong. Then he’d turned and saw her. Instant limp dick. The assistant, Candice, had tried to continue, but when he didn’t respond, she’d said, “Fuck, Nate, what the hell is your problem.” Then she turned and stared at Brooklyn.

“Get the fuck out.” Those were the words that left Brooklyn’s lips. She didn’t scream or holler. She didn’t freak out. Just, “Get the fuck out.” The irony was, the apartment was hers. She’d bought it with her parents’ help years ago when it was still affordable. It had a fantastic view and a central location. Nate loved it. He crowed about it every chance he got.

He’d left with Candice in tow, but he’d come back hours later trying to argue that it was her fault. Because she’d ignored him for so long. But now that she was more focused on him, things would be better. He wouldn’t stray again. She’d stood there in the hallway listening to him spew his lies, wondering how she could have gotten it so wrong.

Nate wouldn’t leave, so she’d told him she was hungry and suggested he go to get food from their favorite Chinese food place, promising they could discuss their relationship over dinner. The moment he got into the elevator, she’d gone back into the apartment and finished packing his stuff. She had it all out and down in the lobby before he was back. She’d given the doorman strict instructions not to let Nate back up and to call the cops if necessary. That was the last time she’d spoken to Nate. He’d called repeatedly and left pleading messages, which escalated to nasty ones when she hadn’t responded. She’d ignored it all.

When Jackson had called, practically begging her to come live with them after only a few months in Hawaii, she’d sold her place, packed her bags, and left without so much as a backward glance. She’d never felt so much relief as she had on the flight across the Pacific. A fresh start was just what she needed.

Jackson had invited her to live with him and Liam, and as much as she loved her brother and her nephew, Brooklyn refused to sponge off them. She needed her own space and time to get herself together. She found a job at a dental practice and then bought this little house. To her surprise, she loved it. All of it. She’d fallen in love with the house as soon as she’d set eyes on it. The Big Island had quickly become home.

Her new life was idyllic; surfing, hanging out with friends, and feeling a part of the community. The patients at her dental office were mostly elderly, and she loved helping them. And Hawai’i was paradise. Sure, she missed the seasons in New Jersey, but didn’t miss the snow. Besides, she reminded herself, she had a birthmark that resembled the shape of the Big Island on her back so it must have been fate that she come here and start her life over.

The only dark cloud that lingered was her constant second-guessing herself when it came to men. She’d made the wrong choice once, and the way it ended was humiliating. She grimaced. Make that twice. She’d made the wrong choice again when she’d first come to Hawai’i. She blew out a breath and tried to banish the image of the man who’d captured her attention, if not her heart, from her mind. Christie was wrong. She wasn’t being hard enough on herself when it came to the men in her life.

Her phone rang, pulling her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the screen—it was Jackson. Should she tell him about what happened today? She didn’t want to worry him, especially when this meeting was such a big deal for his career. But he was Liam’s father, and if the roles were reversed, she’d want to know.

Brooklyn answered the call.

“Brooklyn! How’s it going? How’s Liam?”

“He’s fine. He’s asleep.”

“Yeah, I figured. I just wanted to check in. Is he still upset about me missing the science fair?”

“Yes,” Brooklyn said honestly. “He really wanted you there.”

Jackson sighed. “I know. I really wanted to be there too, but I can’t pass up this opportunity.”

“You made the right decision,” Brooklyn reassured him. “He’ll get over it.”

“How’s his project going?”

“Really well. He’s almost finished. He’s going to get up early tomorrow to work on it some more.”

“Kid’s got a future in engineering,” Jackson said with a laugh.

“I know. It’s shocking.”

“Must come from Deanna’s side of the family because you and I can barely build anything with LEGOs,” Jackson said.

Brooklyn laughed. “It’s true. His model that shows how a tsunami wave forms and travels is really well done. He’s even made it so he can change the depth of the water to show how it changes wave height. And the model houses and stores he’s built to show what happens when the wave hits are incredibly detailed.”

“I’m so bummed I won’t get to see him present it on Saturday. Can you record it for me?”

“Of course. I was planning to anyway.” Brooklyn hesitated. “Jackson, I should tell you…”

“Tell me what?” His voice shifted, tension creeping in. “What is it? Is there something wrong with Liam?”

“He’s fine, honestly. But earlier today, there was an incident.”

“What kind of incident?” Jackson asked sharply.

Brooklyn explained what had happened, recounting the attempted abduction and the police’s theory about it being a gang initiation or a TikTok trend. “They said they’re on the lookout for the kids. If they find them, we can press charges. But Liam is fine—shaken up, but fine. He’s asleep now.”

Jackson let out a long breath. “That’s terrifying. I’ll be on the next flight?—”

“No, Jackson. You don’t need to do that,” Brooklyn protested. “Liam is fine. Nothing happened. You need to stay there. You said yourself you couldn’t pass up this opportunity.”

“How are you?”

“I’m okay,” she said, even though her hands still trembled. “I poured myself a big glass of wine, and I’m going to try to sleep. We just need to put this day behind us.”

“I’m so glad you were there to stop it.”

“Me too,” Brooklyn said quietly.

“Thanks, sis. I’m nineteen hours ahead here, so I’ll call Liam later tonight and tell him I love him. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“Will do,” Brooklyn said, ending the call.

She glanced at her phone, checking her calendar. Tomorrow was Thursday—just two clients in the morning, and then she’d be free. She decided she’d pick Liam up directly after school. They could finish his science project and treat themselves to something nice. They both needed a little pampering.

Brooklyn pulled up in front of Liam’s school. He hopped into the car with a grin.

“How does ice cream sound?” she asked.

“Most excellent!” he deadpanned.

When she finished laughing at his dude-bro accent, she asked, “How was school?”

“Not bad. Mr. Kumu let us work on our projects during science period.”

“That’s great! Are you all set up?”

“Almost, I put everything together. I just need to glue the last of the cars and houses in place.”

“I’m so proud of you, Liam. I think your project is amazing.”

“Thanks, Aunt Brooklyn. I enjoyed doing it.” Liam glanced down at his lap. “I just wish Dad could be here.”

“I know you do, honey. He wishes it as well,” Brooklyn said gently.

They pulled up to the ice cream stand, and Liam jumped out. Brooklyn rolled down her window. “Wait! You know what? Get me one too—chocolate.”

Liam grinned. “Sounds good!” He scampered off to stand in line.

Brooklyn watched him, marveling at how resilient kids were. Yesterday’s events still haunted her, but here was Liam, excited about ice cream and chatting about his science project. She glanced in her rearview mirror as a white van pulled into the parking lot.

Her heart stuttered. There must be more than one white Express Cargo van on the island, she told herself. “You’re just being paranoid.”

Still, she got out of the car and went to stand beside Liam in line.

“Hey,” he said, giving her a confused look. “I can handle it on my own.”

“I know,” she said with a forced smile. “I just thought it’d be nice to stand in the sunshine with you.”

He shrugged, ordering their ice creams as Brooklyn kept glancing over her shoulder. The van’s windows were tinted, and no one had gotten out. Her paranoia intensified.

Finally, they got their ice creams and headed back to the car. She put hers in a cup so she could eat it at home. The drive back was quick, Liam chattering happily about the mod his friends were playing. But Brooklyn’s eyes kept flicking to the rear view mirror.

When she saw a white van again, turning onto the next street over, sweat pebbled across her back.

It’s not the same van. You’re just being crazy , she told herself. But as they pulled into the driveway, she hit the garage opener and drove straight in, closing the door behind them.

“What’s with you?” Liam asked, giving her a quizzical look.

“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I just thought it’d be nice to put the car in the garage tonight. It’s supposed to be chilly tomorrow morning.”

“You’ve turned into a wimp since moving to Hawai’i,” he teased.

She smiled weakly. “Probably true. Anyway, thanks for the ice cream.”

Liam headed inside, but Brooklyn sat in the car, gripping the steering wheel. She didn’t call the cops—they wouldn’t believe her. But deep down, she was certain the van had followed them. This wasn’t just a prank. It felt…intentional. And she needed to figure out how to keep Liam safe.

One face came to mind, and she grimaced. Calling him was the last thing she wanted to do. Ever since that night, she’d avoided him. One night stands were never her thing, but it had felt right with him, it had felt…special. She had been lonely, plus she’d been pretty sure he would be worth it. And she was right. But then he hadn’t called her and didn’t respond when she’d broken down and called him.

Then when she’d bumped into him at Ohana’s with another woman, he didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed or embarrassed. She’d been mortified and pissed all at the same time. He’d treated her like they were passing acquaintances as if they hadn’t spent hours having mind-blowing sex. He’d behaved as if he was doing nothing wrong. Technically, she’d had to finally admit to herself that he hadn’t. Still, it had been a humiliating experience, one that she relived every single time she saw him. It was Nate all over again. The thought of reaching out made her feel ill.

But she could put those feelings aside for Liam. If something happened to him because of her pride, she’d never forgive herself.

Brooklyn sighed and pulled out her phone.