Chapter 1 Into The Storm

FIONA

"Who is he?" My dad barked, but I pushed my ear closer to my bedroom door. When I was younger, my parents always fought, never shy to raise their voices, but tonight, I could hear the tremble in Dad's tone.

"Lionel, I didn't-" Mom protested.

"...Tell me the truth!" He shouted, cutting her off. I flinched from the echo. "How could you do this to me?!"

I couldn't hear what Mom was saying, but the footsteps in the hallway caused my heart to race. I quickly jumped on my bed and pretended to be asleep.

The door bursts open, and I jolted up as Dad storms inside. His face is red, and tears stream down from the corners of his eyes."Fiona, pack your bags!" He ordered. "You're going to boarding school."

I sat upright, trying to process the news. "What? Why? But... Daddy?"

He pointed a hard finger at me. "Be ready, because we're leaving tomorrow morning."

Tears fell down my cheeks as I struggled to catch my breath. I realized I was being sent away, and also because my mother didn't do anything about it.

We lived in a small town outside New York City; my folks were middle-class, but they could afford to keep me away at a prep school in Boston.

Going home felt like living in hell; I remembered my mom crying after my dad hurt her. He would grab her arm and scream at her until she cried. She didn't try to leave him. She called it love; I called it madness.

Twelve years passed; I'd just graduated from the culinary institute at Boston University and was working at a five-star restaurant in Boston.

"Table nine needs more wine!" The head chef, Donald, barked. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Flinching at the tone of his voice, I nearly dropped the tray of dirty dishes in my hands."I was just returning these." I said, giving the tray to the dishwasher.

Donald's face was red as he thrust the order slip at me. "Get the wine now, Higgins!"

I took the slip and hurried to the wine locker room, and my shoulders slumped in defeat; getting a job as a chef was tougher than I imagined. So I settled for being a waitress, working two jobs and struggling to pay my bills.

I snatched the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the wine rack and hurried out of the kitchen. Tonight all the tables were filled with Boston's rich and famous chatting over dinner plates filled with vegetables and steaks; the good side was the generous tips.

The bad side, however...

"Unbelievable," one of the men at the table sneered. He had tried to cover his bald head with his hair. "The service here is so slow. I should leave a one-star review!"

I smiled sweetly as I uncorked the wine. "I'd leave your hairstylist the same review, because you aren't fooling anyone." I said innocently.

The look on his face was purely comical. His companions struggled not to laugh. The tables around us went silent. I filled the empty glasses with wine.

"Excuse me?" The man demanded in outrage.I set the bottle down with a feeling of satisfaction.

A man on the next table signaled for me.I walked towards him, my lips parted to speak, when he interrupted me.

"Is that any way to speak to a customer?" He asked, his deep blue eyes hinted with amusement. I couldn't help but notice he was attractive, with a well-cut jaw and broad shoulders from working out. I'd noticed him earlier; he'd looked at me too.

But men like him paid no attention to the help. His partner was an elegant blond woman adorned in a red dress with diamond earrings.I realized he was probably controlling when he ordered a three-course meal without asking what his date wanted.

I took a deep breath and ignored his question. "Is there anything else you'd like to order?"

"Just the bill." He replied, meanwhile his deep blue eyes drew lower. My uniform consisted of a skirt and black sheer pantyhose, so naturally, I felt disgusted by his look.

"What time do you get off your shift?" He asked. "I'll need extra company, but I think you'll probably be more exciting than her."

The blond woman drew her hand back and slapped him across the face. My jaw dropped open.

Heads swung in our direction.

"You sick bastard!" The woman hissed at Blue Eyes and charged out of the restaurant.

Blue Eyes remained calm and took out his wallet. "Bring the bill, please."A hand grabbed my arm, and I discovered it was Donald who flashed Blue Eyes a smile.

"Please excuse us." Donald practically dragged me into his office.

I drew my arm away. "Thanks for getting me out of there," I spoke. "You wouldn't believe what that guy-"

"You are incompetent, lazy, slow, and always bad-mouthing customers!" Donald spat at me.

"What? That guy tried to harass me."

"You're fired!"

"But Donald, I didn't do anything-"

"Twice you've been caught in the middle of trouble tonight, Fiona. You think you can just waltz your way into being a top chef? You are nothing!"

I flinched from his cold words.

"Leave your uniform and your ID behind and get the hell out of my restaurant!" Donald barked.He didn't even give me a chance to explain myself. My heart caught in my throat, tears formed in my eyes, but I brushed them away as I left through the back door.

Rain showers poured over my head, and I wrapped my arms around my belly to keep warm. My other job at the fast food restaurant paid even less.

What am I going to do now?

As I walked down the alley with my head bent low, someone brushed past me, causing me to drop my purse.

I swung around angrily.

"Watch it!" I snapped at the person.

It was nearly dark.

Lightning struck, and I realized it was the bald man from earlier. I started to walk away, but he grabbed me by my arm.

"You think you're really funny, huh?!" He growled.I struggled against him, pounding his chest with my fist, but he was too strong.

"Let me go!"

He pushed me against a wall. "Nobody makes fun of me and gets away with it!"

Helpless, he forces me to the ground, his hand clamped over my mouth as I scream. A hard fist lands on my cheek. A wave of pain washed through me, and I saw stars.

He struck me again, and I felt myself being pulled back to the past, to the memories of my dad hurting my mom.

"No!" I wailed through the hand covering my mouth.Then he pulled away. My vision was blurry, but I see another man fighting him off, and then darkness sweeps me away.