Aussie (The Trident Series II: BRAVO Team #5)

PROLOGUE

Ava Porter pedaled through the darkness, the cool Seattle night air biting at her skin. It was just after eleven when she reached the small park behind the house. She hopped off her bike, glancing nervously toward the two-story home in the distance. If Jim and Roxy found out she had a bike, they’d take it from her, just like everything else. She quickly locked it to the metal rack near the swings and pocketed the key.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she tucked her tip money, just under twenty bucks, into her bra. It wasn’t much, but it was all she had, and it had to be hidden. If they found it, they'd take that too, claiming it as rent or some other lie. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself as she walked down the narrow trail toward the house, her heart already racing in anticipation.

She reached the driveway and paused for a moment, staring up at the darkened windows.

The house looked like the picture-perfect family home from the outside—neatly trimmed lawn, fresh paint, a porch swing. To anyone passing by, it seemed welcoming, safe even. But Ava knew better. Once you stepped inside, it was like living in a horror movie. Every smile was fake, every kind gesture hiding something sinister.

It was quiet—too quiet. The younger kids they fostered were always asleep by now, but Jim and Roxy were usually awake and lurking. She hesitated, her gut screaming at her to turn around, to run. But where would she go? She forced herself to push open the front door, the familiar creak sending a shiver down her spine.

The house was still, an eerie calm settling over it. Her pulse quickened. There was no sound of the TV, no clinking of beer bottles. There was nothing. Ava swallowed hard, her senses on high alert. Every fiber of her being told her to get out, to run back to her bike, and disappear into the night. But she ignored it, as she always did. She was used to pretending everything was fine.

She made her way to the basement door, trying to move quietly, but the silence made each footstep sound like a shout.

Her footsteps echoed as she descended the narrow, creaking staircase after her shift at the fast-food joint. Something felt off. The air was thick and heavy with an eerie stillness that made her stomach churn. They knew. She didn’t know how, but they knew.

The moment her foster father’s silhouette appeared at the bottom of the stairs, her heart froze. His dark eyes bore into her, hard and unforgiving. “Get down here,” his voice was low and menacing. She hesitated, her legs trembling, but before she could turn to run, he was on her, his grip like iron around her arm.

“You thought you were smart, didn’t you?” Her foster mother’s shrill voice followed as the woman appeared behind him, her lips curled in a sneer. “The social worker told us everything. You little bitch!”

Panic surged through Ava’s veins. The world blurred as she twisted, trying to break free, but it was useless. She knew it. He dragged her down, her feet barely touching the remaining steps. She didn’t even get a chance to scream before the first blow landed.

The beating was calculated and practiced, just like every other time. Her foster parents were always careful where they hit. Her body bore the brunt of their fury, bruises blossoming in places no one would see. They never hit her face or any other part of her body where it could be noticeable because they knew better.

Pain shot through her side as his boot connected with her ribs. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, but the tears came anyway, hot and angry.

“You think someone’s going to believe a little trash thing like you?” Her foster mother’s voice hissed in her ear as Ava curled into herself. “If you open your mouth again, you’ll regret it.”

The words echoed in her mind as she lay on the cold concrete floor, her body throbbing with agony. She couldn’t stay there. Not anymore. This had to be the last time.

She vowed then and there, lying broken and bleeding, that she would run away. Far away. She would start over, build a life of her own, away from the suffocating cruelty of this house.

Suddenly, the darkness of the basement faded into nothingness and was replaced by the sound of something shrill.

BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…