Behind Closed Doors (Kept in Paradise #1)

Chapter 1

Mia

“HE’ELL BE HERE SOON. He’s never late.” Franny’s dark curls whipped in the wind, hitting my favorite patchwork dress as she stood beside me looking out over the horizon. Her tiny fingers threaded through mine almost instinctively.

Squeezing them gently, I reassured her. “Of course he will. Your father probably called the phone inside and I didn’t hear it while we were out for recess.”

She nodded solemnly and mimicked my tone. “Yes, of course.”

She stood as tall as she could and smiled tightly. I sighed. “You sure you don’t want to go play on the swings for a bit?”

Her blue eyes stayed glued to the lush green rolling hills. Franny, at the age of seven, was an old soul who was not willing to engage in frivolousness when she thought something might be wrong.

“My mommy didn’t pick me up from school one day,” she shared. Her concern became more evident when she continued, “Then she never came back.”

It wasn’t my job to pry into the child’s homelife. Summer school was all I could provide—or rather, all I was told to provide. Despite that, I responded with, “But I bet your dad probably came instead, right? He always comes.”

She didn’t even hesitate. “Yup.”

“Then there is nothing to worry about,” I said confidently, but doubt crept in.

No cars were in sight down that road. So, I pointed over to the swings.

“Look, I put some extra flowers above your swing this morning. Why don’t you tell me what scents you’re smelling over there?

” I’d threaded lavender into the bouquet last night and tied crystal beads in, too, hoping it would give the children a calming effect.

Each of my five students for the summer were always wound tight.

There most likely was a study out there that stated it would make them successful in the future, somehow.

They were products of high-achieving parents, ones that sent nannies to get them from school or were on phones as they drove in daily for pickup.

Franny’s father, Jameson, was always present without his phone though. Every day, he would get out of a black SUV and kneel to catch Franny as she ran into his arms.

He was prompt, never late. And never dawdled to talk about much with me either.

“I’m not super interested in swinging with flowers right now, Ms. Darling.”

“I know, Franny. Would you feel better if Xavier went to go call him inside?” I pointed behind us toward the ornate building where one of the armed guards stood.

Blackstone Academy was an imposing, secluded, stately structure.

The first time I saw it, I almost resigned.

Surely, they didn’t want me, a woman in her twenties with only a few years of teaching experience, to be the supervisor of this entire school for the summer.

It had to be hundreds of years old, all stone angles with a Gothic central tower that reminded me of medieval times.

It was clear it had been built for many students, and during the school year, it housed some of the most elite college kids from around the world.

Yet, I’d been informed I would be making it a welcoming classroom for just five second graders for the summer with only the help of armed guards.

“Well, someone should call him.” She huffed like she was the teacher.

It was probably that time. Twenty minutes had passed since the last student had been picked up.

Normally, I didn’t call. I’d been hired at this private academy as a last-minute addition and didn’t want to ruffle feathers by overstepping.

This was unprecedented though. “Xavier.” I turned back to one of the armed guards.

He wore black and didn’t so much as look at me unless I asked him to.

“Could you call Franny’s father and see if he’s headed this way? ”

His small shake of the head signaled all I needed to know. Something was amiss. He glanced at his partner on the other side of the porch and then murmured into his headset. “We’re calling.”

I heard the rumble of engines just as Xavier’s partner started talking to someone. The scramble of guards overtook the serenity of Blackstone Academy and Franny tapped my leg. “Who’s that driving to see us?”

I watched the cars speed around the winding road, moving so quickly, I could see smoke as they turned the corners. It was almost picturesque, the way they shined in the sunlight, such a juxtaposition to the surrounding nature.

“Ms. Darling.” Xavier’s voice was close now and much more commanding. “You both need to go inside with Archer immediately.”

“Inside?” The question tumbled from my mouth as Archer jogged over and tried to take Franny’s hand.

I gripped it more tightly and pulled her close.

If my children’s parents weren’t present, I was their guardian.

I stayed by their sides. I kept them safe.

It might not have been what I was told, but I felt it all the same.

So much so that I’d overstepped at my last job and almost been fired.

And still I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Archer narrowed his dark eyes at me, his brows slamming down. “We’ve got a safe space inside. Out here, you’re exposed and …” He glanced down at Franny, who was listening intently.

“Okay.” My voice shook, but I tried to keep calm even though their stances suddenly seemed on edge. “Franny, we’re going to play inside for a bit. Mr. Archer here will show us where to go. We’ll play a fun little game of hide-and-seek for a bit, right, Archer?”

I shoved my loose chestnut waves away from my face while I shuffled Franny ahead of me, keeping hold of her while Archer hustled us in from behind.

He explained, “Yes, hide-and-seek is my favorite game, Franny. And there’s a secret spot I want to show you.

You’re going to be very quiet in there, okay?

Because we only want your daddy to find you and no bad guys. ”

“That’s weird.” Franny wasn’t convinced. “Daddy doesn’t like games. He likes to get home so we can have dinner.”

“Oh, today, he will love this game,” I said with conviction, even though I had no idea.

Jameson Knight, although beautiful and open with his daughter, was a locked box with me.

I’d only gathered he was a creature of regimented habit by observing he was always on time to pick her up.

He also wore a different version of the same suit every day.

I guessed that he owned dozens of that specific style.

They were impeccably tailored for him, too, draping flawlessly over his massive shoulders and hitting his wrists at precisely the correct length while tapering nicely down his torso.

Plus, someone must have advised him on the color selection as well with how each suit always complemented the deep ocean-blue hue of his eyes.

Not that I was looking.

I was simply his daughter’s teacher. I didn’t care about how his powerful jaw flexed every time he glanced at me or how those blue eyes seemed to hold judgment. Instead, I was happy he smiled genuinely at his daughter every single day and said in a clipped tone, “Always a pleasure, Ms. Darling.”

Truly, I didn’t believe it was a pleasure for him to see me at all. And from those chilling glances, I would guess he’d hate any sort of game.

“He also doesn’t like bad guys,” Franny continued. She was right about that. With the love he showed his daughter, he’d despise any bad guys coming her way.

“It’s just a game we planned, Franny.”

“He didn’t tell me about it. I would have brought my binoculars,” she pouted. It was the one game Franny really enjoyed like a kid. She’d pretend to be a spy, observing things in the distance with her binoculars some days.

“Well, today, he’s the spy. He knows to find you right away, okay?” Archer said in a soft voice he used only for the kids.

I’d gotten to know the guards this summer, saw how they played with the children and how they talked with the parents.

They were sweet and trustworthy, but when I glanced behind me one last time, I saw Xavier pulling an enormous gun from behind his back.

I knew they always carried them but didn’t pay much attention after the first day because things didn’t go wrong here. This couldn’t really be happening.

The first bullet whizzed by, precise and powerful in the air, like a knife cutting through the wind. One of the arched windows shattered just a room over as my heart rate skyrocketed.

Darting into the great hall, Archer slammed the door behind us right as Franny cried out, “What was that?”

He was speaking in his comms while pointing across the room.

I felt my breath coming faster and my body starting to shake.

But Franny’s hand squeezed mine tighter.

I knew she’d see panic if I didn’t contain myself.

I took a breath again and said, “Part of the bad guys coming in the game. They’re just trying to scare us.

Ready to hide? There will be a prize later if you win! ”

“This way. Let’s hustle. Your dad is almost here, Franny,” Archer said, giving me a small nod as I glanced back at him.

He motioned us to the right, where we ended up in the formal living room that boasted wood floors, cathedral ceilings, and paintings over the fireplace that I knew were expensive.

With the vast amount of space, I’d always felt overwhelmed with how to utilize it.

Now, all I could do was seek out where to hide.

Every day, I’d bring students in here to read to them while they sat on the ornate Persian rug, drinking homemade lemonade.

There was a grand piano and a fireplace, but nowhere to hide.

Not until Archer rushed forward and yanked the rug back.

He knelt and dragged his hand across the wood, where he found a groove.

When he pulled at it, the boards swung up together like a small door, but the underside of them had a lining of pure, thick metal. It was a sort of small panic room.

Never had they shown me this feature of the academy. Shouldn’t I have been trained for this, given a warning about the likelihood of it happening while I was teaching, or maybe tipped off that my children’s lives were at stake? I would have prepared. Or at least tried to.

When I took the job, they had glossed over emergency procedures.

I was only told that there would always be guards as a precaution and that they would be up to date on all mandatory protocols.

I could rely on them in case of an emergency.

With a substantial salary and their protection, I didn’t ask questions and reassured myself that we were safe, that nothing life-threatening would actually happen, even when the children made comments about their parents doing extremely secretive things.

He waved us in. “Fun, right, Franny?”

The small room was lined with metal, and nice oak chairs along with a table were set up a ways in. Six chairs, like they’d planned for me and five children specifically. There were also tablets with headphones and snacks. He pointed. “Want to watch your favorite show while you wait for your dad?”

She hesitated and looked to me. “Heart-in-pinkie promise it’s all okay?”

There are pivotal moments where a person has to make life-altering decisions.

They’re made after analyzing every single aspect or in a split second, based solely on a gut reaction.

Right then and there, I knew Franny was a kid who could read a situation better than most, and she didn’t trust easily.

Throughout this month, we’d built a bond deeper than I had with the other students.

It may have been partly because she stuck by my side most of the day, but also, she’d told me once that promises were easily broken, so she didn’t believe in them.

When I told her I put my whole heart into promises when I kissed my pinkie and she could count on that, she didn’t seem to believe at first.

Yet, trust is built one promise at a time. And every heart-in-pinkie promise I made her, I kept.

Promise by promise, our bond was formed, and I wouldn’t break it now.

My gut made the decision for me then. “Heart-in-pinkie promise, Franny. It’s all okay.” I would have to make sure of it, even if it literally killed me.

My little student was all smiles as Archer put her headphones on and pressed a few buttons. Once she was situated, he pointed to the wall of monitors. “Watch these. There’s a lock on the door. When I swing it shut, turn it and don’t move it for anyone but Jameson. You understand?”

“Should we call the police or …? What if Jameson doesn’t make it?” It was the only thing I could think of.

The popping of bullets flying sounded nearby. Not just one, but so many this time. Hundreds over and over so fast, like my beating heart. “He’ll make it. Just stay here.” He was backing away.

“But you’re leaving? You can’t stay in here with us?” I said fast, sounding pathetic as I glanced between him and Franny. How could I protect her by myself? I didn’t have a weapon or even know how to use one. I was a teacher, not a trained assassin.

“I have to get outside to hold them off. Jameson and his crew are five minutes out.” He was looking at Franny and then I was looking at her, too. She was smiling at the show, completely unfazed.

“Five minutes?” I squeaked. That felt like a lifetime. But I could do it. Would have to do it.

His face was grim. “You’ll be okay. Reinforcements are coming.”

I cleared my throat and tried to take one breath slowly so that I didn’t scream accusations at him. I smoothed the worn fabric of my dress and nodded. “Right. We’ll be fine. Just hurry.”

Another round of gunshots rained overhead, and Archer scrambled out quickly. The last I heard from him was, “Five minutes, Ms. Darling. If I don’t hold them, you better.”