Forbidden Flare

Prologue

Three years ago

The phone rings, and I imagine Maeve debating whether or not to answer. Pacing my bedroom, I squeeze my eyes shut and hope she doesn’t bail on me now.

Seconds later, she picks up. “Viv? What’s wrong?” My sister’s voice sounds strong and clear, but there’s an undercurrent of concern running through it.

“Nothing. I—” Pressing my fingertips to my eyes, I take a deep breath.

“You wouldn’t have called me unless something was wrong,” she says.

She knows I’d never interrupt her weekly poker game if it wasn’t urgent, but I’m starting to feel foolish. “It’s about Bash’s accident,” I say.

There’s a brief pause. “Please tell me he’s okay.”

“He’s fine. Everyone’s fine,” I reassure her. Except Ember. And me.

“Okay.” The relief in her voice is apparent. “Then tell me what’s up.”

“That night . . .” I begin, but I’m not sure how much to tell her without making her a co-conspirator. “That night, we did something.”

“Who’s we?”

“Me, Cassian, Marlowe, Finn, Shep, and Sutton.”

“What did you do?”

I bite my lip. “I can’t tell you that.”

Maeve sighs. “Then I don’t know how to help you, Viv.”

“It’s Dad,” I say. “He forced us to do it, and now I’m having second thoughts.”

“What did he force you to do?”

“I said I can’t tell you that.”

“Why not?”

“Because it wasn’t legal.” My voice rises. “It was horrible. And I don’t want you to get in trouble if we’re caught.”

“Viv, what is going on?”

“I’m scared.” My lip is trembling, and I clench my jaw to keep it from rattling.

A Wilson is supposed to remain composed, even when it feels like our worlds are falling apart.

“I feel terrible about what we did, and now Finn’s gone, and Marlowe’s a mess, and I’m scared nothing will ever be the same again. ”

Silence stretches between us until I start to wonder if she’s hung up on me.

“If Dad forced you,” she says finally, “he must have had some kind of leverage.”

I take a shuddering breath. “He told us if we didn’t, Bash would—” My voice breaks as the horror of that night washes over me once again. Watching your brother’s unconscious body being pulled from a wrecked car will do that to you.

“Bash would what?”

“He said Bash would get into trouble. We were all so scared he wouldn’t wake up that we just did what Dad wanted us to.”

Maeve sighs again, heavier this time. “I don’t know what to tell you, Viv, except that our father has a way of bending people to his will. It sounds like he’s the guilty one, not you.”

“It sure doesn’t feel that way,” I say quietly.

“Maybe not, but unless you’re going to come forward about whatever it is you did, you’re going to have to find a way to move on with your life.”

I nod, even though she can’t see me, and sniff. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll try.”

“You’ve got this, Viv. Everything will be okay, you’ll see,” she says.

I hope with all my heart she’s right.