Overture (North Security, #1)

The world’s fastest violinist played “The Flight of the Bumblebee” averaging fifteen notes per second.


SAMANTHA

Laney insists on taking me to the local café, where we have tea and chocolate croissants while discussing the latest Outlander episode. Josh drives us there, even securing the back exit before he lets us come inside. I give him a strange look. He’s often been responsible for driving us around, the most overqualified chauffeur in the world, but this seems extreme.

In answer he gives me a wink and takes his latte outside.

I glance back at Laney, who’s trying to hide her grin. And the notch of worry between her eyes is gone. “Do you have good news?” I demand, already suspecting as much.

A grin. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but…my mom got back last night. She’s exhausted but absolutely all in one piece. I checked. Two arms. Two legs. One nose. It’s all there.”

I give her a quick hug. “I’m so glad. But wait. Why were you not supposed to tell me?”

She rolls her eyes. “Because Elijah came back with her, and he’s all like, ‘I got Samantha a snow globe from the Kremlin and you can’t tell her I’m here until I give it to her.’”

A bemused laugh escapes me. None of that sounds true. “Whatever.”

“The important thing is that everyone is home. Nothing dangerous ever happens in Kingston.”

I stick out my tongue at her. “Way to tempt fate.”

An unrepentant grin. “Sorry, but I’m a firm believer in nihilism. We don’t believe in fate, but we also think that if fate did exist, tempting it wouldn’t matter. What’s going to happen will happen.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s determinism.”

“Exactly,” she says, snatching the last bite of chocolate croissant from my plate. “Which means I’m not responsible for stealing this, and it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“You know what? I’m not even mad.”

She grins. “Because you have a fancy new violin waiting at home?”

“Yes.” My smile fades. “Though it won’t be home for long.”

“Ugh. I can’t believe he said that to you. Just do what I do when I don’t like something—pretend it didn’t happen. Show up whenever you want. What is he gonna do? Turn you away?”

My stomach turns over, despite the comforting tea and croissant I just ate. “Even if I can come back, that’s going to be in a year and a half. And that’s only the initial tour dates. If I get booked for concerts after that, it could be even longer.”

The label will put me up in hotels for the tour. And after that? I’ll basically be homeless. Oh, I’ll have enough money to rent an apartment or something.

It won’t really be a home.

Silence falls between us, both of us wondering where we’ll be in two years from now. The future stretches out with endless uncertainty. Well, maybe I’m the only one wondering that. It’s possible Laney’s considering stealing the chocolate croissant from the display case.

After all, it would happen anyway.

A rap on the window. Josh taps his watch.

“Let’s go,” Laney says, grabbing her purse.

I take a final swallow of my tea. “Yeah, I’ve got to get my snow globe.”

On the drive back to the house I notice Josh’s raw knuckles.

“Who did you hit?” I say, disapproving. All three brothers are well trained and determined, but of the three of them, only Josh enjoys a fight.

“Oh, this?” he says, his tone innocent. “This was just a love tap.”

He drops us off at the front of the house. It’s dark and unnervingly quiet inside. I wonder if Liam is working, and if he’d mind if I played the Strad again.

“Surprise!”

A squeak escapes me as people jump out from behind the furniture and around the corner. My heart thumps in uneven rhythm. I grin at Laney with accusation. “Did you know about this?”

“It was my job to distract you.”

“So sneaky,” I say, looking around at the hot pink balloons and neon green streamers. A cake on the dining table forms the shape of a violin, the frosting in bright colors.

“I basically told you,” she protests, laughing. “The snow globe. The Kremlin. Honestly who buys souvenirs from the Kremlin?”

“Those are the worst hints in the history of the world.” I throw my arms around her for a big hug. “And thank you for being an amazing friend.”

It seems like all the people who work for North Security are in attendance, including Hassan and his young bride, back from their honeymoon and googly-eyed in love. There’s Laney’s mom, looking no worse for the wear. Liam, looking grave surrounded by so much revelry.

Elijah is back, and though he doesn’t have a snow globe, he does have a black eye. I’m careful not to make a fuss over him in front of everyone—I know he’d hate that.

After “Happy Birthday” has been sung and the cake has been cut, I corner Elijah with a hug. He gives me a quick squeeze before letting me go. Strangely enough, Elijah is known as the asshole out of the three brothers, but my relationship with him has always been easiest. Maybe because we’re closest in age or because you always know where you stand with him.

Though I think it’s more likely because we both know about loss.

“I was worried about you,” I tell him.

“You know I’m too stubborn to die. I’ll probably live to be two hundred.” He doesn’t sound very cheerful about the prospect. But then again, he doesn’t sound cheerful about much of anything.

I give a pointed look to his black eye. “You’re not infallible.”

“You should see the other guy.”

“Nice try, but I already know Josh hit you. And he looks fine.”

He grins, which with the black eye makes him look like a pirate. “And I’m guessing Liam will give me a matching one on the other side when he has a spare minute.”

“Liam wouldn’t hit you,” I say, indignant. “You’re injured.”

“My pride is the only thing injured if you think I can’t take a punch. Besides, I deserved it. I deserved worse than that, but Liam’s gone soft.”

“Because he cares about you.”

Elijah studies me, his hard features set into shadows and edges. His face gives the impression of a cliff, something that’s been hewn over centuries of water and wind but still manages to have hard angles. “No, squirt,” he says gently. “It’s because he cares about you. Everything changed the day he got custody of you.”

I look away. Is that why he’s so eager to get rid of me? I imagine a twelve-year-old girl would cramp anyone’s style, especially a man in his prime who loves adventure. And women. My stomach clenches. “I suppose he’ll join one of the teams once I’m gone.”

“He doesn’t want to do that shit anymore.”

“Or maybe he just didn’t go because he felt obligated to stay with me.”

“He used to take any job. Every job. If it was likely to end up with him in a wooden box, he would do it. He wanted it to end that way. It was only his bad luck that kept him alive.”

The way Elijah speaks, I know he’s talking from experience. “Is that what you do?”

A humorless smile. “That’s the North brothers’ curse. To survive.”


SAMANTHA

The party goes late into the night. It’s ten o’clock when Laney comes to me quietly. “Cody’s here. He’s outside. He doesn’t want to come in.”

The hair on the back of my neck rises at her tone. “What’s going on?”

She glances to the large windows that overlook the hills. Any gathering here involves beer and an overabundance of testosterone, which led to the men competing in impromptu boxing matches. Liam was called outside to arbitrate a particularly dirty one.

Only his decisions are trusted as being completely impartial.

“He’s got bruises,” she whispers.

Birthday cake turns to lead in my stomach. Cody has always hidden his bruises from Liam—and usually from us. He must be in a bad way if he’s come here. “Should I tell Liam?”

Her eyes widen. “You can’t.”

“He helped with Coach Price.”

“That was different. He could get rid of Coach Price. How is he going to get rid of Cody’s dad?”