Page 1 of Ruthless Protector

Prologue

Willa

One year ago

Ashwood Falls, Ohio

I turned onto my sister and no-good, piece of shit, brother in-law’s, street, and my stomach sank. There was a cop car in the front of their house, lights flashing. The neighbors were all out on the street, watching the drama unfold, enjoying every damn bit of it. I pulled up behind Landon’s patrol car and climbed out, slamming the door behind me. I’d known Landon since high school; he was a good guy, was good to me. He understood the hell I was going through with my sister, how my hands were tied where my niece Tilly was concerned, and thankfully had always let me take her without involving child protection.

Unfortunately, my niece’s distress call tonight was not the first, but it was going to be the goddamn last. Rebecca had shot up, smoked, and snorted shit up her nose for the last time. My older sister was going to rehab again and this time, she wasn’t discharging herself. She was going to leave that worthless asshole Trent for good, and I was taking Tilly, and I wasn’t giving her back until she had her life sorted out.

A muffled yell came from the patrol car. Trent was cuffed in the back, eyes wide and glassy, face red, screaming my sister’s name. The idiot headbutted the window when he saw me.

I flipped him off, pushed open the weather-beaten gate, and strode to the front door. It opened before I could get out my key.

I looked up at Landon. “Just let me grab Tilly and I’ll get out of here. Tell Rebecca I’ll be back to talk to her in the morning.” No way could I deal with her tonight. I was too pissed off, and after seeing Trent, I could guess the state she was in. Attempting to have a conversation with her would be pointless. “She promised,” I said to Landon. “She promised me she was staying clean this time, that she was done with Trent…well, I’m done. I’m so goddamn done…”

“Willa…”

“No, Landon, I mean it this time. I’m going to…”

“Willa…”

“Just let me get Tilly…”

“Willa,” he said, stronger this time, stopping me mid-tirade.

As soon as I took a good look at him, I knew something bad had happened. Not the usual bad, like Tilly left alone, or freaking out because her parents were passed out, or they forgot to pick her up from school because they were too wasted to drive. Which was all seriously bad stuff—unforgivable—but this was worse. My hand shot out, grabbing for the door frame, my legs suddenly weak. “Tilly?”

“She’s fine. She’s with Mrs. Jones next door.”

Okay, Tilly was fine. She went to Mrs. Jones’ a lot. I’d told her to go there if she was ever frightened and to call me. I trusted Mrs. Jones; she’d known Rebecca and I since we were little. In fact, this had been our family home once upon a time. We’d lived here with our mom. Our dad had decided he didn’t want a family anymore, that he had better things to do. So, Mom had raised us on her own.

I dropped my hand. “Okay, good. Let me pack Tilly a bag and take her to my place. Are you taking them both to the station? Are they being charged with anything?” I tried to move past him, but he blocked my way.

“You can’t go in there, Willa.”

I met his eyes and he shook his head. “What are you…what’s going on…”

“Rebecca OD’ed.”

My fingers dug harder into the doorframe. “Is she…”

Landon expression turned sympathetic. “Bob’s working on her, an ambulance is on the way.”

I shoved him aside and tore down the hall, ignoring his startled call. I found her on her bedroom floor, skin a weird color, vomit and other shit on her face and clothes, the carpet beside her. Bob, Landon’s partner, was doing chest compressions.

I ran over and dropped to my knees. “Goddamn it, Rebecca, wake up. Wake the hell up.”

“Stay back,” Bob said and carried on trying to save my sister’s life.

She suddenly took a deep, rattling breath and her hand shot out, grabbing mine in a grip so tight it hurt. She said something.

“Don’t try and talk, Becky…don’t…”

“Pr-promise me,” she choked out. “Tilly.”

“You’re going to be okay, you’ll be okay…”