Crossfire (Book 1) (The Omega Group)
Read Crossfire (Book 1) (The Omega Group) Online
Authors: Andrea Domanski
Copyright © 2014
by Andrea Domanski
Cover Art Copyright © 2014 Rebecca Sterling
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may
not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book
review.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing, 2014
All inquiries to
www.AndreaDomanski.com
To my husband, Mark,
who made it possible for
me to take this leap of faith.
Table of Contents
Chapter 10
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Chapter 11
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Chapter 12
Chapter 13
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Chapter 14
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Chapter 15
Chapter 16
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Chapter 17
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Chapter 18
Chapter 19
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Chapter 20
/
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
/
Chapter 23
.
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
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Chapter 26
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Chapter 27
Chapter 28
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Chapter 29
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Chapter 30
Chapter 31
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Chapter 32
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Chapter 33
Chapter 34
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Chapter 35
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Chapter 36
Chapter 37
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Chapter 38
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Chapter 39
Chapter 40
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Chapter 41
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Chapter 42
Present Day
“It’s my nineteenth birthday!” Mirissa shouted to the unseen
people she knew were watching.
Mirissa Colson was sitting in the same small white room
she’d been in for what felt like hours. Of course, she really had no idea how
long she’d been there or what time of the day or night it might be. There were
no windows, no clocks, and they’d taken her Mickey Mouse watch, along with all
of her other personal items. Whatever drug they’d used to subdue her hadn’t
completely knocked her out – one of the benefits of being her – but it had made
her groggy for long enough to ensure she couldn’t fight back. After she had
screamed herself hoarse, Mirissa had given up that tactic and replaced it with
the guilt trip tactic. Maybe if they knew it was her birthday, they’d feel bad
enough to just let her go.
Sure, that could happen. And then the Tooth Fairy
could blow a hole through the wall with special fairy dust and that would be
the end of it.
For lack of anything better to do, Mirissa once again
searched the room for clues as to her location, who had brought her here, and
how the hell she was going escape. She sat on a black metal chair, in front of
a gray metal table, both securely bolted to the floor.
No points for style
or originality
.
The only other feature of this stark white prison cell was
the unusual door. At first glance, she hadn’t even noticed it was there, but
for the small biometric scanner conveniently located at eye level. Under close
inspection, Mirissa saw the faint outline of a door, but no handle or hinges
could be seen.
This wasn’t the first time Mirissa Colson had been held
against her will. In the last year, she’d been kidnapped twice (three times if
you include her current predicament) and had twice barely escaped with her
life. This time seemed different.
Her captors hadn’t hurt her. They had failed to put her in
some nasty cesspool, full of every disease-carrying rodent known to man. They
didn’t shackle her to the wall or bind her in any manner. They’d simply put her
in this room and walked out without saying a word. The phrase “the calm before
the storm” crossed her mind.
How had this become her life? Was it really only a year ago
that she’d prepared for her senior prom and looked forward to college? If she
hadn’t answered that damn door, her life could have been…
One Year Ago
Steve Colson tried to hold a straight face as he watched his
daughter impatiently pacing back and forth.
“Come on, Dad!” Mirissa wailed in her very best spoiled brat
impression. Today Mirissa celebrated her eighteenth birthday and, Steve knew,
it had to be perfect. She had been waiting for this day her whole life –
literally – and obviously had absolutely no intention of waiting any longer.
“What’s the rush, sweetheart? The store doesn’t even open
for another half hour.” The grin on Steve’s face said he planned on torturing
Mirissa until she was climbing the walls. “Are you sure you want to go shopping
today? It’ll be really busy out there and I was thinking maybe we could just
hang out here and watch old movies with Henry or something.” Henry was
Mirissa’s pet turtle and her oldest friend. “He might get upset if he misses
your big birthday.”
“Henry’s fine. I told him we’d bring him a new basking rock
when we came back. I’ll be waiting in the car. And just in case you have any
ideas of putting this off again, know that I have your credit card in my purse
and will go without you if you are not in the car in the next thirty seconds.”
Steve Colson had to give his daughter her due. She knew
exactly how to get him moving. Just the thought of what his next Visa statement
would look like if she went unsupervised, not to mention what the prom dress
would look like, was enough to have him running to his car.
It had been a long time since Steve had seen his daughter
this happy. Too long. It wasn’t that she’d had some horribly bad life or
anything; it was just that he hadn’t seen that spark in her eyes since her
mother left. She’d closed herself off from everyone, even him. That was when
Steve decided to get her a pet. He thought it would help her come out of her
shell. What he hadn’t expected was Mirissa to choose a pet that had a shell of
its own—a red-eared slider turtle. After some research, he soon understood her
reasoning. That turtle had a life span almost as long as Mirissa’s which meant
she would never have to worry about it leaving her. They purchased Henry the
very next day.
Today, Mirissa had chosen a gown shop that was, as she put
it, the best in the entire city, and by the time they walked through the front
door, she beamed a smile that warmed his heart. Steve anticipated the trouble
he would be in shortly.
For the next hour Steve squished his six-foot-two-inch frame
into a plush armchair while Mirissa paraded around in dress after dress. She
was a virtual whirlwind of taffeta and lace. Keeping a smile plastered on his
face, Steve cringed inwardly when the more revealing dresses were modeled and
applauded every time she walked out in full coverage. She might be eighteen now,
but she would always be his little girl.
Finally, Mirissa settled on an elegant peach-colored
full-length fitted gown with a sweetheart neckline and spaghetti straps. It
looked beautiful against her olive complexion and long, wavy brown hair. Steve
had to admit that she looked stunning. She would surely be the envy of all the
girls at the prom, which was pretty much exactly what she was going for.
After paying an exorbitant amount for what Mirissa swore was
“the absolute best prom dress EVER,” they drove home, making several stops
along the way to pick up shoes, the necessary accessories to complete her
outfit, and, of course, a new basking rock for her best friend, Henry.
At home, she tried on everything they had purchased one more
time, modeling the outfit for Henry, when the doorbell rang. Eager to show off
her gown to whomever was lucky enough to be on their front porch, Mirissa swung
open the door with an ear-to-ear smile on her face. It quickly faded when the
Federal Express man shoved a package in her hand, and without giving her a
second look, trotted off the porch, down the sidewalk, and to his truck.
Unwilling to let a deliveryman sour her mood, she looked at
the package to see who had sent her the birthday gift that she knew it must be.
It was addressed to Mirissa Colson, but the only information under “Sender” was
a P.O Box in Atlanta, Georgia. Odd, she couldn’t remember ever meeting anyone
who lived there.
Undaunted, Mirissa tore open the paper and found a small
green velvet box inside with a folded notecard. With a feeling of apprehension,
she opened it.
My Dearest Mirissa,
I know it has been far too long since we last saw each
other and that you must be filled with questions. Please know that you have
been in my heart every minute of every day since I left and that I have longed
for the day that we could be together again. I know I have much to explain and
I promise that I will soon.
For now, I am sending you this very special gift. It has
been passed down through the generations of my family for centuries, and now,
it belongs to you.
I had hoped that I would be able to give this to you in
person and share all of the history of our family with you, but that is just
not possible right now. So in my place a guardian has been sent to guide you.
He will arrive at 2:00 pm. Please wait until then to open your gift. It is
important that your guardian be with you when you do.
Happy birthday, my darling. I will see you soon.
Love,
Mom
Dumbfounded, Mirissa stared at the note from her long-lost
mother. It had been eleven years since she had walked out of their lives with
not so much as a word of explanation. Now, on Mirissa’s eighteenth birthday,
she decided to walk right back in? Mirissa didn’t know what to think or how to
feel. She felt anger at her mother for leaving both her and her father the way
she had. She’d always regretted her mom missing all of the important events in
her young. But she was also excited at the prospect of seeing her again and
learning the answers to all of the questions that had plagued her for over a
decade.
And what was this business about a guardian? What could she
possibly need with a guardian? It wasn’t like they were rich and famous and
needed bodyguards to fend off the thousands of fans trying to get close. What
kind of gift had she given her that would require a guide?
After looking at the clock, Mirissa realized her new
guardian wouldn’t be there for another hour. She eyed the beautiful green
velvet box and told herself to wait.
Wait, hell.
Within ten seconds the
box was open on her lap, revealing an unusual—and expensive—looking ring.
Embedded in the gold oval of the ring, was a picture made of
inlaid stones. Two swords made of diamonds were laid out in the shape of a T. A
long snake of emeralds wound its way around the upright sword, its head resting
where the two swords met. Its eyes were tiny rubies that seemed to look right
at her.
Snakes and swords? Really, Mom? This ring was handed down
in our family through the centuries? Why? What does all of this mean? And where
the hell have you been all this time?
Mirissa took out the ring and slid it on the ring finger of
her right hand, surprised that it fit her perfectly. Then she heard her dad come
in from the backyard and felt a surge of guilt overwhelm her. How could she be
trying on a ring sent to her by a woman who had deserted them? Without another
thought, she grabbed the ring to pull it off and put it back in its box. It
didn’t budge. Although it had slipped easily onto her finger, it was not coming
off that way. Listening to her dad walk through the kitchen toward the living
room made Mirissa panic and she yanked on the ring until her finger was red and
raw, but it still would not come off. Just then, her father walked in the room
and saw the look of terror on her face.
“What’s wrong, Birthday Girl? You look like you just saw a
ghost!”
At a loss for words, Mirissa held out her right hand and
watched the color bleed from her beloved father’s face. Just as she was about
to ask him if he was alright, she felt a pinprick on her finger, just below the
snake-and-swords depiction on the ring. Then everything went black.