Stripped Bare: Love & Trust Series, #1

By Lyssa Cole

I had to get away.
Away from the darkness, away from the evil.
After carefully planning, I ran.
But what I didn't plan for was meeting him.
He flipped my whole world upside down.
Who do I trust? Because I think he's hiding something...
Something that just might bring me back to the very thing I ran from. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lyssa Cole Books
• Release date: Apr 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386051534

Lyssa Cole

Lyssa Cole has been in love with books for as long as she can remember. Escaping into a story is her favorite pastime. Wanting to be a writer for a couple years, she is now crafting her own stories. She loves to write angsty & sexy romance with lots of heat and some suspense to keep you guessing and wanting to turn that page! She lives in Southeastern Mass with her boyfriend, two children, three cats, and two dogs. Lover of coffee, all things chocolate, & always the avid reader, you can keep up with Lyssa Cole by subscribing to her newsletter here: http://bit.ly/NLsignuplyssacole. You can also find her at www.lyssacolebooks.com or www.facebook.com/lyssacolebooks.

Book preview

Prologue

5 years ago

Maddie

---

I try to crouch into the dark spot without making a sound. I wrap my arms around my legs and push myself into the smallest space I can manage.

And then I just breathe. And listen. He's coming. I can hear him pounding the floor upstairs, his cursing getting louder, my name mixed in, his words running down my back like icicles. A sob escapes my mouth and I quickly cover it with my hands, not wanting him to hear me. The door to the basement swings open, his boots taking the stairs two at a time.

Fucking bitch! Maddie, where are you? Stop hiding, you know you like what I give you. This time I think you need to be punished for hiding from me, you little slut.

I close my eyes and huddle in even deeper. I clutch my mother’s ring that I wear around my neck, pulling on the chain slightly. It's only a matter of time- minutes, seconds, before he finds me.

Suddenly, I feel a hand grab my hair and I'm yanked from the corner. I scream but it's no use.

One punch and I'm out. Darkness welcomes me. There is no escape. There never will be.

Chapter One

Maddie

Present day

---

My heart is beating so fast, the wind rushing behind me. I did it. I finally did it. I broke free. But this isn't the end for me. I will always have to be running, hiding, the demons not far behind.

But for now, I hold on to my backpack and pound the dirt, not looking back. The wind runs through my long brown hair, the cold air pushing harshly through my lungs. Buildings and houses rush past in a blur but I don’t pay any attention. They don’t matter anyways. All that matters is my destination.

I reach the bus stop closest to me, the night sky not giving me much to go on. I have planned this escape for months now, each detail drawn out. I had to be very careful and play the part perfectly. No one could ever find out what I was doing.

I sit down on the cold, hard bench and hold my backpack tight to my chest. I touch my necklace, my fingers running over the ring at the end. You can do this. Breathe, Maddie. In and out.

I hear a crunch behind me and jump up, my heart beat speeding up again. I turn but no one is there. It must have been the wind.

Sighing, I sit back down and wait. The first bus comes at 5 A.M. Only 3 hours to go.

I close my eyes and try to slow my heart. Nerves swarm through my stomach, pulling it into a tight knot. I glance around, taking in my surroundings. I am in one of the worst areas of town but it was the closest to my house. I haven’t been outside much in the past few years and my eyes drink in every sight. There are shops across the way, some run down, having seen better days. A few triple decker houses pepper the street but it is mainly commercial buildings. A few abandoned, broken windows and spray paint tainting their image. Even squinting in the dark, I could tell the city was a scary place. I pull into myself, my hand grasping my mother’s ring that is hanging around my neck. This necklace means so much to me. The only piece I still have of her, the touch of the ring soothing something inside me.

Everyone is still sleeping; they won’t notice me missing until the morning. Or I hope. I know every search party, PI, and family friend will then be hauled in to look for me.

God Forbid the daughter of one of the country’s largest crime families go missing. The news would slander our family and I would have to pay the ultimate price.

That’s why I will never be found. Never. I’d rather kill myself first. I am not going back there. To the men my father would trade me out with. Here- have my daughter’s body as payment.

These disgusting men, grabbing me, pulling at me. Like I am just a piece of property.

The memories make my skin crawl and I only twist my necklace faster, wanting to escape the feelings that come along with them. Cold air washes over me and I pull my jacket tight around my thin body, my long legs wrapped underneath me. I close my eyes, rocking back and forth, trying to let my brain shut off. I open my bag and grabbed my ear buds, only placing the left one in. I plug them into my phone, open my playlist, and my favorite music begins playing…the fun beats, the movement of my body, letting me forget the past, the awful things I’ve done.

I sigh. It’s time for a fresh start. Away from all of that. I am not going to let it happen again.

If only my mother were still alive. She would have saved me from all of that evilness. My older brother was just as bad as my father. And I never had any other family. I twirl my necklace as the next song begins to play, losing myself in the dance music.

I feel my strength slowly fading from my body, sleep wanting to come to me. I can’t let my thoughts destroy me. I made it this far and I am going to keep going. A new life is waiting for me…I just know it…

I wake with a start, someone tapping my shoulder. I gasp and quickly stand, jumping back, panic flooding my body, my ear bud falling out, my phone clattering to the ground, pulling the ear buds right along with it.

I’m sorry, there young lady. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know the bus is here.

The older man points to the bus, his eyes filled with concern. Are you alright? I nod quickly, unable to make eye contact. I whisper a quick thank you, swoop down and grab my phone and ear buds, and dart on the bus as fast as I could. I hand over my ticket and rush to the back, sliding into the last corner booth. There is only one other person on the bus besides the older man now getting on. I hope there isn’t much more.

The air in the bus is hot and thick. I feel like I couldn’t breathe, trapped somewhere with no fresh air. It smells faintly of body odor and perfume. I feel nauseous at the thought of the long ride ahead, the bus not the most comfortable of transportation choices.

I couldn’t believe I had fallen asleep. I rub my eyes, trying to clear my head. I am so stupid. What if I had been found while sleeping? Fuck, Maddie. Get it together!

I stare out the window, willing the bus to just hurry up and go. The sooner we start moving, the better. I am staying on this bus to the very end of the route which was across the country. I found the longest route and saved every dollar I could slowly steal off my father and brother.

What am I going to do when I get there? No fucking clue but I figured I would go from there once I actually made it there. I could be captured before then. Who fucking knows with my family. I had to be very careful, keeping my head down and not speaking to many people.

Just then, a dark haired man gets on the bus. He glances my way and ice runs down my back as soon as my eyes meet his. No. No no no. It can’t be. Not already.

I look away quickly and pretend I didn’t just make eye contact. He is moving closer to me; I can see it from the corner of my eye.

But then he slides into a booth a few ahead of me and puts on a pair of headphones.

I let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. The woman across from me, who was on the bus before me, gives me a strange look, her pretty features crinkling in the process. I smile and look away.

This is going to be a long fucking ride.

Chapter Two

Maddie

---

My life wasn’t always a fucking disaster. My mom died when I was 15. When she was alive, I was so happy. I knew my father wasn’t always a good man, but my mom never made me feel like I needed to worry. She smothered me in love and affection and even my brother was completely smitten with her. She made me feel so special, like all of her attention was saved for me.

I would never forget her smell- sweet lavender with a touch of vanilla. My mother always smelled the same, and every time I hugged her, my nose filled with her scent, branding itself in my memory. Her name had been Madeline Kaplan, my name being pulled from her own, and I would never forget her.

We were such a happy little trio. My father was present but his job always kept him busy. My mom would blame his bad behavior on his job but I knew better. When I grew old enough to start seeing through some of the bullshit, I knew there were bad things going on.

My mom kept it behind closed doors as much as she could. But sometimes when I couldn’t sleep at night, I’d hear them. She was crying and he was yelling at her for not accepting his work and what he HAD to do. Mom would always be happy the next morning, breakfast ready as usual, but I could tell. As the years wore on, she got more and more unhappy.

Right around the time I turned 14, weird things began happening. Strange men and women were coming over all the time. My parents would be hosting them in their bedroom or my father’s office. Men with guns would stop by and I’d be ushered to my room.

I was just a young teen. I had no idea what was going on and, as hard as I tried to figure it out, I would just see my mother wasting away into a shadow of herself. Which only made me try to figure it out even more.

One day, she pulled me aside, her tear stained face red and blotchy. My mother had been the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen- her long dark brown hair, wavy and silky, much like my own, along with her soft features, milky complexion, and big, brown eyes. My skin was darker like my father’s and my hair had been lighter, but I had her eyes and soft features, my face very similar to hers. I could tell she was upset, but when she stared into my eyes as she pressed the ring into my hand, I couldn’t say anything back, emotion caught deep in my throat.

Maddie, my sweet baby girl, you take this ring and you hold on to it. It is a piece of myself that I am giving you. It was my mother’s ring that she gave me and now I am passing it down to you. I would… Her breath hitched in her throat as fresh tears threatened to spill over.

After a deep breath, she continued on, I would have waited for a more special time but I couldn’t wait any longer. Her eyes pulled away from when she spoke those last few words, her lie obvious. I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t if I tried, I was rooted to the spot, the emotion swirling inside me overwhelming. A sob escaped her throat and after pulling me into a tight hug, she disappeared down the hall just as quickly as she had appeared. I tried sliding the ring on my finger but it was too big, and slid right off. I found a gold chain in my jewelry box that I had had for a few years now and I looped the ring through the chain and then clasped it around my neck. Now I would always be able to wear the ring and it would stay close to my heart.

My curiosity was now peaked even further, wanting to save my mother from whatever was going on. So I began to snoop. When my father was out of the house and my mom was in one of her baths or outside, I would look through things in my father’s office or their bedroom. Inside drawers, under the bed. But I never found much. My father, whose name was John Kaplan, was very smart and a very well-known businessman. Nice? No. But he got what he wanted. Because people feared him, and he was ruthless. I hated how he did business and how he treated our family. I resented him for making my mother lose her happiness and sunshine. And so, I gave him the cold shoulder.

Then the day came when my life turned upside down. I will never forget what happened.

It had been a cold, rainy day. I was in my room, doing some homework, waiting for my punishment to come. My dance music had been playing in the background, the beat keeping me motivated to continue with my schoolwork. I had gotten caught the night before, snooping in my father’s office. He didn’t say anything to me then, just ordered me out, but I knew it was only a matter of time. Nothing ever goes unpunished in this house.

I once again hadn’t found anything but I knew something was up. Two couples showed up last night and there was a lot of noise coming from my parents’ bedroom. I’m not stupid even though I was still young. My brother had told me things and I had read some books. I knew what sex was. That clench in your belly, the heat between your legs.

I already had been having fantasies. Mine were mostly getting the hell out of this house. But a hot man would definitely help. A prince charming to be exact. A man to sweep me off my feet and rescue me. My hormones were festering inside me and I knew once they fully came out, there would be no stopping me. I was my parents’ child after all and from what I have seen lately- they liked sex too.

A sharp knock came to my door and my breath hitched. Here it comes.

Come in.

The door opened swiftly, my father popping his head around, his eyes dark and stormy.

Maddie. I need to speak to you in my office now.

With that, he was gone, the door slamming shut behind him. I took a deep breath and quickly left my room, hurrying to meet him. My heart