The Lost One (Lost Series Book 1) Read Free Page A

fear; I’m not sure. I do know my dad can be a scary person sometimes.
    Blake is taken completely by surprise when Dad, who is not a hugging kind of guy, pulls him into a short, manly hug. A lump forms in my throat at the sight of two grown men shedding a few tears.
    “You did what you could, son. Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s no one’s fault but that lowlife’s sitting in that courtroom now with a broken nose… hopefully.” He beams proudly at me. I give a weak smile.
    “I know. I guess I will always think I could, no should, have done more to help her.”
“It’s all right. Just pick yourself up and go help those you can help now. Don’t live in the past.”
    “Thank you, sir.” He stretches out his hand and Dad takes it. Blake then turns toward Mum and me. “You and your sister are both beautiful women. She talked about all of you that day, how much she loved you and appreciated all your support and encouragement. She was smiling when I left her,” he says with a sad smile of his own. ”A gain, I’m sorry for your loss.”
    Mum and I are standing here with tears still flowing down our face. I am so grateful he approached us. To know she felt our love and found this stranger to confide in makes me happy. Hearing she still had smilin g moments lifts some of the weight off my heart.
    We both hug this stranger and thank him for his kind words. He walks away looking a little more relieved than before. I leave feeling the first glimmer of peace since the night Abby disappeared.

Chapter One
     
    Three Years Later
    Beep, beep. I hear my phone go off. I groan, rolling over, and reaching out for it on the bedside table. I open my eyes a little, noticing it’s still dark out. I groan again in frustration. Who messages this early? Squinting at the brightness, I try to see whom the message is from through blurry eyes.
     
    Mum: Hey, honey, good luck with the job interview today. I will call you later.
    Love you!
    Mum and Dad xo
    P.S. Sorry, I know it’s early.
     
    Trust Mum to message me this early. Looking at the time, I discover it’s five a.m. ! “Are you kidding me? Come on, Mum. You knew I would be sleeping.” Feeling a little frustrated, I know Mum is working early shifts at the hospital, but she could have just rung me later.
    It’s been a month since I moved to New York. I needed a change; plus, I needed to get the bad memories of my hometown out of my mind, and living there was always a constant reminder of what happened to Abby.
    The anniversary of her death is coming up soon. I miss her every day and the pain is still unbearable at times. I find myself waking up crying some nights. The memory of that part of my life is always fresh in my mind, a constant reminder to never trust a guy, no matter how great he may seem.
    It was our shared dream to move to New York, work and party it up while we were young. Maybe even travel around a little. We always had a fascination with Europe, especially Italy, but now it’s just me. I feel lost and alone some days .
    I have met some great people since moving here. There’s Felicity, or Flick, as I like to call her. She works at the recruitment company that I applied to when I first moved here. We clicked right away. She loves hearing me talk with my Aussie accent. My family moved to America when Abby and I were eighteen. Dad got a transfer in the Army, so we moved to Philadelphia. Dad was away most of the time, but Mum, Abby, and I settled in pretty well in our new home state. It’s just Mum and Dad at home now since Dad retired. We got our green cards and decided to stay.
    Flick figured I knew nothing about New York, which I didn’t, so she took me under her wing, showing me the great restaurants, nightclubs, and the best shopping spots. I can’t believe the hot guys around. I still keep my distance, but can’t help looking.
    She has been putting my name in for all the high paying jobs, which is great, although nothing has come of it yet.