Chapter 1

1 Last life, my sister's boy toy wanted to see a meteor shower.

So, she took all the bodyguards and drove out to the boonies to make it happen for him.

Turns out, the guys she screwed over saw their chance and broke into our house looking for payback.

Mom went all mama bear on them, got seriously hurt, hanging on by a thread.

I called my sister like a million times, begging her to come home and help.

She finally had to ditch her date and bring the muscle back.

They caught the bad guys, but then we got the worst news from the sticks.

Her little fling left a suicide note, MIA.

He blamed me in the letter, saying I deliberately got my sister out of the house so he would suffer.

My sister just burned the note without a word, told me not to sweat it.

After that, she got heat, and Dad promised me the family business.

But after the celebration, my sister straight up murdered me in my bedroom.

No expression on her face, just cold.

"Someone as messed up as you should have been gone a long time ago," she said.

"You're the one who should be dead, and I deserve to be in charge of this family!"

I died with my eyes open, and then I woke up to the sound of someone breaking down the front door.

...

The crash of the front gate getting busted open yanked me back from almost choking to death.

I grabbed Mom, who was freaking out and trying to run out there, and dragged her into my room.

I locked the door, gasping for breath, and told Mom we had to push the big dresser in front of it.

"Cameron, what are you doing? We have security, what are you afraid of?"

Mom looked at me, confused, but she couldn't hide the fear in her eyes.

She didn't know my sister had taken all the guards with her for her boyfriend.

"Mom, sis took all the security guys. It's just us!"

I gritted my teeth, putting all my weight into pushing the dresser.

It screeched across the floor, leaving deep scratches.

Mom froze. She couldn't believe her normally responsible daughter would do something so reckless.

We're the Caldwells, for crying out loud.

Security is always top priority, how could all the guards be gone?

But looking at my pale face, she had no choice but to believe me.

"Call your sister, tell her to get back here, now!"

Mom was practically screaming.

I didn't say anything, just stared at the door, barely blocked by the dresser.

My hands shaking, I dialed 911, gave them the address and a quick rundown.

I wasn't putting all my eggs in my sister's basket. Last time she took forever to get back.

Mom died because she didn't get help in time.

Hanging up, my heart sank.

We'd had a blizzard recently, and our place is up in the hills, far from the cops.

I didn't want to think about what could happen before they arrived.

"Bang!" The door shook.

I instinctively leaned against the dresser, fear washing over me.

Just then, Mom's call to my sister connected.

"Lindsey, get back here, someone's breaking in… we're being robbed!"

Mom was crying.

My sister sounded annoyed on the other end.

"Relax, Mom, stop making stuff up. I'm celebrating with Brett. I'll be home tomorrow."