Page 1 of Wicked Shadows
PROLOGUE
Twenty-One Years Prior
Elle Moore crouchedlow to the ground, darting from her hiding spot behind a shrub to a new position behind a tree. Her best friend and partner-in-crime, Beth Condra, followed her, staying close on her heels until she joined Elle behind the huge oak tree. Elle covered her lips with her index finger, indicating for her cohort to remain silent before she pointed toward the driveway they were casing.
“He’s standing beside Jeff’s car,” Elle whispered and dropped to her knees on the ground. “Peek around the tree, but don’t let them see you.”
Beth slowly knelt, keeping her eyes locked on Elle’s. “What if they see me? What should I do?”
"Just do it real slow." Elle emphasized the words with an emphatic pump of her arms, her fingers spread wide and her palms down.
“Okay.” Beth put one hand on the ground to steady herself and peered around the tree, her movements painstakingly measured. “I see him. He’s with Jeff. And he’s not wearing a shirt!”
“What? Let me see!”
Elle jerked Beth back and quickly assumed her partner’s vantage point. She was mesmerized by the black-haired, muscular young man with her brother. “Oh my gosh,” she gasped. “Is he supposed to do that out here? He’s almost naked. What if someone calls the cops on him?”
His athletic shorts sat low on his waist, revealing all of his upper body, from his broad shoulders to his narrow, muscular waist. Elle blatantly stared, completely enraptured by his presence, and wished there were a tree closer to the driveway so she could get a closer look at him, her hero.
“I don’t know why we’re even doing this. I mean, he’sold, Elle. He’s, like, in high school or something,” Beth complained, suddenly bored with their mission. “Why don’t you just go out with Scott? He likes you a lot. He keeps asking you to be his girlfriend.”
Elle shook her head from side to side but kept her eyes trained on her singular focus. “Scott’s all right, I guess. But no one else will ever compare to Devon Kane. I’m gonna marry him one day, Beth. You just wait. Besides, the house down the street is for sale. Maybe we can live there.”
“Yeah, that's a good idea. Then you'll still be close to home," Beth agreed, with all of her youthful wisdom. "It’s too hot for this, Elle. Let’s go swimming already. You promised we’d get in your pool today.”
“In a minute.” Elle automatically dismissed her friend’s demand. “They’re washing Jeff’s car. They don’t know we’re here.”
Unable to tear her eyes away, embarrassment and panic grew wild when Devon turned his gaze and met hers. His dazzling smile made her blush just before he raised his hand beside his face and gave her a small, knowing wave of his fingers. Her jaw dropped, her eyes flew open wide, and her muscles froze in place.
She was so busted.
Jeff was leaned over, washing the side of his Mustang GT when Devon’s movement caught his eye. Jeff followed Devon’s line of sight, and anger hit him as soon as he spotted the girls hiding behind the tree.
“Elle Marie Moore, get over here right now!” Jeff yelled across the front yard and threw his soapy mitt in the bucket.
“He used your whole name,” Beth whispered, her tone rife with fear. “That’s not good.”
Elle considered her options. She could pretend she didn’t hear him and run like the wind to the backyard, or accept the consequences and get it all over with at once by doing what he said. Resigned to the fact that there was no other choice but to live in the same house with her brother for the next few years, Elle decided to go with the latter rather than the former. Her eyes downcast, her bottom lip quivered as she maintained a death grip on her best friend’s hand. The pair of seven-year-old, towheaded girls marched across the grass toward Jeff and Devon. Each step brought more dread than the last and made Elle’s feet feel like they were weighted down with cement blocks.
She chanced a glance at Jeff but quickly dropped her eyes again when she saw his arms folded over his chest and an irritated expression boring straight through her. She’d been caught spying on them in the past, but that had been many spy missions before this one. She thought she’d improved her technique since then, but apparently, she was too sloppy. Future excursions would require more stealth, more craftiness, and much better hiding places.
“Elle, what have I told you about spying on us?” Jeff demanded.
“Not to,” she mumbled.
“Why do you keep doing it? It’s weird. You’re creeping me out.”
“Because she’s in lov—” Beth almost told on Elle, but Elle jerked her arm down hard and cut her eyes at her friend.
“Shut up, Beth,” she hissed. Glancing up at her brother, she continued. Her voice quivered almost as much as her legs shook. “We’re playing a game. It’s not a big deal, Jeff.”
“Would it be a big deal if I tell Mom to ground you from the pool all summer?” Jeff taunted.
Tears filled her eyes and spilled over her lower lids then slid down her cheeks before they dropped onto the concrete below. “No, Jeff,” she pleaded. “I didn’t do anything to you.”
Two large hands slid under her arms and hoisted her up in the air. Before she knew what was happening, she was held by protective, muscular arms against a warm, bare chest. “Leave her alone, man.” Devon’s tone held a strict warning. “She’s just a little kid having fun playing outside. Quit being so damn mean to her all the time.”
Elle looked up at Devon, devotion shining in her big, gorgeous, hazel eyes. He wiped the lingering tears from her cheeks and talked to her with the kindest timbre in his voice. “Hey, it’s okay, Elle. Don’t cry, sweetheart. You’re my girl, aren’t you?”
