Once Bound

She couldn’t tear her arms and legs free, and she couldn’t pull her neck away from the rail.

The rumbling was now a deafening roar, and suddenly it came into view …

… the reddish-orange front of a massive diesel engine.

She let out a scream – a scream that sounded supernaturally loud to her own ears.

But then she realized – it wasn’t her own scream she’d heard.

It was the piercing noise of the train whistle.

Now she felt a weird rush of anger.

The engineer had sounded his whistle …

Why the hell doesn’t he just stop?

But of course, he couldn’t – not nearly fast enough, not hurtling along at his current speed.

She could hear a screeching sound as he tried to bring the mountain of metal to a stop.

The engine filled her whole field of vision now – and peering out through the windshield was a pair of eyes …

… eyes that looked as terrified as she felt.

It was like looking in a mirror – and she didn’t want to see what she was seeing.

Reese Fisher closed her eyes, knowing it was for the last time ever.

CHAPTER ONE

When Riley heard the car pull up in front of her townhouse, she asked herself …

Am I really going to be able to go through with this?

She studied her face in her bathroom mirror, hoping it didn’t look too obvious that she’d been crying. Then she went downstairs, where her family was already gathered in the living room – her housekeeper, Gabriela; her fifteen-year-old daughter, April; and Jilly, the thirteen-year-old girl Riley was in the process of adopting.

And standing among them, flanked by a couple of large packed suitcases, was fifteen-year-old Liam, smiling rather sadly at Riley.

It’s really happening, she thought. Right now.

She reminded herself that this was all for the best.

Even so, she couldn’t help but feel sad.

Then came the sound of the doorbell, and Jilly rushed to open the front door.

A man and woman in their late fifties came inside, all smiles. The woman hurried over to Liam, but the man approached Riley.

“You must be Ms. Paige,” he said.

“Riley, please,” Riley said, her voice choking just a little.

“I’m Scott Schweppe, Liam’s uncle,” he said. He turned toward his wife, who was giving Liam a big hug. “And this is my wife, Melinda.”

With a slightly awkward chuckle he added, “But I guess you already know that. Anyway, I’m so glad to meet you.”

Riley shook his offered hand. She noticed that his handshake was warm and strong.

Unlike Riley, Melinda didn’t bother to hold back her tears. Looking up at her nephew, she told him, “Oh, Liam! It’s been such a long time! You were so little when we last saw you. Such a handsome young man you’ve become!”

Riley took several long, slow breaths.

This really is for the best, she told herself again.

But until a couple of days ago, it was about the last thing she’d expected to happen.

It seemed like only yesterday when Liam had come to live with Riley and her family. In fact, he’d been here less than two months, but Liam had fit in perfectly and everyone in the household was already very attached to him.

But now it had turned out that the boy had relatives who wanted him to come live with them.

Riley said to the couple, “Please, sit down. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Melinda dabbed her eyes with a tissue, and she and Scott sat down on the couch. Everybody else found places to sit except Gabriela, who hurried away to the kitchen for refreshments.

Riley was a bit relieved when April and Jilly started making small talk with Scott and Melinda – all about their two-day drive from Omaha, where they had stopped for the night, and how the weather had been along the way. Jilly seemed in good spirits, but Riley detected sadness behind April’s cheerful demeanor. After all, she had been closer to Liam than any of them.

As Riley listened, she observed the couple closely.

Scott and his nephew looked a lot alike – the same lanky build, bright red hair, and freckled complexion. Melinda was on the stout side and looked like a perfectly conventional, good-natured housewife.

Gabriela quickly returned carrying a tray with coffee, sugar and cream, and some delicious home-baked Guatemalan cookies called champurradas. She served everybody as they talked.

Riley noticed that Liam’s aunt was looking at her.

With a warm smile, Melinda said, “Riley, Scott and I can’t thank you enough.”

“Oh – it was my pleasure,” Riley said. “He’s a delight to have around.”

Scott shook his head and said, “I’d had no idea how bad things had gotten with my brother, Clarence. We’d been estranged for such a long time. The last I’d heard from him was years ago, when Liam’s mother left him. We should have stayed in better touch, if only for Liam’s sake.”

Riley wasn’t sure what to say. How much had Liam told his aunt and uncle about what had happened?

She remembered it all too vividly.

April had just started dating Liam, and Riley had taken a liking to him right away. But after a frantic call from April, Riley had rushed to Liam’s house and found him being beaten savagely by his drunken father. Riley had subdued the man, but leaving Liam in his care had been unthinkable. Riley had brought Liam home and set up a place for him to sleep in her family room.

This living situation had been precarious, of course.