Hidden Valley Elite Collection books 1-8 bundle (paperback)

Chapter One

Riley

“There’s always an angle. A vulnerability. Find it and exploit it.” Words I lived by my entire life. Words handed down from mom and my uncle Ronan. Mom was always five steps ahead of everyone else. I wasn’t far behind, but there was room for improvement.

Surrounded by boxes, I stood in the middle of the large space that would be my new bedroom for however long we would be there. The early morning sun sliced through the partially open blinds. Out of all the dumps we’d stayed in, it was decent.

Much better than where we stayed on our last, very short visit to Santa Monica, California. We’d stayed long enough for me to crash a beach party, get caught stealing, then have an incredibly hot guy steal a kiss that shattered my world before all hell broke loose, as usual, and we had to leave in a panic-inducing rush.

I didn’t know why we were back a year later. We never went to the same place twice. It was driving me crazy, and Mom was tight-lipped about it, which wasn’t normal.

Pain shot through my jaw, and I instinctively relaxed the clench of my teeth. It was the start of a new day in a town where I would have to go to yet another school. The first day was the worst. I glanced at my clock and groaned. I had an hour to get ready.

Coffee. It was the only way I would survive.

I took half a step toward the door when an aggressive, heavy-handed knock sounded. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at attention. Mom didn’t rap with her knuckles like that.

“Open up, kid. I’ve got donuts.”

Uncle Ronan. My shoulders relaxed, and I hurried to the door and curled my fingers around the knob before fully opening it. At the sight of his big frame in the doorway, I scowled, a flash of annoyance ripping through me, despite how good it was to see him.

“What, is it Christmas already?” I propped a hand on my hip and glared. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d visited wherever we were.

He snorted. “Same fuck-the-world attitude as my sister.” After a glance around the room and at the half-unpacked boxes, he shoved a small white bag in my hands. “Donuts.”

I scowled harder, holding out my other hand for the coffee clutched in his mammoth fist. His deep laugh filled the room, and I reluctantly softened… but not until he gave me the drink.

“This isn’t my first drive-by, brat. I’ve dealt with your mom for most of my life.” He handed over the coffee. “I know how to soothe the beast.” He buried his hand in the rat’s nest on my head then pulled me in for a hug.

It lasted longer than usual, and I snorted at the reason why. “Your hand’s stuck, isn’t it?”

I set the bag down on one of the boxes I hadn’t opened yet and helped him untangle himself from my long and messy hair. Why is he here? I needed to talk to Mom. She was one of the most strategic, intelligent, and cunning people I knew, and I couldn’t help but think she called him, the only other family I was allowed to associate with, to check on me for a reason. My grandparents and the sperm donor, as my mom referred to my father, were off-limits.

I chugged more than half the coffee then felt capable of facing whatever this was with my uncle. “Why are you here?”

Dark eyebrows rose. “Is that all you have to say after I brought you breakfast?”

I dropped onto my bed, shoved back farther so my back was against the headboard, then crossed my legs at the ankles and observed him. His dark-brown hair, the same shade as mine and Mom’s, was longer than usual, and there was more than a five o’clock shadow covering his face. He wore black jeans and a Henley, even though it was the end of summer and hot. Alarm bells blared in my head.

“What’s going on?” Are we on the run? We often moved to stay ahead of any threats from past cons. Has one of Mom’s marks found us? Or worse—Dad? “Where’s Mom?”

“She’s out of town with her boyfriend. You’re on your own to get to school for your first day. It’s some swanky place that’s supposed to help you get into college. It’s paid up for the year.”

“Her new mark?” I sat straighter, shock rolling through me. She always shared everything with me about her cons, but she hadn’t this time. I narrowed my gaze on Uncle Ronan. It made his presence even more suspect. Later, I would deal with the “paid up for the year” comment.

“Not this time. There’s no con.”

Bullshit. “Why are you here? Just to pay for my education?” That sounded shitty. “And thank you for that.” He always made sure I had what I needed when Mom couldn’t. But a private high school I didn’t need or want.

He nodded then leaned against the doorjamb. “What? I can’t visit my favorite niece?”

I was his only niece. “Are you in on this con?” It would explain the dark clothes and the casual attitude that screamed trouble.

“Stop being so suspicious. I have business nearby. When Raelyn told me where you guys were moving, I thought I would come by. That’s it. Nothing else is going on.”

“Hm.” I didn’t believe him for a second. But regardless, I was happy to see him. It’d been too long since his last visit. “Are you sticking around?”

“I gotta take off, kid, but I’ll try to swing back in a week or so.”

Well, hell. I set my empty to-go cup on the nightstand that came with the rental and swung my legs off the bed. Once I was in front of him, his thick arms wrapped me in a tight hug. Dammit. I squeezed him just as hard. I’d missed him too.

When he released me, I stepped back and did another pass over his hands, checking for bruising. There wasn’t any, but that didn’t mean he’d handled whatever business brought him this way before he stopped by.

“Walk me out,” he commanded, but the deep tones held a softness others didn’t get.

I followed his six-foot-plus frame toward the back of the furnished house. The rear door was off the kitchen, and Uncle Ronan paused, his gruff expression turning serious. I met his dark-brown eyes, something the three of us shared. It was obvious we were related. He and Mom could’ve been twins with their chestnut hair and olive skin. While he had the same high cheekbones as Mom, his jaw was square, while her face was more heart-shaped. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Heads turned when she walked past. I was told—by the people who loved me, my uncle and mom—that I looked like a younger copy of her, that I was beautiful. But they had to say that. I owned a mirror. I didn’t believe them for a second. Regardless of how similar we all looked, it was risky for us to meet Uncle Ronan in certain places.

We couldn’t let dear old Dad know where we were.

It was complicated. But so were our lives.

“How’s the car running?”

I had a sweet midnight-blue Dodge Charger souped up to compete in NASCAR if I was into that sort of thing, which he’d given me for my sixteenth birthday.

I couldn’t help but grin, pushing through the heaviness of the morning. I loved that car. “Good. No problems.”

“Are you keeping up with the oil changes?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes.” He’d made sure I knew everything there was to know about taking care of the car before he’d officially handed over the keys. It had been a great week because he’d spent the entire time with us, even if it was to give me a crash course in mechanics.

“And diving? Are you going to take it up here at the new school?”

“Yes.” I smacked one of his overdeveloped biceps. Mom had promised last year that this place would be a fresh start… until it wasn’t. But she swore her plan, whatever that was, would work this time. “I’m getting a scholarship to go to any college I want. We both know it.” Maybe that was why the new school was set up, but I couldn’t help to think there was more to it.

“That’s the way to do it, kid.” He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger, lifting it slightly so our gazes held. “This is a different area than what we’re used to, but don’t think the people aren’t as vicious or manipulative as they are in the rougher neighborhoods. If I need to come back here to knock some heads around, I will. Don’t let any boys get into your pretty little head.”

I lightly smacked his hand, knocking his hold away. “Like I’d ever let that happen. Do you think I’ve learned nothing by growing up how I did?”

He grunted then pulled me in for another bone-crushing hug. “Love you, kid. You call me if you need anything.”

“Even if I need a body buried?” I was kidding, but I knew he would do it if I asked. What he did for a living was suspect.

“Always.”

When the door—the back one that didn’t have a Ring doorbell or any other cameras—closed behind him, I shut and locked it then hurried to the shower.

Once dressed and ready, I grabbed a donut before rushing out the door.

None of this was normal.

Mom didn’t have boyfriends, at least not real ones, and she always filled me in on the details of her cons. She’d shared some or all of her plans with Uncle Ronan. Why is she shutting me out?

After pulling up the address to the high school, my mood went from bad to worse. It was another first day at a new school, but this time, I was going in blind.