Ripples

  Ripples

  A Consequences Stand Alone Novel

  Aleatha Romig

  Edited by Lisa Aurello

  Cover Art by Kellie Dennis Cover by Design

  Formatting by Romig Works LLC

  Romig Works LLC

  Contents

  RIPPLES - A CONSEQUENCES Stand-alone Novel

  COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFORMATION

  Ripples - A Consequences Stand-alone Novel

  Ripples: A Consequences Stand-alone Novel

  Author’s Note:

  Disclaimer

  A Glance into the Future

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  For More

  What to do now

  Books by New York Times bestselling author Aleatha Romig

  About the Author

  RIPPLES - A CONSEQUENCES Stand-alone Novel

  By New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig

  COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE INFORMATION

  RIPPLES – A Consequences Stand-alone Novel

  Copyright © 2017 Romig Works, LLC

  Published by Romig Works, LLC

  2017 Edition

  ISBN e-book: 978-1-947189-09-6

  Cover art: Kellie Dennis, Cover by Design

  Editing: Lisa Aurello

  Formatting: Romig Works, LLC

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage and retrieval system, without the written permission from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book is available in print from most online retailers

  2017 Edition License

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the appropriate retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  "Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." ~Dalai Lama

  You don’t have to read the Consequences series to enjoy this stand-alone novel, but if you know Tony Rawlings, you know that disappointing him isn’t an option. Imagine being his youngest daughter...imagine telling him the unimaginable...

  “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.”

  Sometimes ideas find you, and dreams begin as nightmares. Sometimes the truth that has been kept hidden is the key to opening a door you never knew existed.

  “You might not know me. I’m the baby of the Rawlings family, the princess, the daughter who came along later. I’m not like my older siblings, successful at everything they touch. My mother and father have provided me with every luxury as well as their unyielding love and support, but I’m not spoiled. I’m also not content. By example, my parents have shown me how love should be. I don’t know their past, and that doesn’t matter. I know what I’ve seen—two people devoted to one another.

  I don’t believe that I’ll ever find that kind of love, the kind that forgives and accepts all. And as my life falls to pieces and I travel to visit my family to face their disappointment, I’m not even looking for it.

  I’m looking for an escape...from my life as a Rawlings...from the pressure to achieve and not let others down. I dream of the time I can live for my own desires without the expectations that come with my name.

  I don’t find what I’m seeking...it finds me. Or should I say...he finds me.

  This time is different. I have a family who will search for me and find the answers. Little do we know—any of us—that my father set my journey into motion long before I was born.”

  "Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped into water, the actions of individuals can have far-reaching effects." ~Dalai Lama

  Ripples (Unabridged Version) is Natalie’s story, the youngest of Tony and Claire’s children—their baby. This story first appeared in shorter form in Glamour: Contemporary Fairytale Retellings. Due to the length restriction of each novella in that anthology, many scenes in Ripples were shortened or omitted for that anthology. This unabridged edition is the entire story—double in length and—a full-length novel.

  Please enjoy this Consequences novel along with special appearances from your favorite Consequences characters.

  Author’s Note:

  Ripples first appeared in the anthology Glamour which contained eight fantastic novellas.

  The length of each novella was limited to 25,000 words. As Ripples appeared, it was 30,000. Though I had exceeded the word count, there was more story to tell.

  This is the unabridged version of Ripples, with expanded scenes and additional chapters. The expansion doubled the length of the original novella.

  I hope you enjoy Ripples. I know I did.

  ~ Aleatha

  Disclaimer

  This stand-alone novel within the CONSEQUENCES series contains dark adult content. There are situations of kidnapping and dubious consent—there is no non-consent. If you’re unable to read this material, please do not purchase. If you are ready, welcome aboard and enjoy the ride!

  ~Aleatha Romig

  A Glance into the Future

  History is a vast early warning system. ~ Norman Cousins

  "Daddy, I want to introduce you to my fiancé."

  Natalie's father's brown eyes darkened as he gazed upon the man at his daughter's side. Even at his age, Anthony Rawlings was an intimidating and formidable man in all matters, personal as well as business. Retirement was but a word not fully in his repertoire. He'd built his family's castles and riches from nothing. He'd be involved in their success until he took his last breath.

  That didn't mean he was an absentee father. On the contrary, he was omnipresent—as he was in all things.

  This greeting, after Natalie's disappearance, was personal and difficult to accept, leaving him and her mother uncharacteristically unnerved. The young woman making the introduction was their beautiful baby, their second daughter, the one for whom the world held fewer expectations. He, however, had plans for her—expectations and dreams—as did her mother, none that included the man at her side.

  Natalie's course may not have been as defined as her older siblings, but their stories were for another time. This was Natalie's.

  Anthony’s shoulders broadened and neck stiffened. Before Natalie could say anything else, her mother placed her petite hand upon her father's sleeve. The diamond ring on her mother's finger glittered with dancing rainbow prisms as her touch gently reminded Tony that this was their cherished princess and apparently,
her chosen prince. It was not the time for her father to assert his dominance.

  Yet he knew that this wasn't the way it was meant to be.

  It wasn't the future they had planned for their baby girl.

  Tony’s question formed—a demand to know how this union happened. It teetered on the tip of his tongue while at the same time Claire’s grasp tightened, pleading for his understanding, if only momentarily. It was truly her gift, the ability to calm the seas without uttering a word.

  In the short time that all their gazes locked, the answers to her father's questions and more lurked in the shadows of the present and past. There was more to this man—the one with the audacity to have his hand on Natalie's back—than there appeared. There was a darkness that was all too familiar.

  Her father let out a long breath and offered his hand. His handshake was not to be interpreted as a white flag. Anthony Rawlings didn't surrender.

  As their grips tightened, Tony stared knowingly into the eyes of evil. They weren't hard to recognize. He'd seen them often enough in the mirror.

  It’s a lesson that he knows too well. Some things are better left behind closed doors. Because once the truth is revealed, they’ll discover that despite his and his wife’s best efforts to keep their baby girl safe, Natalie’s consequences were set into motion a long time ago.

  Chapter 1

  Before the future and after the past

  When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. ~ Ryan Reynolds

  The dreary, overcast sky settled around the buildings, obscuring their height as the car slowly made its way through Boston traffic. The holiday break was here. Soon Natalie would be faced with the truth of her reality. All of her father's money couldn't propitiate the cause any longer. Natalie Rawlings’s time at Harvard was done.

  She'd managed to keep the news from both of her parents, but soon they'd hear it, and as it should, it would come from her. In today's world, it was a miracle that they hadn't already heard, either from the gossip-hungry leeches on social media or from the registrar’s office. Of course, there were rules about confidentiality for adult students, but when it came to Anthony Rawlings, rules were at his discretion.

  She'd practiced her speech a hundred ways, yet nothing sounded right. She still didn't know how she would tell them—or especially him—that she'd failed. No matter what she said, her fourth semester as a Harvard student wouldn't happen. She wasn't her father nor even her siblings. The world of business and all that it entailed may be in her genes, but it wasn't in her heart. It never had been.

  Maybe she was more like her mother.

  Life beyond the walls of expectancy was where Natalie's dreams could be found, a sliver of time where she could be herself—no one's daughter or sister, and perhaps not even a woman she yet knew. There was more out in the world than she'd seen. There were people with the freedom to make their own choices and forge their own trails based upon their desires.

  She had desires, ones that she couldn't articulate as if they were an unknown part of her, ones yet to be revealed. The frequency of these thoughts had increased to the point that in her mind they'd moved from ideas to wants to insatiable cravings.

  As her classes focused more upon the major her father had chosen for her, her ability to concentrate waned until she couldn't find the ambition. It was lost. Instead of seeking help, she gave in to the inevitable, and now her time at Harvard was done.

  Natalie gasped as the car skidded, the wheels swerving on the slushy street. As she reached out and her body lunged forward, the seatbelt tugged her backward. It was a metaphor for her life: any attempt at freedom would be met with a gentle but firm reminder that her bubble served the purpose of safety. She had a designated place. It was where she was to stay.

  “I'm sorry, Miss Natalie,” the older driver said as his eyes remained steadfast on the road and traffic. “The roads are getting worse.”

  She didn't respond. The roads weren't her concern. Currently, her flight to Munich and then onto Nice, as well as the conversation awaiting her once she arrived, topped her list.

  Beyond the windows, the snow-lined sidewalks provided a simple strip of wet, salt-covered concrete. The pedestrians huddled beneath their hats and coats as Natalie imagined the crunch crackling under their boots. It wasn't difficult. The floorboard beside her feet was white with pellets.

  “Miss, Mrs. Rawlings made your reservations. Your first flight leaves in an hour and a half. This traffic isn't helping. I have your passport and boarding passes. You're TSA PreCheck, but you'll still need to hurry. For international travel, they recommend...”

  Hurry. What if she didn't? What if she missed her flight?

  Her psychology professor may surmise that missing her flight had been Natalie's plan all along. It was the reason she purposely delayed packing and wasn't ready when her car arrived. A less analytical observer would say she was delayed because she'd spent the majority of her time saying goodbye to her friends, classmates, and roommates.

  They knew what her family didn't.

  Natalie also knew that her mother would be devastated if Nat missed their family time. Nat's choices seemed unfair: go on holiday and disappoint, or not attend and do the same. Either way, the stress of her failure would be another addition to Nat's growing list of her parents' disappointments.

  She thought of her mother. Seemingly fragile yet strong, soft-spoken and yet always heard. Claire Rawlings was as different from Natalie’s powerful father as day was from night, and despite that, in her own way, her mother was the true force.

  Natalie gave that more thought. If that were the case—that her mother was the force—then why was Natalie on her way to Christmas in France? Her mother detested the cold.

  Since leaving the campus, the soft, cool mist beyond the windows had morphed, first becoming pinging ice and then snowflakes the size of quarters. Each transformation further eclipsed the afternoon sun. Even the twinkling lights on the trees lining the streets failed to fill her with the holiday spirit.

  If only she could go somewhere else.

  Natalie contemplated her packing. She didn't have gifts for her parents. A sweatshirt from the campus bookstore saying Harvard Parent no longer seemed appropriate. That was fine; there were plenty of shopping opportunities in Nice.

  Nat rubbed her gloved hands as her body shivered. This deep-seated chill wouldn't go away. It was more than her present—it was going to be her future too. A chateau in France, even the South of France, may be a few degrees warmer than Boston but most likely equally as dreary. Usually, as was her mother's preference, family holidays were spent in the tropical sun. What had disrupted the normal plans and why was Natalie on her way to France instead of a tropical location?

  If she'd taken the time to talk to either of her parents for more than a few minutes here and there, she might know. Then again, she also might have blurted out the truth of her failing grades. Avoidance seemed the best answer until it was no longer possible.

  “Miss? You're very quiet. Is everything all right?”

  “No, not really.”

  “Don't worry about your flight. When you were delayed at the campus, I called the airline. They won't leave without you.”

  “Of course they won't. My parents?” Natalie asked.

  “They're already in France. They flew privately...”

  It was how she was supposed to travel. However, being the youngest had advantages. There wasn't much she couldn't convince her father to do or give. She told him she didn't want to fly privately, so she wasn't. The real truth was that she didn't want to fly to France at all.

  The driver continued, “I'm sure you know that your brother...”

  Yes, her brother, Nate. She'd read something online recently about his amazing feats in the European markets. Years ago, political changes allowed her father a foothold in the EU that according to the article, her brother has recently capitalized upon. Like father, like son.

  Truly, Natalie's older
sister's accomplishments were no less impressive than their brother's, though her story contained an interesting, if not scandalous footnote. It was something the family never mentioned.

  “I'm sorry,” Natalie said. “I'm sure I was already told, but will everyone be there?”

  “Everyone? Your family will all be there. If that's what you're asking.”

  More ears to hear her announcement and more eyes to convey her father's disappointment.

  The car eased to a stop under the covered entrance before the Boston airport. The driver rushed from his seat and opened her door. Cool air replaced the warmth. She stepped onto the curb.

  At least the falling snow was blocked by the roof, even if the cold wind was not. The older gentleman handed Natalie an envelope, Rawlings embossed in the corner. “Your boarding pass and passport, Miss Natalie. Hurry through security. I'll check your luggage.”

  “Thank you, Jamison.”