Everyone Keeps Secrets (Romantic Suspense Saga: Part 1)



  EVERYONE

  KEEPS

  SECRETS

  By

  Katherine Greyson

  Katherine-Greyson.com

  Copyright © 2014 by Katherine Greyson. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Everyone Keeps Secrets is a unique five-part saga. With an abundance of endearing characters both young and old, this sweeping contemporary drama centers around two families—the kindhearted, working class Kendall family, and the wealthy, damaged Crawford family.

  If you enjoy happily-ever-after's alongside tragic love stories, intricately plotted mysteries filled with some nail-biting thrills, mature adult themes infused within a riveting YA, strong female leads and noble, rogue heroes, then guess what? You've just stumbled upon your next story.

  So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as you’re whisked away to Stony Creek. . .

  Other volumes in order:

  Keeping Secrets

  Facades Crumble

  Hidden Pasts

  The Return

  Resolution

  Looking for a high-octane mystery thriller?

  Be sure to check out bestselling author

  Christopher Greyson’s books.

  * * *

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE — AFTERMATH

  CHAPTER TWO — SWEET SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER THREE — MALE SOAP OPERA

  CHAPTER FOUR — SO, SO WRONG

  CHAPTER FIVE — THE RIDE

  CHAPTER SIX — SECRETS IN THE WOODS

  CHAPTER SEVEN — BEHIND HIDDEN MASKS

  CHAPTER EIGHT — SUSPICION

  CHAPTER NINE — SAFE

  CHAPTER TEN — ONCE UPON A TIME

  CHAPTER ELEVEN — THE PLACE HE ONCE CALLED HOME

  CHAPTER TWELVE — HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

  * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  Aftermath

  William Crawford

  Five Years Ago

  ~August 4, 2009~

  Her scream still echoed in his ears—that horrible shrill sound human beings make right before they die. Twelve-year-old William trembled, not from the cold, but out of shock. He crossed his arms, pressed them into his stomach and began rocking back and forth. “It didn’t happen. It didn’t happen,” he mumbled to himself as his little body went numb.

  As William sat frozen in the passenger seat, a whimper came from the backseat of the car. He turned to look and the stiff, vinyl seat creaked underneath him. There lay his puppy, wounded, resting its head on his little brother’s lap. The puppy’s big, brown eyes blinked and looked up at William. As he stared at the dog’s injuries, guilt pressed down on his chest.

  Charles stroked the dog’s brown fur. “What was that loud bang I heard, William?”

  Through a broken jaw, William strained to answer him but the only sound he could make was a slurred groan.

  When the puppy tried to raise its head, it yelped in pain. “Oh, it’s okay.” Charles patted the dog behind its crooked ear.

  Overwhelmed with grief, William had to look away. He stared up the long circular driveway that ran across the front lawn of his family’s estate. His gaze drifted—until it locked onto the delicate, yellow flowers his mom had planted just a few days before.

  Charles’s little voice quivered, “I heard a girl scream.”

  William covered his ears trying to block her cries for help, but the sounds weren’t coming from outside—they ricocheted within his head.

  Charles squinted and looked around. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

  A steel wall of denial slammed down as a void swept across William’s mind—subconsciously shielding him from the truth.

  A moment later, Charles pointed toward the house. “Here he comes.”

  William flinched. In a last bid of self-preservation, his hand instinctively reached for the door handle. William was about to bolt when he thought of Charles; he loved his brother dearly. He wanted to run, but he knew if he did Charles wouldn’t be able to keep up. William’s stomach muscles cinched when he thought about the awful things that would happen to his seven-year-old brother if he left him behind.

  William’s shoulders slumped and he let go of the door handle.

  A split-second later the driver’s side door whipped open. When the car’s engine roared to life, the tang scent of burnt oil blasted from the vents stinging William’s nostrils. He looked over at the car keys that dangled from the ignition and saw they were covered in blood. A cold tremor raced up the back of his neck.

  The gearshift slammed into reverse. The car flew backwards. Gravel pelted the undercarriage.

  As the car fled from the horrific crime scene, William’s heart sank. Frantically, he searched through the trees, seeking one last glimpse of his mother’s bedroom window.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sweet Sixteen

  Five Years Later

  Simplicity Kendall

  ~Present Day~