Prologue

   Jake McBride looked at the pretty blonde and grinned. "I'll sign that yearbook."

  She smiled, sliding it across the table towards him. Jake bent over the table, and with a blue ink pen scribbled a message. Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead.

  He slammed it shut, sliding it back to her. "Thanks, doll."

  Her brown eyes twinkled at him as she lifted the yearbook and clutched it to her chest.

  Leaving the school gym Jake rushed out to his car in the full lot. He glanced all around the parking lot, as if looking for someone. Sweat stained the underarms of his shirt sleeves. He was sweating an awful lot for such a chilly day.

  He was the only one leaving the building as everyone was heading in, getting ready to watch their kids graduate. Walk across the stage. Something he’d never do.

  He reached his car. Fumbled with the keys. Dropped them. Bent and picked them up. Straightened back up- and collapsed as someone used the butt of a gun against the back of his head. His face hit the window. His keys dropped yet again from his hands, clattering on the cement parking lot.

   Standing next to a blue Jeep, a little girl dressed in pink watched, five cars away. Her front teeth were nibbling at a soft, pink bottom lip.

  She watched as the two men dressed in black loaded up the tall, sandy-haired boy in the back of a white mini-van. She noticed the plates were from Missouri; and only noticed because they were the only Missouri plates. Why she noticed such a thing, being the tender age of eight, she didn’t know.

  The mini-van sped off, zipping past her. The man in the passenger seat looked straight into her eyes. She blinked. He lifted a gun. She closed her eyes. When she opened them, the van was gone.

  Her eyes scanned the lot fearfully, trying to find the van. What was she suppose to do? That was her brother and something awful had just happened to him.

  “Oh Navina!” she heard her mother cry. “Thank God I found you! What are you doing outside by yourself?”

  She wanted to say she followed Jake, that some men took him but the gun flashed before her eyes again and she stared at the cement and gave a weak shrug.

  As her mom dragged her back inside she kept glancing around. Was Jake coming back? Should she tell her mom what happened?

                    Chapter  One             

                    10 years later                

  It was the day of her graduation. She wasn't excited to be finished with school. All her friends were bubbling with excitement, talking about having a wild summer before going off to college. She didn't want graduation to come. In fact, she'd been dreading this day ever since Jake had gotten dressed up only to flee from the gym and was later found dead. He had never even walked the stage.

  Mom yelled down the stairs at her, telling her it was time to get up. She rolled out from under the covers. She stared blankly at the her clothes hanging neatly in the closet. What to wear… What to wear… She decided upon a pair of blue jeans and a white, V-necked blouse.

  Changing quickly, she brushed her damp hair out from its braid and put it in a ponytail. She ignored the cosmetics, preferring to go natural today.

  She went upstairs to get something to eat. Mom looked at her, over the outfit and scowled. "Navina Grace, you need to change into something more...more suitable. Wear that sleeveless dress you bought a few weeks back, and let your hair down."

  Navina gave her a blah look. "Yeah, whatever. I don't even want to go to graduation. Let alone get all dressed up for it."

  She sighed. "Honey. Look..."

  "No, Mom. Jake was all excited and he never even got his diploma. His graduation day was the day he got his death sentence. Ok? I'm sorry, but...it doesn't make me very excited."

  Mom's lower lip trembled at the mention of Jake. "That won't happen to you, baby. I won't let it."

  She wanted to yell at her; that she didn't stop it from happening to Jake. That even when they received a note taped to the car door saying to make the police back off, Mom didn't. Instead, she and Dad both showed the police the note. And four days later, she had found Jake-

  "Navina," Mom's voice broke into her thoughts, "I swear I won’t let you out of my sight.” Mom's voice cracked.

  She closed her eyes. She heaved a breathy sigh. "Awesome," she remarked in a whisper to herself.