Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Elizabeth Oliver teetered on her high heels. She was concealed in the closet of her suite. There were no windows or cameras in this space, but it wasn't safe. She could never hope for that. Her closet and bathroom were simply the only places where everything she said and did was not recorded and used to control her by injuring someone else.

Clinging to a square envelope she'd snatched off the mail pile, she ignored her churning stomach and racing pulse. Her stomach churned so often she should have ulcers. She could hide that from Father, but she couldn't hide the pulse point. Lately he'd been giving her more freedom, possibly convinced she was one hundred percent on his side, that she was buying into his revolting plan for her life.

That was good. It meant no one would die or be tortured on her behalf.

She studied the envelope addressed to ‘Dad and Lizzy Oliver' sent from ‘Jacey Miller, Coleville Montana.'

Had Father seen this? She had to destroy it and hope Jacey would not attempt to reach out again. She should tear it into tiny pieces right now and flush them down the toilet. She'd do anything to protect her light-filled sister from their father.

Her hand trembled as she opened the envelope. Just one quick peek and she'd figure out how to proceed. She pulled out a photo and stared at her younger sister, staring at her new husband as if enraptured by him.

The first word that came to mind was happy. Jacey looked indescribably happy.

Jacey was married, in love, and for the moment, safe. Elizabeth would have clutched the picture to her heart, but she could not pull her gaze from her little sister's beautiful face—radiant and full of joy. Her husband was a stereotypical western cowboy—tough, ruggedly handsome, protective, beaming at his bride as he encircled her with his brawny arms, his cowboy hat shielding them.

Elizabeth smiled. Jacey had always loved cowboys. She felt an elusive taste of her sister's happiness as she studied Jacey and tried to envision the life and world her sister would be a part of. Elizabeth had no frame of reference for that. Jacey had been allowed to watch movies where she had discovered her love for cowboys with a ‘slothful nanny' who had been terminated when the oversight was discovered. Jacey had also become a proficient horse rider at their Virginia estate. Elizabeth had never been granted such indulgences. Every hour, day, and year of her life had been planned.

Elizabeth would never know joy or love. She had accepted that. She'd lost the love of her life protecting him from her parents fourteen years ago. Turning him away had devastated her. Hays would never forgive or love her again, but she'd had no choice but to break both their hearts. Not if she wanted him to live.

Ah, Hays. Seeing Jacey's happiness made her remember the brief times she'd felt such emotion because of Hays West. For just a moment she let herself think about those months spent as partners in communications class with the cutest and friendliest boy in school, the basketball star, every girl's dream. With his mesmerizing smile and the deep-brown eyes she got lost in, Hays was perfect to her.

Her bodyguards had been required to sit at the back of the classroom and couldn't claim she was flirting with the handsome Hays as she had been assigned to work with him. Minutes into their first class, he'd whispered to her, "Knock knock."

She'd feared the enticing Hays who she'd admired from afar was a bit slow in the head. That was disappointing but she'd learned from birth on up that looks were almost always deceiving. She shouldn't be surprised Hays wasn't perfect.

He'd given her a mesmerizing smile. "You say, ‘Who's there?'"

"Who's there?" she repeated.

"Thermos."

She lifted her eyebrows. What a silly thing to say.

"You say, ‘Thermos who,'" he prompted.

"Thermos who?" she responded, simply so they could get back to work.

"Thermos be a better way to get to know you than this project."

She'd laughed in surprise and her heart had raced at the meaningful look in his beguiling brown eyes. Unfortunately, she knew there was no chance for anyone to get to know her, especially a young man who might be the most popular, athletic, and friendly guy in school, but whose parents weren't wealthy or influential. Her parents would only allow her to date young men who could further their ambitions.

She told him there wasn't a chance and attempted to focus. Months passed of spending each communications class together and the knock-knock jokes had continued. She quickly came to realize Hays was as smart as he was kind, handsome, unassuming, witty, and charming. Those five hours each week spent next to Hays, smiling, laughing, talking, sometimes brushing hands under the table, had been the highlights of her miserable life.

She'd never forget the day they were walking down the hall together, her guards trailing them, when a crowd of basketball players blocked her guards from view and Hays was tugging her around a corner and into a janitorial closet. Her heart raced as Hays gathered her close and said, "Knock knock."

"Who's there?" she managed.

"Canoe."

"Canoe who?"

"Canoe see yourself falling for a corny basketball player?"

"I already have," she admitted.

Their lips had met, and she'd tried to show him with a sweet kiss that he was the only man she'd ever love. In his arms she was safe, exhilarated, and strengthened.

Fourteen years later, Hays and the stolen moments with him were still the highpoints of her bleak life. The only time she'd been able to let down her guard, drop her mask, be herself, and experience happiness. Even with her siblings, who she loved, she'd never been able to relax. Her parents would hurt Thomas if she wasn't on her guard constantly.

Her focus now, as it had always been, was that her brother Thomas, now Quaid Raven, and her sister Jacqueline, Jacey, were safe. Even if Quaid despised her and believed she was as evil as their mother, Elizabeth would quietly protect them and their new spouses. She was ecstatic that they were safe and happy, but they wouldn't stay that way if she didn't intervene. Especially when Jacey did imprudent things like invite her and Father to visit.

Their mother had been killed over a month ago. It was a relief to know the murder and torture Catherine had thrived on wouldn't be as prevalent. But nobody was safe. Especially not Quaid and Jacey and their spouses. Elizabeth's puppeteer was still alive, and he was cunning, underhanded, and ready to move his devious plans forward. No one was capable of stopping him.

Elizabeth feared only she and the deceased Catherine Oliver knew that her sadistic mother had been her father's pawn. A terrifying pawn who reveled in treachery, death, and pain, but she had never made a move without explicit instructions from Benjamin Oliver. No one would believe it if Elizabeth told them, and sadly, she had no one to tell. She had prayed as the FBI combed her father's homes, email correspondence, bank accounts, and investment portfolios this past month that someone would see the truth.

Sadly, her father was far too brilliant. Catherine had taken the stain to her grave as Benjamin resurfaced as a freed victim, ‘grateful and willing to make recompense for his wife's depraved acts that he was unable to stop while she executed her reign of horror.' Of course the media had been impressed by Father's humility and grace.

Shuddering, Elizabeth heard his voice in her head. The man behind the scenes moving the chess pieces has the real power, doll. You will receive the glory and I will direct the path. We'll rise together.

Glory? Nightmare was the only description that fit Benjamin Oliver's plans of glory for his eldest daughter.

Elizabeth listened but heard no footsteps or indicators that her father was back from his meeting. Taking a deep breath, she memorized the details of Jacey's smile, hoping for Jacey and her new husband's sake that Elizabeth would never see them in person.

She slid the photo back into the envelope. Did she dare hide it in her closet? Not long term, as Father had everything of hers randomly and regularly searched, but for a few hours to gaze at Jacey's radiant happiness a few more times.

No. That would be foolish. She'd destroy it as soon as possible and continue searching for some means to relay a message to Quaid and Jacey. If only her siblings had any idea what they were dealing with. If only any of the FBI agents Elizabeth had attempted to confide in the past fourteen years had not been murdered in front of her to teach her a lesson or revealed themselves to be double agents working for her father.

Shoving those excruciating memories away, she pulled out the small white card.

Dad! Lizzy! I am married to the most incredible man on the planet. A cowboy. I know you will both love that.

Cade and I are ecstatically happy. It would mean the world to us if you would come celebrate at our wedding party.

Much love,

Jacey Miller

An address, date, and times were listed below that.

Panic. Elizabeth clutched at her chest and forced herself to take breaths. In and out. In and out. She crumpled the card in her hand.

What was Jacey thinking? Obviously their father knew exactly where Jacey was because Mother and six of their men had been killed while Cade Miller rescued Jacey. It was the most romantic image—the cowboy protecting her sister and killing the person Jacey had been most afraid of.

Elizabeth shook her head. Jacey had no idea who the real monster was. She and Quaid imagined they were safe, could live their lives with Mother dead. They believed Father was a beaten-down, spineless pawn, just as Mother had made him out to be, at his instruction.

Elizabeth should have found a way to show them the truth years ago, but Quaid would have thought she was playing her part, trying to lure him in or gain some other advantage. Mother had spent Quaid's lifetime abusing and controlling him; he had been her favorite toy. Of course Jacey would now turn to their father, trusting that her dad, the person who had ‘protected' her, would never hurt her.

Elizabeth had wanted to warn them for the past month now, but she hadn't found any way to accomplish it. Not that they would believe her. Jacey believed their dad had sacrificed himself to protect her; she had no idea it was Elizabeth who had kept Jacey semi-safe until Quaid had rescued her. Quaid did not trust Elizabeth. He hadn't for many years. How could Elizabeth get them to understand the truth? They were letting down their guard like they never would have dared when Mother was alive.

Elizabeth's phone buzzed. She hurried to pull the slim device from the pocket of her tailor-made skirt. Each item of her clothing had such a pocket specifically designed so Elizabeth would never be away from her father's beck and call. She had used the excuse once that her phone was in her purse and she hadn't heard it. All of her clothing had been altered the next day.

"Hello, Father," she greeted him smoothly. Her voice didn't quaver. Did it?

For Jacey. For Quaid. Do not reveal anything.

She'd trained herself well to hide what she was thinking and feeling. The magazines who were fond of her touted her as, ‘Poise, grace, and beauty intertwined.' The media who weren't her biggest fans would say, ‘Ice princess holds herself aloof.'

"I need you in the office, doll," he said. His voice was smooth, cultured, no hint of the devil lurking under the skin.

When had he returned home? Sometimes she wondered if he could teleport.

She kept her voice pleasant. "I will be right there."

"I know you will." He hung up.

Elizabeth quickly smoothed the card she'd crumpled and placed it in the envelope with the beautiful picture. There was no choice but to hide it and destroy it as soon as she'd finished her father's bidding. She didn't dare leave it in the closet. If there was a random inspection and the card and party invitation were found, Jacey and her cowboy could be murdered in their sleep.

No. Father would do something more nefarious than murder them. Death was not the worst option. Elizabeth would welcome death if she knew Quaid and Jacey would be safe.

No time to properly destroy the evidence. Untucking the back of her button-down shirt, she pushed the envelope into the rear of her skirt's waistband and then re-tucked the shirt over it. Turning, she eyed herself in the full-length mirror. No indicator that the card and photo were there.

She rushed out of the closet, through her spacious suite, and down the hall. Heels clicking, she ignored the familiar bodyguards as she passed. Any kindness or extra attention from her only resulted in pain for the other person when Father needed to ‘persuade' her to say or do something she was against saying or doing.

She'd never forget poor Jacob losing a finger because she hadn't wanted to flirt with the nefarious dictator King Frederick and let the man paw her while Father and Mother figured out how to manipulate him. Jacob had done nothing but be the closest person when Father needed a ‘learning tool' for Elizabeth. She shuddered.

The guards had always been there to keep her in line as much as protect her and Father from outward threats, though that would never be said aloud. Her mother had bribed, threatened, or blackmailed to manipulate these men while her father silently controlled them. Some of them proudly imagined they were working for the ‘good guy' now. Duped. Her father could easily win an Academy Award, but he had other purposes for his acting abilities. She prayed her own abilities were up to par. If she could convince Father she was firmly on his side, she might be able to create an opportunity to protect Quaid and Jacey.

She descended the stairs with the grace and poise that had been drilled into her. Too quickly, she was in the doorway of her father's study, waiting for permission to enter.

He typed away on his computer, seemingly oblivious to her hovering. After several long minutes, he raised his eyes and affected the surprised look that she loathed. She despised everything about him.

"Ah, doll. There you are. Come in, come in." He stood and gestured her in, opening his arms for a hug.

Elizabeth complied. To fail meant someone would be injured for her ‘rebellion.' She hadn't failed since Mother had died. That was something.

They embraced, and he kissed her on the forehead as he always did. She endured his hug and kiss multiple times a day. She had learned young never to flinch or shudder. Every time she'd reacted poorly as a child, her innocent brother Thomas had been hurt by her mother or one of her mother's goons. An innocent and adorable toddler. She still heard his cries in her nightmares. How many times had she run to her father, begging him to stop her mother? He would hold her and tenderly teach her how to be more obedient so she could protect her siblings.

For most of her childhood, the patient instruction had seemed like mercy from someone who cared enough to help her learn what she needed to learn. Not until her teenage years did she realize it was the hypocritical monster pretending to love her who pulled the strings and ordered Thomas's torture, not her mother. That had been one of the many appalling days of her too-long life.

Elizabeth stepped back, but he kept a hand on her lower back. Her neck pricked uncomfortably. Why her lower back? He only put his hand there when he directed her at events, parties, or dinners.

Could he feel the card? Did he somehow already know about it? No. How could he?

He knows everything. Sees everything.

Cold sweat formed on her forehead. She took slow breaths, praying her pulse point wouldn't betray her. It had always been her tell.

Please don't let him feel the card.

She had no idea who she was asking for help. A benevolent Heavenly Father had never helped her. Jacey had taught her to pray when they were children. Elizabeth had tried for her sister and brother's sakes, but she'd given up the practice years ago.

Father tilted his head to study her. His grayish-blue eyes didn't even appear calculating. Beaten down, innocent, unassuming, conscientious—he had those roles down to exactness.

He tugged her shirt up and pulled the card out.

Elizabeth's eyes widened, her blood running cold. No!

She schooled her reaction. Any sign of weakness would be exploited and used to hurt Jacey and Quaid in the future. Jacey! What could she do to protect her sister now? She scrambled for ideas but came up blank.

How had Father known the card was there? Was there a camera in her closet? The mirror? Bile rose in her throat as she realized one of the many video feeds downstairs now featured her changing her clothing. And if there was now a camera in her closet, it was possible there was one in her bathroom as well.

That thought was disgusting and humiliating, but it paled in comparison to the stress over how to protect Jacey and Quaid. She would somehow be punished for hiding the card from him. She could only hope he'd punish her and not torture someone else.

"Tuck in your shirt, please."

She obeyed.

Walking to his massive leather chair, he gestured. "Sit please, doll. Let's strategize what to do with this exciting development."

Her heart thudded out of control as she sat and crossed her legs at the ankle. She couldn't let him see her horror. What to do? What to say? Jacey would pay the price if she did not play this correctly. Her cowboy husband would be tortured and murdered, Jacey brought home to ‘help' Elizabeth achieve her political dreams. Who knew? It would be dreadful. And once Father had Jacey in his power, Quaid wouldn't be far behind.

Slowly pulling out the photo and the card, Father set both on the desk. "A cowboy." He shook his head, giving her a slight smile. "I blame myself. I was too indulgent with Jacqueline, allowing her to associate with cowboys and fall in love with my high-quality horseflesh."

Elizabeth pasted her own fake smile on, folding her hands in her lap. Her nerves tingled as she sought the best route to keep her sister and brother safe. Her father wouldn't scream and rage as her mother would have done. With him, it was all amicable exchanges and mind games.

"Thomas will be at this celebration with his new wife Anna." Father gave her a significant look, as if she would be thrilled to control and exploit her brother because he had escaped from Father twice and rescued Jacey from his clutches over a year ago. She was only thrilled Quaid and Jacey weren't in Father's control currently.

She hoped Quaid would stay far away, but she could not wrap her mind around him allowing Jacey to invite her or Father. Her siblings had both been focused on Mother and duped by their father. Benjamin Oliver was a pro, she would give him that, but sometimes he slipped at home. Quaid had been gone for too long, and the continuous evil acts their mother had performed had consumed her brother. Jacey had blinders on where their father was concerned; Elizabeth understood that better than anyone. If a man as depraved as their father could feel an emotion such as love, he felt it for Jacey.

"I would imagine Thomas would attend." Elizabeth smiled as her stomach turned over and bile climbed her throat. Pleasant. Always pleasant.

"I can imagine you would love to reunite with your brother and sister, meet their spouses." He smiled indulgently. A father planning a family reunion.

"That would be lovely, Father, but we have a list of summer functions I cannot miss." He knew that. He had scheduled them all for her. Couldn't Quaid and Jacey be happy? Not on her father's agenda.

Elizabeth had lived in fear for the past month, wondering when Father would start making plans to manipulate and exploit her siblings again. Thankfully, he had been busy sticking all the blame on his deceased wife, revealing the assets he wanted seized to recompense for Catherine's crimes and hiding the bulk of his wealth and anything incriminating.

"I will attend them on your behalf."

What was he saying? She couldn't remember a banquet, dinner, conference, or dance where they had not been joined at the hip. He'd told her last week that he trusted her, but she'd only believed it was another manipulation.

"Yes, doll." He stood, walked around the desk, and leaned against it. He was only a foot away, peering down at her. His Clive Christian cologne made her stomach churn. "You will represent our family in Montana. You will reunite with your brother and sister and meet their spouses, ascertain strengths and weaknesses and how we can utilize them for our gain. Thomas and Jacqueline have let their defenses down. It is time to make allies of your siblings or send them to be with your mother. Though I would miss my favorite, little Jacqueline ..." His gaze grew intense. "It would be better to have her dead than out of our grasp."

Elizabeth's heart raced. The outright threat to Jacey and Quaid wasn't his normal mode of operation. Especially Jacey.

Tragically, her father had not been too busy to plot and plan what to do with his wayward children like she'd thought. He had been waiting for the perfect opportunity and felt this wedding celebration was it.

Allowing her to go by herself was unforeseen. Could it be the opportunity she longed for? She doubted it. Her leash was short, and no matter how her father claimed to trust her, he didn't trust anyone but himself.

Quaid and Jacey would never agree to be ‘allies' with them. They would both have to go back into hiding. A beat of hope thumped in her heart. She might have a chance to convince them, in person, the peril they were in. Would they listen? Would they believe her? She was terrified that the answer was no. She could imagine what kind of listening devices, cameras, and top-level bodyguards her father would have on or with her. How would she dare say anything without the fear of him hearing or knowing about it?

"Peter will be part of your guard detail, so no need to worry about your safety."

Cold chills raced along her spine. Here was her punishment. Peter was sadistic and unbeatable. She'd watched him take out elite special ops warriors and top MMA fighters. Yesterday, Peter's hazel eyes had roved over her as he said how much he enjoyed watching her on the security cameras. He was foul. Now that she realized there were cameras in her closet, she realized how disgusting he was. She wouldn't have any chance to warn her siblings with Peter sticking by her side.

That look in her father's eyes … He knew exactly what he was doing. It was planned out with exactness. The man didn't require sleep and his brain was on level with Einstein. As always, Elizabeth was in a lose-lose situation. There was no way out. No hope for her. The only reason she hadn't taken her life years ago was her quest to give her brother and sister freedom and happiness.

Quaid and Jacey. Could they not have their own lives?

Of course they couldn't. They were Olivers. Their destiny would be as miserable as her own. The crushing despair almost sent her to her knees. Somehow, Father would orchestrate it so she would damage, manipulate, or even murder her own siblings. She would believe she was helping them, and in the end, every feeble effort would ultimately destroy Quaid, Jacey, and their innocent spouses.

Her dad straightened and reached out both of his hands. Elizabeth placed her hands in his, and he tugged her to her feet. With her four-inch heels on, she matched his six feet. It did not matter. Her father did not need stature or kudos. He lived for the quiet chess game with everyone around him. He would eventually control the entire nation through her, his most obedient pawn.

"I am exceptionally proud of you, doll. You truly are flesh of my flesh and have proven you would never do or say one thing that I would not approve of."

Of course she wouldn't.

Unless there was a chance she could save her brother and sister.

She had hidden the card and he'd retaliated by sending Peter with her. He'd act like he trusted her, but they both knew the truth. He was a lying snake.

"Your mother is gone, doll, and we made it through the aftermath. It is our time. You and I. Catherine played her role to exactness, reveling in the power she believed she had." He smiled at that. "She has taken the blame to her grave."

The police reports said Catherine Oliver was shot in the back by one of her own men. Father had forwarded the information to Elizabeth. Had he instructed one of the guards to take that shot? She was certain he had, and he'd shared the proof with her. Another threat. He could claim he trusted her, but Benjamin trusted no one but the devil who inspired him.

"We are rising together, the phoenix from your mother's ashes. You and I are left with allegiances, power, and extreme wealth. Nothing and no one can stop us."

He paused, and she nodded eagerly. Her voice wouldn't work as panic pressed on her chest, making her short of breath.

"Everything I do is for you, doll. Come November, you will win the race for senate and soon you will be the first female president." He patted her cheek in that terrifying and condescending way he had. "I will advise you every step of the way."

Of course he would. She couldn't sneeze without his permission.

"Thank you, Father, for believing in me," she said like the robot she was.

"If your brother and sister cannot support you on your path, we will have no choice but to make them into martyrs for our cause."

"I'm certain I can gain their support," she managed, her palms clammy against his and her pulse point revealing how quick her heart was beating. She couldn't control it, and she wasn't certain of anything. Could she gain their trust and warn them? Quaid wouldn't even want to speak to her.

Father released her left hand and traced the thrumming pulse in her neck. She shivered, and his smile grew. He knew she was quietly terrified and reveled in it.

If only she was terrified of what he would do to her. Sadly, it was what he would do to Quaid and his innocent and benevolent wife Anna, and Jacey and her strong cowboy husband Cade.

Please! she yelled in her mind at an uncaring heaven as she smiled at her duplicitous father. You allowed my brother and sister to escape and Mother be killed. Why? Simply to taunt them with freedom and happiness and then yank it away?

How could heaven be so cruel and allow this duplicitous beast to win over and over again?

If her father was scheming how to use Jacey and Quaid or kill them, Elizabeth couldn't rely on heaven. She had never been able to. She had to come up with a plan to stop him and protect them.

She stayed erect, though she disintegrated inside. The only hope she had was that Jacey and Quaid would believe whatever cryptic message she attempted to convey and hide themselves in Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland, the most remote mountain village in the world, surrounded by sea ice, for the rest of their lives. She'd seen that safe spot on a magazine cover, listed with isolated locations as Antarctica, Point Nemo, and Easter Island. She'd longed to escape to Greenland with Hays for many years. She and her Superman could live near an icy sea, keep each other warm, and never need anything but each other.

Safety. Happiness. Love. They would never be hers. Thankfully, Hays was not on her father's radar. She'd waited anxiously the past fourteen years for her father to exploit her weakness and longing for Hays, but so far Hays had stayed safe. As safe as a Navy SEAL could be. Much safer than in her father's grasp.

Elizabeth wished she could turn to a humble yet brave and tough man like Hays. A trustworthy man. Sadly, she had no resources or trusted associates of her own. Her father controlled everything.

And she was his obedient ‘doll.'

If she didn't figure out how to warn Quaid and Jacey, they'd be in his power again as well.