Chapter 1 - The Pulse of Vengeance
The roaring fireplace in the Cascade Ridge Estate could not melt the ice forming inside Dr. Nathan Pierce’s chest. For seven years, he had worn his cold arrogance like a suit of armor, convinced that cutting Sarah out of his life was an act of tough love. He had believed the whispers of the investigators, the forged financial statements, and the quiet lies Marcus Kane had subtly planted in the local community years ago. Marcus had always played the part of the charming, reformed businessman, while painting Sarah as erratic, unstable, and ungrateful.
Nathan had swallowed those lies because it was easier than admitting his own failure as an older brother.
Now, his sister was dead on a kitchen floor miles away, her blood staining white tiles while a monster held a broken bottle, and the only proof of his absolute blindness sat in the palm of his hand: Sarah’s silver bracelet, scratched and freezing cold.
"Doctor! His temperature is stabilizing, but the girl—little Lily—is fighting a severe bout of hypothermia and pneumonia," Rosa whispered frantically, her hands shaking as she tucked warm wool blankets around the five-year-old. The two infant twins, Owen and Ethan, were resting side by side in a makeshift bassinet made from dresser drawers lined with thick towels. Their breathing, once shallow and terrifyingly quiet, now rhythmically filled the silent room.
Nathan stood up slowly, the silver bracelet gripped so tightly in his fist that the edges bit into his skin. His eyes, usually mirrors of clinical precision, burned with a dark, terrifying fury.
"Rosa, lock every door and window," Nathan ordered, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous register. "Turn on the perimeter security grids. Marcus Kane thinks he wiped out the entire family tonight. He doesn't know Lily made it through the storm."
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Rosa paled. "You don't think he'll follow them here?"
"He's a narcissist with a gambling debt and a bloodlust," Nathan said, walking toward his private study where a heavy floor safe was built into the stone wall. "He won't leave loose ends. But before he reaches this mountain, he’s going to find out what happens when you cross a Pierce."
