Unraveled Read online

  Unraveled

  An Everyday Heroes World Novel

  Alexia Chase

  COPYRIGHT PAGE

  Introduction

  Book Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Epilogue

  KB Worlds

  Book Review

  Join My Newsletter & Grab a Freebie

  About the Author

  ALSO WRITTEN BY K. BROMBERG

  COPYRIGHT PAGE

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

  © 2021KB WORLDS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people.

  Published by KB Worlds LLC.

  Cover Design by: Juliana Cabrera @ Jersey Girl Designs

  Editing by: The Word Fairy

  Formatting by: ….

  Published in the United States of America

  Introduction

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome to the Everyday Heroes World!

  I’m so excited you’ve picked up this book! Unraveled is a book based on the world I created in my USA Today bestselling Everyday Heroes Series. While I may be finished writing this series (for now), various authors have signed on to keep them going. They will be bringing you all-new stories in the world you know while allowing you to revisit the characters you love.

  This book is entirely the work of the author who wrote it. While I allowed them to use the world I created and may have assisted in some of the plotting, I took no part in the writing or editing of the story. All praise can be directed their way.

  I truly hope you enjoy Unraveled. If you’re interested in finding more authors who have written in the KB Worlds, you can visit www.kbworlds.com.

  Thank you for supporting the writers in this project and me.

  Happy Reading,

  K. Bromberg

  Book Excerpt

  Layla

  “Oh, shit.” My heart skips a beat. I run to the covered trench and stare inside with my co-parent quacking and fluttering her head from side to side. How am I going to get you out of there?

  “What are you doing?” A deep voice booms from behind me.

  My mouth drops, and I pivot on my heel. Holy hotness, Batman. The man, who has apparently emerged from the monster truck with the dual tailpipes, strides across the pavement.

  The muscles in his shoulders and neck ripple with each movement. When did superheroes start wearing low-hung jeans and wifebeaters? I swallow over the dry ball of lust in my throat and straighten my shoulders. “Gertrude’s baby duckling fell into the drain.”

  He yanks the sunglasses off his face, and the darkest pair of brown eyes stares at me in utter disbelief. Then, he glances in all directions. “And that warrants this mess?”

  I jerk backward. “What mess?”

  “This.” As he waves his hand in a circle in front of him, his eyes flash with contempt. “You’re holding up traffic. All the lookie-loos are out gawking. And the Mayor’s over there holding an impromptu press conference.”

  I spin around to see Mayor Winston grinning from ear to ear as he uses his hands to talk. Tracie Atherton and Max Parson have their cellphones up as they appear to be recording his conversation. Welcome to Sunnyville, California.

  “Then, move on.” I shrug. “It doesn’t have to be your business.”

  The man purses his lips. “Yes, it does. We received a call at the fire department, and I’m the lucky one who got the call.”

  Chapter One

  Layla

  I glance out the front window of the café and groan, “There goes Gertrude again.”

  “What?” Dorthey Hughes raises her empty mug and twists her head to face the street. “Ah.” She turns back and smiles. The red vinyl cushions make a rustling sound from her movements. “How many years is this now?”

  “Four.”

  Gertrude, the duck, waddles across the grass of the park with her bright green feathers shining under the mid-day sun. With each step, her yellowish-orange beak opens and closes.

  Directly behind her are several puffs of brown ducklings. They all mosey in different directions. “Poor thing.” I shake my head. “This group of hatchlings seems more clueless than the last.”

  Several years ago, Gertrude injured her wing and now has taken up a permanent residence at the park. The longer she’s been there, the later her ducklings’ hatch. This year, they’re months behind schedule.

  I grasp Dorthey’s mug, fill it with steaming black coffee and return it to the table. The scent of dark roast swirls around the table. “Is this okay?”

  She peers inside and nods. “Perfect. I don’t want too much, or it’ll keep me up all night. I can’t afford to have a lot of caffeine in the late afternoon if I want to be in bed by eight o’clock.”

  “I understand.” How many times have I heard this story? A wave of nostalgia flows through me. I’ve been here for five years. In the summers, I worked weekdays. During the school year, I worked two days a week.

  My head spins. Never mind. Math’s not my strong suit. “Tell me if you need anything else.”

  She reaches out her wrinkled hand and clasps mine in hers. Her fingers shake a little more this year than last. “Dear, you have such a lovely spirit. Tell me. Why hasn’t some guy swooped in and knocked you off your feet? I’ll never forget the first time I saw Mr.
Hughes. God rest his soul.”

  “I don’t know, Dorthey. Maybe someday.” Mr. Right has got to be around here somewhere, and I’ll find him. Never give up is my motto. So what if all the guys I dated in college never lived up to the image of what I’m searching for in a man. The men in my family have big shoes to fill. “Have a great day.”

  “You too.” She pats my hand and then stares into her mug. Her face is wistful as she seemingly drifts off into her memories of being wooed by her deceased husband.

  That’s what I want – a love so vivid that sixty years later, I’m still remembering being swept off my feet.

  I sigh and step to the next table. My day is filled with idle chitchat with the regulars, and over the years I’ve seen dozens of waitresses come and go. Most of them can’t hack the monotony. I love it. Not that this is the only thing I want to do with my life.

  Someday, I want to open my own photography studio. Years ago, Marcie Holden took me under her wing, and I’ve had the photo bug ever since.

  The screech of car tires jerks me out of my musings, and there in the middle of the street is Gertrude with her entourage. The driver of the Land Rover opens the door and waves his hands frantically at Gertrude. She hops in the air, and her neck stretches out as she quacks in frustration.

  I get ya. It must be a bear trying to herd those ducks across the street. I chuckle.

  As the man tugs on the collar of his suit jacket and hollers, his face turns crimson. Calm down, Mr. Big Shot. He slides back into the vehicle.

  As the door slams shut, the entire vehicle rocks from the force of his anger. I cringe. He’s going to make himself sick.

  The Land Rover surges forward, and I gasp. “Oh, my God.” I set down the coffee pot with a clang. “I’ll be right back.”

  Without looking to see if my boss, Bertha, heard me, I march to the front door and yank it open. The dark-haired, impeccably dressed man revs the engine, but Gertrude doesn’t budge.

  That asshat had better not run over Gertrude or any of her babies. Or I’ll… What? I shake my head. Exactly what am I going to do? Spank him?

  I spread my arms wide, and a stiff breeze blows at the fabric of my ankle-length dress. Thankfully, the wind isn’t blowing any harder, or I’d end up with my ass hanging out.

  When the man guns the engine again, I run in front of his vehicle and stop. He glares and rolls down the window. “What’re you doing?”

  “Saving these precious animals before you run them over.”

  “Get out of my way.” He lifts his arm and studies his wristwatch. “I’m supposed to be upstate in an hour.”

  “Then, you should have left more time for your commute.” I swivel and slowly approach the duck. “Hey, girl. You’ve got a beautiful family. Let me help you get them back into the park.”

  She stares with her beady eyes and then quacks.

  “Right.” I grin. “Teamwork.”

  The driver lays on his horn, pulls into the opposite lane, and zips past. I twist at the waist and glare at him as he zooms down the street. What a jerk.

  Between Gertrude and I, we manage to corral three of the baby ducks into the park as several customers file out of the café to cheer me on.

  I lean down and swoosh my arms in the air as another puffball waddles toward the yellow center line. “Oh, no, you don’t.”

  At my exaggerated movements, the duckling squirts into the grass like a fox is hot on his tail feathers. “Good job, little one.”

  By now, cars on both sides of the road have come to a complete stop. Mayor Winston steps out of his Cadillac. He leans against the door with his arm resting over the top edge. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

  I swipe a strand of hair out of my eyes, but it continues to swirl. “Yes, it is.”

  He chuckles as Gertrude darts to the side of the road and frantically quacks at a duckling that has wandered down the cement gutter. “She sure has her hands full with this batch. I don’t think they’re going to make it.”

  “You and me both,” I sigh in utter frustration. There’s no time to make idle conversation. I jog to catch up with them before another unsuspecting driver ends up running over the little family.

  Not that there’s anywhere for vehicles to go. The road to the south is blocked by the Mayor and a couple other drivers who’ve stopped to chat with him. And from the north, a large 4x4 is angled sideways to block traffic.

  I squint. Who’s that? I don’t recognize the vehicle. Before I can catch a glimpse of the driver, the pipsqueak on the loose slips between the rails of the drain grate and disappears.

  “Oh, shit.” My heart skips a beat. I run to the covered trench and stare inside with my co-parent quacking and fluttering her head from side to side. How am I going to get you out of there?

  “What are you doing?” A deep voice booms from behind me.

  My mouth drops, and I pivot on my heel. Holy hotness, Batman. The man, who has apparently emerged from the monster truck with the dual tailpipes, strides across the pavement.

  The muscles in his shoulders and neck ripple with each movement. In his earlobes are twin diamonds that glisten in the sun. When did superheroes start wearing low-hung jeans and wifebeaters? I swallow over the dry ball of lust in my throat and straighten my shoulders. “Gertrude’s baby duckling fell into the drain.”

  He yanks the sunglasses off his face, and the darkest pair of brown eyes stares at me in utter disbelief. Then, he glances in all directions. “And that warrants this mess?”

  I jerk backward. “What mess?”

  “This.” As he waves his hand in a circle in front of him, his eyes flash with contempt. “You’re holding up traffic. All the lookie-loos are out gawking. And the Mayor’s over there holding an impromptu press conference.”

  I spin around to see Mayor Winston grinning from ear to ear as he uses his hands to talk. Tracie Atherton and Max Parson have their cellphones up as they appear to be recording his conversation. Welcome to Sunnyville, California.

  “Then, move on.” I shrug. “It doesn’t have to be your business.”

  The man purses his lips. “Yes, it does. We received a call at the fire department, and I’m the lucky one who got the call.”

  Chapter Two

  Kameron

  What a clusterfuck. When I signed up for this gig, I was expecting a nice break from the city’s fast pace.

  Granted, the weather’s beautiful, and it feels more like Mayberry than Kansas City, but this? My gaze darts between the quacking duck, the ducklings darting in all directions in the park, and Ms. Pollyanna swooshing them all to safety. Lord, save me.

  I squat down in front of the grate. The brown fuzzball stares with black eyes and an open beak. “This is why birds don’t live long. Just be glad it’s not raining, or you’d drown.”

  “What?” Ms. Pollyanna stops in mid-movement and gawks like I said I was going to rip its head off and eat it.

  “Birds.” I motion toward the drain. “They’re stupid.”

  Her green eyes flash in anger, and the freckles on the bridge of her nose pop as heat floods her face. “Birds aren’t stupid.”

  I shift from my slouching position to my full height and slip the sunglasses back over my eyes. “Ma’am, this duck you call, Gertrude, has caused traffic to stop for fifteen minutes. It’s brought me from the quiet of the fire station to solve your little dilemma. And this baby bird is swimming in the gutter with its mouth open.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes go soft, and she jogs back to the drain as locks of auburn hair flow behind her in waves. “The poor guy’s hungry.” She glances at the ground and spins in a circle. “Do you think we could find a worm?”

  “No,” I sigh. Is this woman for real? “I don’t think we can find a worm, and I’m not searching for one.”

  “That’s mean.” She frowns and looks at me like I’m the evilest person she’s encountered today.

  Shit. I probably am. I don’t care about the duck. Or it’s offspring. All I want to do is clear the m
ess, report the job resolved, and wait for some real action to occur. Wrangling ducks doesn’t qualify as real fireman’s work. “Despite what you may think, wild animals don’t appreciate you feeding their young. If we feed this damn bird, Gertrude might abandon it.”

  She clutches her chest. “You called her, Gertrude.”

  “Oh, for the love of God.” I shake my head and twirl on my heel.

  How in the hell did I end up here? Riiight. A humiliating breakup with an ex, and an offer from a cousin to housesit while he travels. Except, I wasn’t expecting the Little Bo-Peep of Ducks to need help herding birds.

  By this point, several of the townspeople have gathered in the park to block the rest of the hatchlings from following the mother duck and dropping their dumbasses into the drain. Thank fuck for that.

  I squat and grasp the rusted grate on either side and yank upward. The metal grinds, but nothing moves. “Perrrfect.”

  “What is it?” Ms. Pollyanna moves to my right and hunkers down beside me.

  The coconut scent of her perfume fills my nostrils and causes the blood in my veins to hum. You’re not here to let your dick get you into more trouble, and Little Ms. Sunshine appears to be trouble with a capital “T.” “The drain’s stuck.”

  “Let me see.” Her tiny hands clasp the grille, and she tugs. “Yep. That’s tight.”

  Tight. I shudder at the vision of her slender body sliding over mine with her plump lips smashed against my mouth. Her whimpers eager as I plunge into her depths. I have no doubt she’d bring a whole new meaning to tight.

  Damn it. Stop. What’s wrong with me? Women are the root of all evil. I’ve yet to meet one who wasn’t deceitful and manipulative.

  “What’re you going to do?” Her big green eyes stare like I’ve got some magic wand shoved up my ass and can solve all the world’s problems.

  “We aren’t doing anything together,” I growl with more force than intended, and her eyes fill with hurt.

  Fuck. I close my eyes. No. It’s better this way. Let her think you’re a prick. I straighten my shoulders and open my eyes. “Get back, and I’ll take care of it.”