Chapter 1

I own nothing.

The day was uncomfortably hot. The sun was directly overhead, shimmering down and making it unbearable for anyone wearing real clothing. The water was cool and a beautiful shade of blue. It was the perfect day to be at the beach.

Nate Ford leaned back in his chair, drawing his feet back inside the shade cast by his umbrella. No matter how much sunscreen he applied, his Irish skin still burned under the intense Florida rays.

He watched his wife wade though the waves, smiling proudly as all heads turned to track her movements across the sand. Ignoring her own seat, Sophie placed herself across his lap. She kissed him, dripping water over her husband. She smiled. "Are you ever going to get in the water?"

"Eventually." He traced his fingers over her thighs. "Ready for lunch?"

Sophie giggled. "Yes, but you will swim before the trip is over."

"Fair enough." Nate gathered their things as Sophie donned her cover up.

They picked a cantina that was close to their hotel. After they ordered their food and got settled, Nate noticed that Sophie looked far away. "What's on your mind?"

"I wonder how they are doing." She said with a sigh and a sip of wine.

She didn't need to elaborate on who 'they' were. It had almost been a year since they had left Portland and got married. They had treated the last few months as one long honeymoon. She had enjoyed it immensely, but they slowly crept back into her mind when it was quiet.

"They can handle themselves." Nate didn't want to admit that he missed them as well. For all his grumbling, they were a family. "They know that they can call if they need us."

"I know but even Parker isn't calling for relationship advice any more..."

"They're ok." Nate assured her. "When we get back to the hotel, we can call them on the video call thing."

Sophie smiled at Nate's lack of proper tech knowledge. "OK."

They enjoyed their meal then did some shopping on the way back to the hotel. Sophie was ready for a shower. It was nearly impossible to get all the sand off otherwise.

Sophie lay her shopping bags on the bed and strolled into the spacious bathroom. She started taking her hair down and ran a brush through it. She called out. "Where do you want to go next?"

A soft thud was her only answer. "Nate?"

She stepped out, she saw Nate on his knees in the entryway. There were two men leaning over him. "Nate!"

One of the men lunged at her, a syringe in hand. She didn't get very far before the man grabbed her and injected a powerful sedative. The room shifted and she stumbled, falling to her knees. The last thing she saw was Nate's unconscious form in front of her.