Chapter One

Mira never knew that leaving behind her life of crime, gangs and abuse in New York would ever result in what she found waiting for her in the place that was supposed to be her safe haven.

Cover by: AmelineDesignsCovers (wattpad.com)


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PART ONE


 


She pushed her short legs harder. This time she wasn't running from the cops. She was running for her life. A new life. She sucked in a deep, ragged breath and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. This was the fastest she'd ever run in her entire life. He couldn't catch her now. She could hear him calling her name, but that made her want to run even faster. She wanted to look over her shoulder, but she wouldn't dare give him that satisfaction.


"Mira Beketov! Get your a*s back here!" Luka Glavik called after her, with his thick Russian accent. She didn't stop running. There was no point in listening anymore. Mama had killed herself and he had lied to her... again. "Mira! Come back!" He fell to his knees and put his face in the palm of his hands, she felt no sympathy for her dumb a*s step-father. She had despised and feared him since she was a little girl, and now she no longer had to take it anymore. This was the final straw. He told her that Mama left them, he said she hated them. He lied. She'd hung herself in the attic. Mira had no one now.


Except for her papa, the one who never took the time to see her. He left when she was just three years old and she never heard from him again.


Mira felt for the small slip of paper in her pocket, the one with Arthur River's address on it. She found it in her mother's jewelery box. This was the day she would finally meet her father. There was no way in hell she would ever live with Luka again. She had been waiting for this chance to escape since her mother married the man. It didn't even matter that she didn't know s**t about her biological dad and his family.


"Now boarding flight 207 to Colorado," the voice crackled into the speakers. Mira rushed toward the gate and got there just in time. She boarded the plane quickly and sat down in a small blue seat. She still had about four hundred dollars left of the thousand she'd taken from Luka. Thank goodness she did, she was hungry.


It was one in the morning when the plane landed in DIA. Mira gathered her things and slipped into the warm June night. Thank goodness it was summer or else walking would've sucked. The seventeen year old had almost no idea where she was going. She'd gotten directions from some guy sitting next to her on the flight, but that was it. Plus it was dark out and she had her old backpacking backpack and guitar weighing down her shoulders. Questions plagued her mind as she walked along the winding road, what if Arthur wouldn't take her in? What if he turned her away and she had to go back to Luka? Mira laughed dryly, there was no way in hell she was going back to Luka. She'd rather live on the streets. At the moment that seemed like a very likely outcome. No way was she going to get her hopes up. It had been fourteen years since the man had even laid eyes on her.


***


The doorbell rang loudly through the large house. Arthur River glanced over at his son. Had Kacey been locked out again? It was two in the morning, if he did, Kimmy was going to kill him. Arthur hurried to the door quickly so as not to wake his wife up. The doorbell rang again. He glanced up when he heard footsteps coming down the wooden stairs. Damn, Kimmy was up. And wait, Kacey was coming down behind her. Arthur's gaze met Niko's and they turned to their family. Who the hell would be at the door this early in the morning? Arthur unlocked the three locks and yanked the door open.


A girl stood on the porch in front of him. She had long chocolate brown hair that reached her waist. She wore a plain black t-shirt and long, ripped blue jeans; on her feet were black tennis shoes with duct tape covering holes where her toes wore out the soles. She had four thin scars running from the bottom of her left ear down to the nape of her neck. An old backpack was strapped securely to her back along with a beat up looking guitar. She had dark black circles underneath her two pools of rich, dark chocolate-colored eyes.


"Who the hell are you?" Kacey asked sleepily before either Kimmy or Arthur could speak. The girl narrowed her eyes and gave him a look that was all too familiar to Arthur.


"My name is Mira Beketov, and I was wondering if I could speak with Arthur River," the girl replied as Kimmy was about to reprimand her son. Mrs. River snapped her mouth shut and looked over at her husband wide-eyed.


"Niko, Kacey, go to bed," Kimmy commanded. Both boys groaned but did as they were told. They turned and ran upstairs.


"Is that your cousin or something?" Kacey asked his older step-brother. Niko shook his head. "Well then who the hell is she?" Niko swallowed slowly. He'd heard about her, but somehow that didn't make her real to him. Until now.


"I have no idea," he answered finally, even though he had a pretty damn good idea.


"What are you doing here Mira?" Arthur asked suspiciously. He narrowed his eyes at her. The girl squirmed underneath his stare.


"You know what?" she said, her voice strong. "Never mind. I'm sorry I woke you up Mr. and Mrs. River. I'll go find someplace else to stay. Sorry for intruding on your family." Arthur glanced over at his wife.


"What do you mean you'll go find someplace else to go? Where is your mother?" Arthur asked his gaze becoming suspicious once more. Mira's tough look faltered for a moment. She stared straight ahead, refusing to meet their eyes. "Where's your mother Mira?" he asked again. Mira's face hardened, becoming emotionless. Her voice became robotic and monotone.


"Mama hung herself." Arthur's gaze softened as he exchanged looks with his wife.


"Excuse us Mira," he said dryly as he pulled his wife by her elbow into the living room.


"What are we going to do Arty?" Kimmy asked softly. Arthur shook his head.


"We have to send her back to live with Luka. She belongs with him," he answered. His voice was deep and angered. "She shouldn't have come here. She should not have left New York." Kimmy gasped. She glared at her husband.


"Arthur River! That is your daughter you're talking about! You already left her once, you can't turn her away. Ana killed herself, the girl needs to be with family now, plus that man isn't even related to her!" Kimmy's eyes were filling with tears as she thought about how that poor child must have been feeling. Arthur shook his head.


"From the letters I've received from Ana, Mira is a trouble maker. She's been arrested four times since the new year. She is never home and she's been kicked out of seven schools in the last three years. Do you really want that kind of influence around our sons?" Arthur was almost yelling now. His face turning a bright tomato red. Kimmy glared at him with cold, icy blue eyes.


"I don't care if that girl was convicted of murder, she is still your daughter and you are not going to turn her away. That child just lost her mother, Arthur. I don't give a s**t what kind of trouble she's gotten herself into, she is still a child and she needs to be around family right now." Kimmy's voice shook as she spoke. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "She needs to meet her brother." Arthur felt tears sting his eyes. Kimmy was right of course. About everything.


"Fine," he said coldly. "But if she does one wrong thing this summer, I'm sending her to boarding school. She will not corrupt our good boys." Kimmy rolled her eyes but nodded her head in agreement.


When Mr. and Mrs. River started to walk back toward the kitchen, Mira hurried over to the dining table, pretending she hadn't just eaves dropped on their depressing conversation. She folded her hands in her lap and sat up straighter when she saw them. She wasn't going to ruin this for herself. She was going to try and be as good as possible this summer. She could finally have that Clean Slate her mother was always talking about. Look out world, Mira Rose Beketov was finally going to be good... Hopefully.


"Mira, we have decided to allow you to stay in our home for the summer," Arthur began firmly. "On the condition that you are on your absolute best behavior. You will follow the rules of this house. If you are able to meet our standards, you will be allowed to attend your senior year under this roof. However, if you fail to satisfy our generous conditions, I will be sending you to boarding school. Do you understand?" Mira only nodded, afraid if she said anything it would come out sounding sarcastic or mean or something.


"Mr. River?" Mira asked quietly after a moment. Arthur looked at her expectantly. "How did you know about my arrests?"


"Your mother sent me updates about you at the end of every month," he answered coldly before turning to leave the room. "Kimmy, will you please show Mira the guest room?" Kimmy nodded and gestured for Mira to follow her.


"You'll meet your brothers tomorrow sweet heart," Kimmy told her kindly as she led Mira down into the basement where the two extra bedrooms were.