At All Cost

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book might not be sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electric or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact author at [email protected] This is work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental. AT ALL COST First edition. January 30, 2023. Copyright © Paulina Baker Written by Paulina Baker Cover Design by Dark City Designs Formatted by Jennifer Laslie Contents Playlist Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Epilogue Author’s note Also by Paulina Baker Playlist Moments We Live For by In Paradise Forever My Love by J Balvin, Ed Sheeran I Tried by Camylio Don’t Blame Me by Taylor Swift Mujeriego by Ryan Castro In A Second by Jon Mullins Brother by Kodaline Can’t Help Falling In Love by Tommee Profitt Survivor by 2WEI This book is for everyone who fell in love with Kovu from The Lion King II. Chapter One Adriana Age 13 Being the new kid at school sucks. But what sucks even more than that, is being the only student with a bodyguard. A bodyguard who I’m currently hiding from in the bushes. I guess that’s what happens when you finally convince your parents to let you attend a real school after years of being home-schooled. Most kids think it’s cool, but they don’t understand the struggle of being unable to do anything or go anywhere without being constantly watched. My cousin Javier is the only person who really understands, and now, he was the one who helped me hide. Now, all I have to do is wait for this giant to drive home so I can go to the shopping mall like other kids. I am tired of feeling like a freak. I only feel like myself when I’m on stage, wearing my ballet shoes; where I can focus on the music. But even then, the giant still stands on the side because Daddy said that he’ll hurt him if he ever loses me. Suddenly I’m jerked out of the bushes by my backpack, and lifted off the ground. I scream and kick. “Let me go!” “Maybe you’ll have better luck next time,” The giant says, his voice laced with anger. His black hair is slicked back, and it shines from all the gel he put into it. He’s wearing a suit, but that’s not unusual. All men who work for Daddy, wear suits. And he’s wearing sunglasses that barely cover his eyes. It’s another sunny day in Warlington, Florida. “Let go.” I repeat. He holds me up like I weigh nothing, making me regret being ballerina skinny. I wish I was so heavy that his arm would hurt, and he’d have to let me go. “Are you gonna get in the car?” I see Javier in the distance with some friends, mouthing sorry to me as they all walk away. Like I said: having a bodyguard sucks! I spit in his face, and he makes a weird growling sound before mumbling under his breath, “I hate kids.” He leads us to his big, black GMC, opens the door, throws me in the back, and closes the door behind me. I scoff with annoyance as I take my backpack off. “Seatbelt,” the giant orders as he jumps into the driver’s seat. I cross my arms and stare through the window, pretending to ignore him. “Do you want me to tell your fath—” “Fine!” I snap, buckling my seatbelt with a heavy sigh. He loves telling on me, and then Daddy gets really angry. “That’s better.” As we drive, I watch all the kids hanging out together outside, having fun, laughing, all while I’m being driven home because ‘it’s not safe out there’. A tear escapes my eyes, trailing its way down my cheek. I don’t bother wiping it. * * * The moment I see the large white fence and two guards on each side of the entrance, I know I’m home. When the car stops outside the front door, I race inside, not looking back. I run towards the stairs when my mom’s voice sounds from the kitchen. “Adriana, is that you?” I stop and roll my eyes before stomping my way to see her. They usually leave me alone and only call me when they want something. And it’s rarely anything fun. “Hi, mom.” I kiss her on the cheek, before grabbing an apple from the bowl and hauling myself up onto the dining table. I take a bite of the fruit, allowing the juice to moisten my dry throat from when I screamed at the giant. “How was school?” she asks. I shrug. “Fine.” The smell of apple pie wafts through the air and I see the oven on. She usually bakes when we’re seeing someone. “Where’s Diego?” I shrug again because I left him behind in the car and don’t actually care where he is now. “Adriana…” She places her hands on her hips in a way that tells me she’s annoyed with me again. “I don’t like him. I can’t do anything when he’s around. And he’s