The Scarlet Stinger (LRDA Book 1)

Chapter 1

Talia Hudson gazed up at the high-rise building. She looked at the building next to it trying to eyeball the distance. The three buildings next to each other were part of Haven Apartment Complex, one of the most expensive places to live in the entire city. They were only about twenty feet apart, closer than the other buildings which were about forty feet apart on average. The balconies did make the distance shorted but not by much. Jumping from one building to another wasn't impossible but so unlikely she was sure that wasn't the way the thief entered.

She took out her phone and snapped a few quick pictures of the buildings.

It rang.

"Yeah, Miranda," Talia said.

"Where are you? You said you were going to come."

"Yeah. Juniper got herself into a little mess. You know how dogs can be," Talia said. Her service dog looked up at her and whined. Talia pressed her finger to her lip. "I'll be there in less than ten minutes. I'll make it in time for Carter's race." She hung up the phone. Juniper cocked her head. "Sorry girl but I can't exactly tell her what I'm up to. Come on. If we run we might make it."

They ran to the school. Talia had to take a few breaths and wipe her forehead before she went inside the gym where the pool was. She, Miranda and Carter went to Hubbard Murray High School, a private school located just outside the busiest part of the city. They had two Olympic sized pools, funded by the PTA, so their school was often used for swim meets.

Miranda waved her over and patted the seat next to her. Talia flopped down, still breathing heavily.

"You really need to exercise more," Miranda said.

"You do enough of that for the both of us," Talia said.

"You made it just in time for Carter's race. Look. There he is," Miranda said.

She didn't need to point him out. Talia knew very well who he was. He and Miranda had been dating for over a year since he got the scholarship to HMH.

"Where's Mrs Hudgens?" Talia asked. That was Carter's mother.

"She had to work at the hospital and couldn't make it," Miranda said.

Carter stood on the starting block. He waved to Miranda and shot her a wink before he pulled on his goggles.

The eight swimmers got into position. The whistle blew and they dived in. Talia always made fun of how much Miranda gushed about Carter but she was right in one aspect in particular, he was an amazing swimmer and his scholarship was well deserved.

"Miranda, I'm losing feeling in my arm," Talia said.

Miranda let go. "Sorry."

"Relax. It's just a district meet. He'll win for sure," Talia said. Some kids from one of the public schools nearby shot her a dirty look, which she ignored. She was only stating facts. If they had a problem with that, then they should work on training their swimmers better. The other schools didn't use drag suits or, more importantly, train as much as the swimmers in HMH. If they wanted to have a better chance of winning, they needed better coaches, not more money as they kept claiming.

Juniper rested her head on Talia's knee. Juniper always made sure she stayed very close, just in case Talia needed her. She had Type 1 Diabetes. While she didn't think she needed a service dog, her parents said they felt more comfortable with Juniper around and she kept her around for her parents' peace of mind, and the fact that it was part of her deal for being allowed to go to school instead of being homeschooled.

"Winner for the 50m men's freestyle, Carter Hudgens!"

Miranda jumped up. "Go Carter!" She pulled Talia's arm. "Let's go congratulate him."