The Long Way Down

Here lies the heart of Riley Avens

It's been one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine days since Riley's tasted freedom. Taken from the streets at fourteen after a town fair and held captive against her will, Riley makes a brutal escape. Now that she's free, returned to her family, she's learning how to be her again, wading through trauma, heartache, and the remnants of her old life. It's not the same as it used to be, but then again, neither's she. Wildly destructive, wildly fearless, and starved to death for all the things she's lost, she chases a feeling she doesn't have a name for. Her favourite way to feel alive is to leap from Muller's Bridge at night, into the faceless water below. 

Wesley Draper is caught in the inertia. Him and his brother Cal have done what it takes to survive in the years since their parents were arrested. Things have been hard. Things have been awful, and life certainly isn't what he thought it would be, despite the clean cottage, fresh coats of paint and family photos strategically placed around the living space. There's a lot to be hidden beneath the thick veneer, but it's starting to run thin as Cal's enemies realize that the best way to get to Cal is to go through Wesley.  

Riley chases the danger around Wesley with the determination of a storm, ready for anything and everything, she thinks. Things are different now, though. It's not just her she's pulling under the water every time she lets go of the guard rail and falls back. It's everyone she loves, too.