Never Surrender

by Stacy Claflin

  The next room—a filthy little kitchen—was also empty. He checked another room with the same result. He couldn’t find anyone.

  His heart started to race. Where was Zander? Had they taken him somewhere?

  No longer concerned with his boss, Alex raced through the house, opening every door he came across. Two were locked and the rest were junk-filled spaces with nobody there.

  Alex returned to the living room. The fire was growing out of control, the flames now reaching the wall.

  The wall.

  Crawford hadn’t expected Alex to wake when he did. The fire was set to kill him as he lay unconscious.

  Was it also set to kill Zander? Or had the mole taken him and ran?

  There was only one way to find out.

  “Zander!” Alex yelled so loudly his throat hurt—not to mention his throbbing head. He raced down the hall and banged on the first locked door. “Zander! Answer me!”

  Nothing.

  Alex tried the handle again. Didn’t budge.

  He rammed it with his shoulder, ignoring the pain and his headache, as he called out for his son. Then he slammed into the door with his other shoulder.

  Crack!

  At least he was getting somewhere.

  Once more, twice more.

  Third time was the charm. He fell through to the other side.

  Empty. Just a soiled bed. Nothing else in the room.

  Alex ran to the closet, threw open the door. A few jackets hanging from wire hangers.

  He bolted into the hall again and checked the fire. Flames were making their way up toward the ceiling and out toward the other walls.

  Alex ran to the kitchen and turned on the faucet. No water.

  He looked around.

  No fire extinguishers. No landline phones.

  He needed to get out, and fast.

  But not without making sure Zander wasn’t inside with him.

  The flames were quickly reaching for the other walls. Smoke was filling the room and making his eyes burn.

  Alex grabbed a blanket from the arm of the couch and hit the wall with it. His effort didn’t slow the flames.

  It just caught the bedding on fire.

  He swore and threw it at the mantle before his hand burned.

  “Zander!” Alex ran back to the hallway, calling as loudly as he could between coughing.

  He looked around for something to break down the next locked door with, sure his sore shoulders couldn’t take much more abuse. Not finding anything, he opted to kick this time around.

  His headache was growing worse, making it harder to think, harder to use his full physical potential. On his sixth kick, the door finally burst open. Alex’s head pounded. His nose and throat burned as he entered the bedroom.

  The empty bedroom.

  He covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve and hurried back to the hall to check the doors near where he’d woken, trying to ignore the growing fire. But the heat was growing more intense by the moment. Smoke was also darkening the air.

  Alex kicked at the next locked door. Found it too hard while covering his mouth and nose with his arm. He yanked off his hoodie and tied the arms around his face. Then rammed the door until it burst open.

  The room was so full of stuff there wasn’t even a path to walk through.

  “Zander!”

  Wah!

  A cry? Had he misheard that?

  “Zander!”

  Muffled cries sounded somewhere.

  Alex’s heart thundered as he raced into the hallway.

  There was one closed door. One place his son could be.

  His eyes watered from the fumes.

  Alex kicked the door.

  It didn’t budge.

  He rammed it with his shoulder, pain radiating out in all directions. Then he tried the other side. Kicked again. Struggled to breathe, wiping his eyes.

  Sobbing sounded on the other side.

  Something primal tore through Alex. In a blind rage he knocked down the door, not even fully aware of how he’d managed it.

  Zander sat on a bed, clinging to his blue teddy bear, tears streaming down his face and snot trailing from his nose as he wailed.

  It took Alex a moment to realize he wasn’t imagining the sight. He raced over and pulled the precious boy into his arms. Zander clung to him, crying out. Alex never wanted to let go.

  But they needed to get out of the cabin before the fire overtook them.

  Alex turned around.

  Orange and yellow flickers lit the hallway around black smoke.

  He went to kick the door closed, but then realized he’d shattered it.

  There was only one way out. The window.

  Alex tried to set Zander down, but the tot wouldn’t let go and he screamed in protest.

  “Just for a second!”

  But the tiny fists clung to Alex’s shirt.

  He would have to break open the window with one hand. Alex looked around for something to crush the glass.

  A chair lay on its side not far from the bed. He picked it up, and with one hand, thrust it against the window. The glass cracked but didn’t break. Alex hit it again. Another crack.

  The chair broke in several pieces.

  Zander wailed and buried his face against Alex’s chest.

  It was getting harder to breathe, even with his makeshift mask.

  His eyes streamed tears as he looked around for something else to break the window. Not seeing anything, he picked up random pieces of junk and threw them at the window as hard as he could. Pain ran through his shoulders, and his head pounded with a vengeance.

  Flames reached into the room like arms trying to pull him and Zander away.

  Finally, an old gaming console broke through the window.

  Alex darted over and pushed out as much glass as possible. He climbed onto the bed and to the window sill, covering Zander to protect him from any protruding shards. Pieces sliced through Alex’s flesh as he leaped out into the fresh air. Warm, sticky blood seeped into his shirt and jeans, soaking them.

  He coughed and gasped, trying desperately to drink in the clean oxygen.

  Zander sobbed louder than before.

  Alex rubbed his back. “It’s going to be okay. Daddy has you.”

  Then he ran toward his car, stumbling as he went. Between his injuries, carrying a toddler, and trying to expunge the smoke from his lungs, he could barely move in a straight path. But as long as they got away from the fire and stayed together, nothing else mattered.

  About halfway there, he stopped and leaned against a tree. Both he and Zander gasped for air. Alex was half-tempted to cry along with his son. But he held himself together and told the boy they’d soon be home with Mom and his sisters.

  Alex kept Zander’s face turned away from the fire, but he watched as flames from the engulfed house reached for nearby trees and lit them up.

  They needed to get out of there before the forest turned into an inferno.

  Pushing past his aches and pains, he raced toward his car.

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  Chapter 41

  Ariana shifted Laney to her other hip as she struggled to keep pace with her mom up the hospital escalator. “Slow down!”

  Mom glanced back. “There’s no time!”

  “Just go. I’ll find you.” Ariana took a deep breath and stopped. She’d heard the directions to the emergency room and would find her mom in a few minutes.

  When she got to the waiting room, her mom was already speaking with a nurse.

  Nick and Genevieve sat by a fish tank. Ari hurried over to them.

  Genevieve took Laney from her, balancing Megan in the other arm.

  “What’s going on?” Ariana gasped for air.

  Nick wrapped his arms around her. “They’re going to be okay. Both of them.”

  “What happened?” Ariana fought to keep her tears back. “Mom said Dad went into a burning building to save Zander?”

  “Sort of.” Nick sque
ezed her again before stepping back. “From what I know, your dad followed a lead that brought him to a cabin in the woods. He got knocked out and woke to a fire.”

  Ariana gasped.

  “But he managed to find Zander and get both of them out. Your dad’s banged up but will be fine. Other than a possible concussion, but we all know how tough he is.”

  She nodded. “And what about Zander?”

  “From what I’ve been told, he’s dehydrated and has a nasty diaper rash. But antibiotics should make it good as new.”

  Tears blurred her vision. “Was Dad right about the kidnapping ring?”

  Nick nodded. “Yes. They were involved.”

  Ariana wiped tears from her eyes. “The same people who Damon’s dad worked with?”

  “Right.”

  “Was Dad also right about someone on the force being part of it?”

  Nick nodded. “He was, yes. That person has been arrested, and he’s given up every other person involved. He claims to have been in charge of the whole thing, and if that’s true, then after all the arrests are made, this whole thing will finally be over.”

  She collapsed onto the chair next to Genevieve. “No more kidnappings?”

  “I can’t make any promises.” Nick smiled ruefully. “But not from the ring. All of the abductors are going down.”

  A scary thought struck her. “The leader isn’t getting immunity because of giving the names of the other kidnappers, is he?”

  Nick shook his head. “Not a chance. He might receive a reduced sentence, but given all the charges against him, he’s still likely looking at several lifetimes in prison.”

  Relief washed through her. “I can’t believe this is finally over.”

  Mom came over. “Are you ready to see them?”

  Ari leaped to her feet. “We can visit them?”

  She nodded. “They’re in the same room.”

  “Can we bring Laney?”

  Mom shook her head. “Just us two.”

  “I’ll take good care of her.” Genevieve smiled.

  Ariana’s breath hitched as she followed her mom and the white-haired, balding doctor down the hall. How bad of shape would Dad be in? She’d seen him in the hospital before. Would this be worse than the other times?

  The doctor opened a door for them.

  Ari hung back, letting them go in first.

  “Oh, honey!” Mom exclaimed.

  She wasn’t sure if Mom was talking to Dad or Zander, or both.

  The doctor smiled and waved Ariana in.

  Ari took several hesitant steps. The first thing she noticed were all the dark bruises on Dad’s face as he clung to Mom. Then she saw the stitches on his arms next to tubes. She pulled her attention from him and turned it to Zander in the next bed.

  He looked so tiny, especially with the tubes in his little arms.

  She ran over and wrapped her arms around him, never having been happier to see him.

  Then she turned to the doctor. “Are they going to stay together? Or will they have to go to separate rooms after this?”

  He gave her another reassuring smile. “We just need to keep an eye on them for a few more hours. If all goes well, they should be able to return home. I’m sure they’re going to be more than ready after the ordeal they’ve been through.”

  “You don’t have to keep them longer?”

  He shook his head. “We’ve run all the tests needed, and they’re both doing surprisingly well. Being home with you and your mom will be the best medicine—as long as they take their actual prescriptions.”

  “Thank you!” Ariana turned around.

  Mom was now sitting with Zander.

  Ariana scurried over to Dad’s bed and threw her arms around him.

  He tensed but returned the embrace. “Easy there, kiddo. Your old dad’s not in his usual shape.”

  “Old dad, huh?” She lifted a brow.

  “I sure feel like it right now.”

  She studied a long stitch from his elbow to almost his wrist. “How’d you find Zander?”

  He drew in a deep breath, then winced. “I followed a hunch. Luckily, I was right.”

  “Nick said it was someone from your department.”

  Dad nodded. “The ring is being dismantled as we speak.”

  “It’s really all over?” Even though she’d asked Nick, she wanted to hear Dad confirm it.

  “Looks that way.”

  “All thanks to you.”

  He shook his head. “There were a lot of other people involved. Nick used his authority to follow my cell phone’s signal. Then a bunch of police, federal agents, and medics made their way over. It was a group effort.”

  “But you’re the one with the wounds.”

  “It was also my child’s life on the line.” He squeezed her hand.

  “And you’ll do anything for your kids.” She thought back to her own abduction when she was eleven. Dad had risked his life to save hers—and that was back when he wasn’t even involved in her life. He’d only visited her once or twice a year.

  Dad’s eyes shone. “Never doubt that for one moment.”

  She threw her arms around him again. “I won’t.”

  Chapter 42

  A Few Years Later…

  Alex laughed and snapped a picture just as the twins leaped into the pool in unison, creating a massive splash.

  Zander was the first out. “Did you get that, Dad?”

  “Right here.” Alex held up the screen of his new smartphone.

  His son raced over and pumped his fist in the air upon seeing the image. “Awesome!”

  Zoey lifted her sunglasses. “No running near the pool.”

  “Okay, Mom.” Zander sighed then ran back to the water, splashing Laney as he jumped in.

  “Hey!” she complained. “I wasn’t ready.”

  They splashed each other wildly.

  One of the French doors squeaked behind Alex and Zoey as it opened then closed.

  Ariana ambled over and stretched out on the lounge chair next to Alex. “I’m all packed.”

  His stomach knotted. He blocked the sun’s glare with his hand and looked at her. “You don’t leave until tomorrow morning.”

  “I don’t want to forget anything.”

  Zoey leaned over, resting her hand on Alex’s arm. “You’re coming back every weekend, aren’t you?”

  Ari lowered her shades. “Mom, seriously.”

  She laughed. “I’m teasing. Kind of. Don’t forget about us.”

  “How could I do that?” Ariana blew them each a kiss. “And it isn’t like I’m going to be that far away. It’s just Seattle.”

  “Then why stay in the dorms?” Dad asked.

  Ari sighed. “Not you, too.”

  He gave her a playful shove. “Kidding.”

  Laney popped up from the pool. “You going to join us, Ari? You and me against Zander. He won’t stop splashing me!”

  “Maybe in a bit. I’m going to catch some rays first.”

  Laney sighed dramatically. “You’re already super tan. Come on!”

  “You’ll understand in a few years.” Ari leaned back and removed her sunglasses.

  “Ugh! I’ll never get boring when I’m older.” Laney climbed out and cannonballed next to her brother, covering him in the splash.

  Alex turned to Zoey. They exchanged an amused glance.

  The chime next to them alerted them of guests at the front door.

  Zander popped up. “Is that the Fleshmans?”

  Zoey glanced at her phone’s screen. “Yep. I’ll let them in.” She got up and headed inside the house.

  Alex waved at Laney. “Megan’s here! You don’t have to worry about boring big sisters.”

  Ariana shoved him.

  “Woohoo!” Laney pulled herself out of the pool. Dripping wet, she marched toward the door.

  “Don’t go inside like that,” he called.

  “I know.” She made a goofy face at him.

  Zoey came out with Nick,
Genevieve, Parker, Hanna, Tinsley, and little Megan. Ava was backpacking through Europe.

  Nick sat in the seat Zoey had been in and took off his shoes. “I do miss having you all so close, but this place is amazing.”

  “You say that every time. It’s only a twenty-minute drive.” Alex nodded toward the outdoor fridge. “Grab a soda. I’m going to start the grill soon.”

  Nick leaned back. “Maybe in a few. Still planning a movie night?”

  “Of course. We might get the movie room to ourselves.”

  “Really?”

  Alex nodded. “Zoey was talking about her and Genevieve taking Ariana, Hanna, and Tinsley to get facials, and the twins want to bounce on the trampoline under the stars with Megan. And Parker and Damon are going to the ball game.”

  “Sounds good to me. We can finally catch that action flick that came out in May.”

  Alex chuckled. “Perfect. I’ve had my fill of romantic comedies.”

  Nick gave him a high-five.

  The chime rang again.

  Ariana bolted upright. “Damon’s here!”

  She scrambled out of her seat and dashed inside. A few moments later, she returned hand-in-hand with her boyfriend.

  Damon said hello to Alex and Nick before kicking off his shoes and pulling off his t-shirt. He and Ariana leaped into the water and splashed the younger kids, who shrieked with joy.

  Nick turned to him. “Is she still planning on studying pre-law?”

  “That’s what she says. Still wants to be a police officer, but insists on the full college experience first.”

  “She has Freshman orientation tomorrow?”

  Pride swelled in Alex’s chest while a lump simultaneously formed in his throat. “We leave after breakfast. Zoey and I will help her settle into her dorm room, then she will spread her wings and fly free.”

  A deadly cover-up. A haunted house. Returning home might be the last thing she ever does. Kenzi Bannon left her painful childhood behind for the glitz and glamour of California. But when her estranged sister commits suicide, she’s forced to return to her abandoned family house… Read The Perfect Death today!

  Author's Note