Danger Zone

by Stacy Claflin

“How badly did he hurt you?”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  Ariana lifted his shirt again, this time looking at his back. There were several large bruises, one just above the scar she’d noticed at the beach. “You have to see a doctor!”

  “It’s just some bruising. Trust me, it’ll all heal. I deal with this on a regular basis.”

  Ari’s heart ached at the thought. It made her wonder about him being in such good shape. Was he trying to get strong enough to beat his dad at his own game one day?

  Damon tugged on his shirt trying to cover his scars, but she fought against him and studied his skin closer. There were smaller scars poking out from his jeans she hadn't noticed before.

  “He needs to be stopped!” She was so angry, her voice was really high.

  “And he can’t touch me if he doesn’t know where we are.”

  “You have to report him! He’ll go to jail. My dad’s a cop. I know these things.”

  Damon frowned then fixed his shirt. “Then what? I go into the foster system and get stuck with some guy twice as bad as him? Not happening. I’ll just put up with him. At least I know what I’m dealing with. It isn’t a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal? You know that’s not true! It’s—”

  He pressed his lips on hers briefly. “I love that you’re so concerned about me, but we just need to get away. He’s going to be looking and I don’t want to be found.” His face paled and his breathing became ragged.

  She threw her arms around him and rubbed circles on his back, careful to be gentle. “I hate that he does that to you.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t want pity. Don’t feel sorry for me.”

  Ariana looked up into his pained eyes. “It’s so unfair. Everything—your mom dying, your dad beating on you. It’s not right.”

  He clenched his jaw. “One day, I’ll give him what’s coming. I will. Then he’ll fear me.”

  She cupped his chin. “Don’t think like that, don’t become like him. You’re perfect the way you are.”

  Damon looked away. “I’m weak. Broken.”

  Ari guided his chin until he faced her again. “You’re not. You’re the strongest person I know, especially now that I know about all this. He’s a horrible person. Suffering his abuse doesn’t make you weak.”

  “How are you so wise? That sounds like something someone much older would say.”

  She sighed. “I was kidnapped a few years ago. The guy could’ve killed me. He didn’t make me weak—just the opposite—I’m stronger despite him. It’s the same with you and your dad. I think that’s why we connected so easily.”

  He traced her jawline, his expression softening. “We’re kindred spirits.”

  “Exactly.” She stood on her toes and pressed her mouth on his, tasting the bitter blood that had dripped onto his mouth.

  He cupped the back of her neck and kissed her—tenderly, yet full of passion—before pulling back. “We should go.”

  “Where? For how long? We can’t stay away forever.”

  “I need to give him enough space to cool off. Then I can go back home and try to stay on his good side.”

  Ariana frowned. “Until he hurts you again?”

  He grimaced.

  “See? Something needs to be done.”

  “Yeah, we need to get a ride to a hotel outside of town. Somewhere he won’t think to look.”

  Ari’s stomach flip-flopped. They were going to a hotel?

  Demand

  Alex leaned against his car and drew in a deep breath. Ariana had gotten off at Scout’s old bus stop hours ago and could be anywhere by now. Had she gotten on a city bus? Gotten a ride with someone she knew? Or worse, hitchhiked?

  His phone buzzed with a text.

  Wu: Got the info on her tutor.

  Alex: Thank u! Send it over.

  Wu: On it.

  Zoey approached. She leaned against the car, stress lines forming around her eyes. “Good news?”

  “Too early to tell.” Alex stared at his phone, waiting for information. “Wu got the address for the tutor Ari’s been spending so much time with. I’m going to pay him a visit.”

  Zoey rubbed her temples. “I can’t believe we didn’t realize she was doing one-on-one tutoring with a high school boy. I just assumed it was a girl from her school.”

  “And she never told us otherwise. Just called him her tutor.”

  “I feel like such an idiot. First Hiram, now this.”

  He rubbed her shoulders. “We couldn’t have seen the thing with Hiram coming. It was a direct attack by a professional.”

  “Did you ever hear back from that PI about him?”

  Alex checked his phone again. “Not yet. From what I know about the Dark Web, it’s not like navigating the regular Internet. The criminals operating there know what they’re doing. Most don't even know how to access it. They—”

  His phone buzzed. The text contained a phone number and address with a note that the kid had no police record, was on the honor roll at school, and had a number of academic awards.

  Zoey breathed a sigh of relief. “Sounds like he’s a good kid, after all. Probably has nothing to do with Ariana’s disappearance or sudden changes.”

  “Sometimes it’s the nerds you have to be careful about. Someone like that might know how to get on the Dark Web.”

  “Call him.”

  Alex shook his head. “I’m going to show up unannounced.”

  “Is that a good idea? You’re not on the case.”

  He motioned toward his jeans and hoodie. “I’m not on duty, either. Just a concerned dad looking for his daughter.”

  Zoey didn’t look convinced.

  “Wu sent me the information. He wouldn’t have if I shouldn’t pay the kid a visit. Nothing wrong in asking if he knows where Ariana is.”

  “I suppose. Should I go with you, or would it be better to divide and conquer? We also need to find out what her friends have to say.”

  “Garcia already spoke with them.”

  “But they might tell me more than they’d tell an officer—no offense.”

  “None taken.” Alex glanced at the address. It wasn’t too far away, looking to be near the high school. “Let’s split up. Have some girl time with Emily and Lola, and I’ll have a man-to-man with our tutor.” He checked the text. “Damon.”

  “Damon?” Zoey exclaimed and shook her head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. She mentioned liking a boy named Damon, but I didn’t realize he was her tutor.”

  “And I saw the texts from him on her phone.”

  “Hurry.” Zoey gave him a quick kiss. “Let me know if you hear anything.”

  “You too.” He held her tightly before climbing into his car and mentally preparing what he would say to the kid. It was hard to know what to expect. Was he just a kid who was focused on his grades and was only tutoring for an extra-curricular activity to put on his college applications? Or was he an evil genius, possibly even working with Hiram? It wasn’t as crazy as it sounded—if Stalker420 was willing to go to such measures to kiss Zoey and send Alex the photo, why wouldn’t he go after Ariana in such an insidious way?

  His heart thundered harder the closer he got to his destination. The GPS warned him he was coming to a road not maintained by the county. The bumpiness confirmed as much, and reminded him he needed to replace the shocks.

  When he pulled up to the house, he couldn’t help being impressed. Not only by the two cars parked outside—a red and a black sports car—but also the huge house and the acreage. Everything looked really expensive and pristine. As he walked up the driveway, he noticed the black vehicle was a Porsche.

  He let out a low whistle. Maybe he should’ve tried harder in school. But he wasn’t here to drool over foreign cars. Ariana was missing—at least not kidnapped. All signs pointed to her running off, which as nerve-wracking as it was, it was leaps and bounds better than dealing with an abduction. The chances of her returning home safely were so much higher.

  A
lex knocked on the door and waited. Then he rung the bell. And again.

  Footsteps sounded. “Hold on!” The deadbolt clicked and the door opened. A guy about ten or fifteen years older than Alex appeared, wearing only a red towel around his waist. He was surprisingly buff and sported several tattoos.

  There wasn’t anything awkward about that.

  “Sorry to bother you but—”

  “You’re not sorry.” He furrowed his brows. “You wouldn’t have rang the bell so much if you were.”

  “Okay. Are you Damon’s father?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What’s it to you?”

  “Your son has been tutoring my daughter. She went missing after school, and I want to ask him if he knows anything.”

  “Why would he know anything?” the man snapped.

  Alex took a deep breath. “Look, we’re getting off on the wrong foot. Let’s start over.” He held out his hand. “I’m Alex Mercer.”

  The other guy crossed his arms over his bare chest.

  Alex took a deep breath. “I’m worried about my fourteen-year-old daughter, and I think your son might be able to help. Can I ask him if she said anything to him about where she might have gone?”

  “He’s not here, and I wouldn’t let him speak with an officer without an attorney present, anyway. Leave my premises.”

  Alex tilted his head. “I never told you I’m an officer.”

  The man didn’t flinch. “I said, leave.”

  “How did you know I’m police?”

  “I’ve asked you to go. Now you’re trespassing.”

  Alex stared him down. “You can either speak with me as a regular citizen, or you can come down to the station with your son and answer questions there. Seeing as I’m already here, you may as well let me talk to Damon. You can be there the whole time. I’m just a dad who wants to find his daughter. That’s it. Nothing more.”

  His nostrils flared.

  “I’ll even wait while you get dressed.”

  “Look, Mercer.” The man leaned forward. “Damon isn’t here. I don’t know where he is. He was here with some girl earlier—I have no idea if it was your daughter or not.”

  “What did she look like?”

  “Didn’t see her. Her stuff was on the couch and in Damon’s room. And considering I don’t allow girls here, I ripped him a new one. He took off with the girl, I’d assume, since her stuff is gone now. Can’t imagine they got very far without his car.” He nodded toward the red convertible.

  Alex wanted to shout and shake the man, but he held himself together. “What did the girl’s stuff look like?”

  “Girly.”

  He resisted the urge to punch him in the throat. “Care to elaborate?”

  “Not really. Good luck finding your kid. If you find mine, tell him not to bother coming home tonight.” With that, he slammed the door.

  Alex flinched and glared at the door before storming back to his car. That was when he noticed the flat tires on the convertible.

  He climbed into his car and texted Zoey.

  Alex: Learn anything from the girls?

  Zoey: Not yet. What about the tutor?

  Alex: Jack squat. Heading to the precinct.

  Zoey: Why?

  Alex: Need to check something. Talk soon.

  Zoey: OK.

  Damon’s dad might be unwilling to tell him anything, but he could find out a lot with the resources at the station. And if that didn’t work, he would call the private investigator. One way or another, he would get answers.

  Suspect

  Nick flopped onto the couch in his office and spoke to Genevieve on the phone. “Are you sure you don’t mind keeping the kids at your place? I can drive them to my parents’ house. I should probably leave, anyway. Will might not say anything else all night. I’m not even on the case.”

  “Nicky, it’s fine. Do what you have to. They’re all busy with homework, and my dad just gave them bowls of flavored popcorn.”

  “I’m sure they don’t want to leave now.”

  “Don’t worry about putting me out. We’re family. If I needed to stay late on a case, you’d watch Tinsley for me, right?”

  He sighed. “Yes, but she’s just one kid—and a really well behaved one at that. Can’t say that about my three.”

  Genevieve laughed. “You worry too much. Go find out what you can about what happened at our house.”

  “Maybe I’m being ridiculous. What do you think? It’s been forty years. I was just a toddler when all this went down.”

  “And I wasn’t even born,” she teased.

  Nick smiled. “Are you calling me old?”

  “That’s not what I said, but it’s good to hear you less stressed. And to answer your question, no I don’t think you’re being ridiculous. Hanna found a body on the property. I can see why that’d leave you shaken. I know how you feel. It wasn’t that long ago when Tinsley and I dug up those bones. That was a rough time.”

  Nick didn’t want to think about it. He and Genevieve had been on the outs, and it had ripped him apart. Even though everything was good now—better than good—his heart still ached thinking about everything that came between them.

  “You still there?” she asked.

  “Yeah. I’m going to check on the situation with Will. If he’s still unwilling to speak, I’m going to head over and pick up the kids.”

  “Sounds good. Love you.”

  “You too.” He ended the call and forced himself off the couch. Part of him hoped Will had decided to stay tight-lipped. He was tired of looking at the precinct and wanted to see his children and fiancée.

  He stopped in his tracks when he exited the office. What was Alex doing at work? He went over to his desk. “What’s going on?”

  Alex looked up from his computer. “You haven’t heard?”

  “Heard what?”

  “It’s my turn for a kid to run away.”

  “What?” Nick exclaimed. “Ari ran away?”

  Alex turned back to his screen and scrolled through the document quickly. “Yep. Officers have been on it for hours. Surprised you didn’t know.”

  “No. I’d have joined in.”

  “Still trying to solve that cold case?” Alex didn’t glance away from the screen.

  “Yeah. Someone’s been walking around free for four decades after committing murder. It’s time they’re put to justice.”

  “Dude could be senile by now. Or dead.” Alex turned to him.

  “Or he could be sitting in one of our interrogation rooms right now.” Nick sighed. “The brother lawyered up and won’t talk now. He made it sound like his dad could’ve done it, but it could’ve been an act.”

  Alex picked up his phone and looked at the screen. He swore.

  “What is it?” Nick demanded.

  “Zoey says Ariana has been avoiding her friends, too. Keeping everyone away—not just us. One of her friends said Ari gets starry-eyed every time she mentions her tutor, who is also missing.”

  “They ran off together?”

  Alex cracked his knuckles. “Starting to look that way.”

  Sanchez came over and tapped Nick’s shoulder. “Our guy is willing to talk now, if you want to give a listen.”

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Good luck,” Alex said.

  “Right back at you. Text me as soon as you find her.” Nick hurried away before Alex responded, his mind racing. Would Will confess? Admit that he knew who did it? Or was he just yanking their chain?

  Nick hurried into the room and looked through the mirror. Will and his attorney sat in the same places as before, neither saying a thing. No surprise there. They’d had plenty of time to talk since the last questioning.

  Sanchez and Anderson entered. Sanchez slammed the door, shoved a chair against the table, and stared down Will while adjusting her holster. “Are you going to tell us what you know, or are you just here to waste more of our time? We’re going to find out what happened with or without your help.”
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br />   “Easy there.” Anderson took a seat. “Let’s hear what he has to say.”

  She glared at him and sat at the other end of the table.

  Nick grinned at their good-cop, bad-cop routine.

  “I don’t have time for this.” Sanchez hit the table. “You going to talk or not?”

  Anderson leaned closer to Will. “She’s getting edgy. Maybe we should come back to this tomorrow?”

  Will looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes wide, before turning to his attorney.

  The attorney nodded.

  Will swallowed and looked down at his hands. “It wasn’t me. I’ve always secretly suspected my dad, though.”

  “Why is that?” Anderson asked.

  “Why didn’t you ever tell anyone?” Sanchez snapped, her eyes full of fire.

  “Let’s hear him out,” Anderson said.

  Sanchez glared at him.

  Will’s mouth dropped open.

  Nick chuckled.

  The lawyer nudged his client.

  Will took a deep breath. “My dad always had a temper—before the dementia got him. Now he’s calm and gentle. Not sure why he couldn’t have been like that before.”

  “What does this have to do with your sister?” Sanchez demanded.

  Will’s mouth formed a straight line. “He had a temper, okay? Insisted on being respected as the man of the house and had an inflated concern for the family’s reputation—we all feared him. There’s no way Daisy would have felt safe going to him with her pregnancy.”

  Anderson scrawled some notes. “So, you always wondered if he was behind her disappearance?”

  Will shrugged.

  “What was that?” Sanchez asked. “Couldn’t hear you shrug your shoulders.”

  “Yes! But I always feared him, so I never told anyone. If the cops questioned him but didn’t arrest him, I knew what would happen to me.”

  “Meaning?” Anderson asked.

  Will’s expression tightened. “He’d have beat the living crap out of me, that’s what would’ve happened.”

  Sanchez pressed her palms on the table. “So, what you’re telling us is that you could’ve told someone and possibly helped your sister, but you were too chicken?”