Love & Corruption: A Love & Ruin Standalone Novel

by J. A. Owenby

  “How could you not? We all grew up together, man.”

  I nodded. It was personal. I may have left Sutton when we were eighteen, but when someone fucked with her family, they fucked with me.

  “What did the cops say about Claire?” I asked.

  “Nothing helpful, honestly,” Redd said. “They think Claire ran off with Tucker Newton. Plus she’s eighteen, so they’re not giving the case high priority.”

  “Assholes,” I spat. “I don’t give a damn how old she is, they need to work this case. She’s a missing person, they should follow protocol and search for her. The age shouldn’t matter. I’ll reach out to Brian at the FBI. Let’s figure out who has Claire and take the son of a bitch down.”

  “Damn straight,” he agreed.

  I pulled my cell out of my pocket, scrolled through my contacts, and left Brian Donovan a voicemail.

  The sun had set, and Portland was now alive with a different energy. The clubs were full, people laughed, danced, ate dinner, and enjoyed their friends. On the other side of the coin, some were shot, others overdosed on drugs, and even more were raped.

  It was almost midnight and my anger with Sutton had finally run its course. But I’d still not been able to sleep, even after having a couple of drinks. At least I’d limited my intake this time, and a comfortable numbness hummed through my body. I wasn’t interested in passing out like I had the night before. Waking up with a hangover when I needed to work wasn’t my idea of a good day.

  Although I didn’t hear her, I knew when Sutton had entered the room. The scent of vanilla and peaches wafted through the air, but her heart had always been a beacon to mine, calling to me the moment she was near. I’d never had a connection as deep with anyone else. Gemma Thompson had come close, but no one had ever matched the depth and love I’d had for Sutton.

  “Can’t sleep?” I asked without looking at her.

  “No.” She padded across the room and faced the window, the soft nighttime city lights illuminating her figure. A purple silk robe clung to her body, and my attention traveled over her strong but petite shoulders, down her back, and over the sweet curves of her hips and ass. My dick hardened in seconds.

  “You’re beautiful,” I said, barely above a whisper. At times, I felt as though I had two personalities ripping me apart. One minute I didn’t want to be near her since she was a consistent reminder of how I’d screwed up years ago, and the next I wanted her in my arms again. The constant push and pull of my regret and desire for her left me spinning.

  She moved slowly, the swell of her breasts on display. I gripped my glass tighter and fought the overwhelming desire to remove her clothes and taste every sweet inch of her.

  Sutton flashed me a shy smile. “I had an extra set of clothes in my gym bag, and Jeffrey bought me something to sleep in and toiletries. It's a lot better than the trench coat, military boots, and bad dye job I had in high school, huh?” Her cheeks flushed pink.

  Between her magnetism and the alcohol reducing my willpower, I was losing the battle to remain on my side of the room. I stood and strode over to her. Our faces were mere inches apart, and her breathing sped up. Her big blue eyes searched mine as she rubbed her arms.

  I swallowed a sip of my drink and took a long, long breath. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t. I’d buried everything deep inside me, and I wasn’t going to unlock the truth.

  “I failed you in the past, Sutton. I’m sorry. I won’t let you down again. I’ll keep you and your family safe while the Feds find Claire.” I was unable to hide the regret in my voice.

  “You didn’t fail me. You didn’t fail any of us.” Sutton’s chin quivered, and tears filled her eyes.

  The pain of my past stabbed me in the gut, piercing me with a raging regret. I’d made too many mistakes.

  Sutton swiped a tear from her cheek. “Sometimes I get so tired of being strong. All my life, I’ve been viewed as the dependable one by my parents, teachers, and friends. Nothing could ever get to me, tear me down, or break me. I’ve worked hard to heal. To move on after you left …” She peered up at me through her long, dark eyelashes. “But now that Claire’s missing, I can’t ... I need you, Pierce,” she whispered. I could no longer restrain myself. In one swift motion, I closed the small gap between our bodies. Sutton settled into me as though we’d never been apart. The curve of her body fit against mine perfectly. Her head rested against my chest, and my fingers instinctively played with her thick, blonde hair. Everything in me screamed to pick her up and take her to my bed. Claim her heart and body again. But I couldn’t. Not only did I have a job to do, but the worst thing I could do for Sutton was get involved with her again. I’d only hurt her.

  She pulled away, and my gaze swept over her face.

  “I’ve never stopped loving you.” She paused, then looked away briefly. “For Claire’s sake, I hope we can put things behind us and move forward.”

  Her confession speared my soul. She shouldn’t still love me. She should have moved on and gotten married, but if I were honest with myself, I was thrilled to hear the words roll off her tongue.

  “I’m not the same. You don’t want me. I’ve seen and done things as a Marine and in my job… There’s a darkness inside me. It will only destroy you, too.” Although I owed her much more of an explanation, I wasn’t ready to tell her the reason why I’d left Portland and the secret I was hiding.

  I dropped my arms and backed away, desperate for some distance in order to hold onto what little composure I had left. My heart told me to kiss her, but my mind told me to get the hell away before I did something stupid.

  Disappointment clouded her delicate features.

  “You should get some sleep.” Sutton threw her shoulders back and exited the room, leaving me alone in my own personal hell.

  Chapter 10

  Traveling with an entourage was strange. I stayed next to Sutton while ZW and Redd followed behind us. Jeffrey had dropped us off at Sutton’s parent’s house, and she inhaled deeply as we walked up the steps.

  I rang the doorbell, and she clutched her purse to her chest while we waited.

  I’d be lying if I said visiting Sutton’s parents wasn’t difficult. During high school, things had been strained between Sutton and her parents. They’d not approved of her dress, friends, and especially me. To them, I was the punk-ass kid who wore eyeliner and a long black trench coat. They’d asked Sutton numerous times if I was selling drugs, but she’d denied it in order to keep them off her case and not calling the cops. Back then I didn’t feel guilty about her lying to cover for me, and she was involved in it too, but now … I’d served our country and protected people for a living. I wasn’t the same man.

  When Sutton's father opened the door, I was surprised to see his dark hair streaked with gray, his eyes weary behind eyeglasses I'd not seen him wear before. He gave us all the once-over and then his attention landed on me.

  “Hi, Daddy.” Sutton flashed him a grin.

  “Hi, honey.” He motioned for us to come in with a slight swing of his arm.

  We filed inside, and I quickly assessed Sutton’s childhood home and identified the exits. It hadn’t changed much since our high school days except the décor. Two windows, one on the side of the room and a larger one on the front wall, facing the street. I studied the kitchen and noted the back door as well. Although the house was welcoming and cozy, it was a bad habit to ever feel comfortable and let your guard down.

  “Darling.” Mrs. Forrester kissed Sutton's cheek, gave her a quick embrace, and then turned to address the rest of us. "Boys," she tilted her head and assessed us. “Well, by the looks of it, you’re not boys anymore. My goodness, you all have grown into such strong men.” She patted her dark brown curls, a smile easing across her pale features.

  “Mrs. Forrester,” I extended my hand to her. “It’s good to see you again, although the circumstances aren’t optimal. I’m sorry about Claire, but we’ll do everything we can to help bring her home an
d keep you all safe.”

  “You’ll find our Claire?” Mr. Forrester pinned me with an evaluating gaze as he sat on the edge of his recliner.

  I couldn’t blame him, he only remembered me as the kid who was a bad influence on his daughter. Now that I was old enough to understand more, if I’d had a daughter, no way in hell would she have been allowed anywhere near me at that age.

  The rest of us settled in on the plush, navy-blue couch and chairs.

  “Zayne and Vaughn are going to look around and set up a surveillance system. We’ll have camera access to your property and home twenty-four seven. Zayne and Tad Murphy will also be assigned to you personally. You’re not to go anywhere without them.”

  “Not even to the bathroom?” Her mom was exasperated at the thought.

  “Mom, security won’t go in the bathroom with you,” Sutton responded, attempting not to laugh.

  There wasn’t anything funny about the situation, but I realized everyone’s nerves were on edge.

  “I’ll have someone at work with me?” her dad asked.

  “Yes, sir,” I said.

  Mr. Forrester nodded, and his shoulders sagged. I assumed the gravity of Claire’s disappearance was weighing heavily on him.

  “I don’t like you, Pierce. When Sutton told us she’d hired your father … I … We were very close to him and dismayed with his untimely passing. It seems like it was only yesterday we met Dominic at a plant meeting. He’d offered security at the time, due to some violent behavior in the past, and we hit it off.” He hesitated momentarily. “From what I understand, you now own his company.” A deep stitch formed in his brow while he fixed his attention on me.

  “I do,” I replied.

  “I am deeply sorry for your loss, but my opinion of you is still the same,” he stated firmly.

  “No disrespect, sir. You don’t have to like me or my men, but I will need your cooperation in order to keep you and your wife safe.”

  “And you have it.” Mr. Forrester removed his glasses and kneaded his eyes, exhaustion consuming his expression. “If anything happened to Sutton or Beth, I’d never forgive myself. I realize the layoffs at the plant caused a lot of anger and someone there might be behind this mess, but I should have known what my daughter was doing, too.”

  “Daddy, kids that age are good at slipping around their parents. Claire is grown, and even though she lived with you, there was no way you could have kept up with her every move unless you had a tracker on her,” Sutton explained.

  “We understand that, but our hearts don’t. As a mother, all I can see is where I should have done better.” Mrs. Forrester patted her hand against her chest. “How could I have helped more?”

  Often, I found my clients were filled with self-doubt, agonizing over every action they did or didn’t make in a situation. Sometimes their introspection assisted the case, but most of the time it undermined their ability to believe in themselves.

  “Can you tell me why you were concerned about Claire not coming home that night?” I asked.

  “She’s never late. Ever.” Mrs. Forrester’s eyes teared up. “She’s actually a little OCD about it. So when she tells us she’ll be home by ten in the evening, there’s no doubt in our mind that she will walk through that door by then.”

  Mr. Forrester cupped his chin and his eyes narrowed while he replayed the events. “By midnight we started calling her friends. No one had seen her. By one-thirty that morning, I went down to the station while Beth stayed here.”

  “Have either of you noticed anyone following her? Anything that seemed out of the ordinary?” I asked.

  “No, and we didn’t learn about Tucker until recently.” Mr. Forrester leaned forward, pinning me with his gaze. “How could I not know that she was running around with a motorcycle gang member?” He shook his head and sank back in his chair, regret lingering in his eyes.

  “How did you find out?”

  “It all came out after she went missing. Although the police stalled on looking for her, they were able to connect her with Tucker.”

  “Have you ever seen him? Would you recognize him?” I stroked my jawline, assessing them as they spoke. Were they being truthful? Did they not see suspicious activity or anyone lurking around Claire? From what I could tell, Mr. and Mrs. Forrester were being upfront. I’d talk to Sutton about it later, too.

  Mr. Forrester shook his head. “She kept the relationship well-hidden. The only thing different over the last several months was she was at college. Claire likes to study at the library and some days she would stay late, but we never thought anything about it. As long as her grades were good, we encouraged her to have social activities with her friends. She’d spend the night at their house, and they would stay here as well. Beth and I had wondered if she’d ever date anyone and bring them home to meet us. Little did we know she was already seeing someone we wouldn’t approve of.”

  A knock at the door broke up the conversation, and I quickly hopped out of my seat. Peering through the peephole, I glanced over at everyone.

  “It’s Tad Murphy,” I announced.

  “Boss,” Murphy said, grinning at me when I opened the door.

  “Good to see you, man.” I slapped him on the back and ushered him inside. It had been at least two years since I’d last seen him, and we’d worked an assignment together. Since then, he’d buzzed his red hair and his broad shoulders now filled out his black suit jacket. It was his confidence that caught my attention the most, though. His presence permeated the room. Excellent. This was exactly what this family needed.

  Murphy’s alert brown eyes assessed everyone, and he gave a slight nod.

  “Tad, this is Daniel and Beth Forrester, Claire’s parents, and their other daughter, Sutton,” I said, using their first names. I’d not done that since high school. I needed everyone to feel comfortable and safe with ZW and Murphy. Whether they realized it or not, being on a first name basis would encourage trust.

  “Ma’am, sir,” Murphy said. “Sutton.”

  “Zayne and Tad will begin setting things up. Can one of you show them around the house and property?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Beth said, jumping out of her seat.

  My gaze followed them as Beth led the guys into the kitchen.

  “What can I do to help?” The sincerity in Daniel’s voice gave me assurance he’d cooperate fully.

  “I need to give you my business card and my personal cell.” I handed him a few of my cards and scribbled the additional information on the back. “Give one to Beth, and don’t hesitate to call with any concerns, day or night. All right?”

  “Thank you,” Daniel said. “Maybe with your security detail here we can get a little sleep while we wait. We’ve not rested well since Claire disappeared.”

  “You’ve got some of my best men with you now, so try and get some shut eye.”

  “Sutton, are you ready to go home and grab a few things?” I asked when Beth, ZW, and Murphy returned to the living room.

  “So ready.”

  She stood, and I hung back as she hugged her parents goodbye.

  Leaving Sutton in the house, the rest of us gathered out on the porch.

  “ZW, Murphy, I’ll check in later, but just keep me posted.” My eyes squinted against the bright sunshine as I surveyed the neighborhood.

  “You got it, boss,” ZW replied.

  “Thanks for the assignment,” Murphy said.

  “You bet.” I patted him on the shoulder.

  I told the guys goodbye, then Redd shot me an encouraging smile as we hurried down the steps of the front porch and toward the car. “That went pretty well under the circumstances,” he said, nodding toward Sutton’s parents at the front door.

  “Better than I expected, that’s for sure. I figured they wouldn’t even allow me in their entryway.”

  Chapter 11

  We pulled into the driveway of a dark green Bungalow house. Sutton had always wanted this style. Even when we’d planned our future together, she�
��d had her dream home picked out. Regret gnawed at me. Although I always knew she’d move forward and achieve her goals, I was supposed to be by her side.

  “I can’t just stay at the penthouse with you, Pierce. I have my life here,” Sutton said.

  Redd’s eyebrow quirked up at me, and he covered his smile with his hand. The moment I’d suggested she stay with us, I knew she’d argue with me.

  “It’s not forever, Sutton. Only for a few days. You can take ZW’s room since he and Murphy will be with your parents. I need to discuss some business with Jeffrey, and I’d like to see if there is any unusual activity around here before you come home.”

  She conceded and ran her fingers through her thick hair. “I think it was hard for my parents to see you again. After all, you were the boy that corrupted their daughter.” Sutton’s eyes cut to me.

  “Well, I was a bit of a deviant back when we dated. It’s going to take them some time to realize I’m not that kid anymore.” I paused, collecting my thoughts of the conversation we’d had with the Forresters. “Do you think they missed any signs that Claire wasn’t being honest with them about Tucker?”

  Redd and I followed Sutton into the entrance, and I closed the door behind us. She tossed her windbreaker on the brown leather couch and gave us a sad smile.

  “Yeah. She’s always been a good kid. I think it would be easy to slip stuff by them since she had built up a lot of trust.”

  “That would make sense, especially if she’d been truthful to them on a regular basis. She’d simply pick the situation when she wanted to get away with something, then they’d never question her. God knows how many times I lied to my mom and she never found out about it,” I added.

  Redd placed the camera equipment on her couch and began to identify the best places to position them. He was an expert at eliminating the blind spots.

  “Well, this is home,” she said.