An Embarrassment of Monsters: A Dark Romantic Suspense Novel (Alace Sweets Book 3)

by MariaLisa deMora

  “Show me the report.”

  He hid the articles about Ashworth with a click of the mouse, diving into a different folder on a secure cloud server. “Here.” The narrative of the report opened, and he clicked into another folder for the cross-referencing segment of the information. “I’ve matched four of the women killed to missing person reports in counties in southern Colorado. Of the real videos, fully eighty percent are Indigenous females, Alace. A demographic notorious for a trend in underreporting missing adults. I can show you dozens of reports in the past six months alone about a rash of disappearances in the western United States and Canada. He can’t be busted only for porn. Maybe he doesn’t get busted at all. Maybe I disappear him and find out his sources.”

  Alace stared at the camera for so long he could almost think the image was frozen, but he still saw the slight movement of her shirt as she breathed. Deliberately, she cleared her throat, then the share icon dimmed, indicating she’d taken control of the meeting software again.

  An instant later, a different report opened on his screen, projected from Alace’s computer. A report from a different researcher, based on the name at least, corroborated what Owen had found. With one difference.

  Heart in his throat, Owen choked out, “Some of them are kids?”

  Her slow nod conveyed a somber tone, backed up by her words. “There was a selection of foster kid runaways in the films my guys looked at. We ran the FBI’s exploitation algorithm against images extracted from the video as stills and matched a bunch of comparative hits. Those hits turned into IDs. Given what happened a few weeks ago, I don’t want you anywhere near Kuellen.”

  Emma’s face…concentrate on her face, not what happened. Smoke wreathed the room, the air thick with the stench of bodies burning, human flesh left to smolder in the aftermath of hot flames. He adjusted the backpack strap on his shoulder and studied the ground. Small footprints raced alongside larger ones, two child-sized steps for each stride of the adult. Owen looked around, the image of dust and dark dirt confusingly mixing in with the desk and chairs. He shook his head abruptly, casting the memories away physically, hoping Alace wouldn’t have noticed.

  “Owen.”

  Of course she’d noticed. Not for the first time, he found himself annoyed at her perceptiveness. Get over it, he scolded himself. This is Alace, after all. “I’m good.”

  “Let’s table this until I’m there tomorrow.” The document disappeared, Alace’s image expanding to fill the screen. “We can go over Ashworth and Kuellen, bring Doc into the conversation if you want.”

  Dry throat scratchy, Owen swallowed hard. He reminded Alace, “You’ll have Lila with you.”

  “She’ll be fine. I’m sure I can offer to pay Kelly to watch her while he and his sister do something on the TV.” The skin around Alace’s mouth tightened, and she aborted a headshake as she rejected her own idea. Owen wasn’t surprised when she followed up with, “Or maybe she can stay with us. It’s not like she can understand what we’ll be talking about.”

  “Plus, it can always be a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ moment between mommy and daughter later.” He bit his bottom lip then grinned. “You know, just in case she surfaces the memory later in life.”

  “Was that everything you had to discuss?”

  Owen smiled harder, not trying to hide it. Alace might not often roll her eyes, but she was entirely dismissive in other ways, such as blatantly redirecting conversations.

  “I’ve got a good line on the cop. He retired to an island with the money he got from not only my kids, but several others he’d supplied to the auctions. Given everything going on, I don’t think I should take the time to go down and deal with him myself.” He stared at the image of Alace, willing her to understand. “I want to. Make no mistake about that. But I think we can farm this one out.”

  “August would be a good fit. Let me look at his schedule quick.” Alace’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and a screenshare popped up of a calendar, there and gone before Owen could register more than a few details. “He was due back into the country yesterday, and I expect he’ll be ready to get back to work quickly. I’ll message him whatever details you can provide, and it’ll be taken care of within the week.”

  “Just like that?” Owen glanced down, fingers resting on his own keyboard. He didn’t lift his eyes as he said, “Means a lot, Alace.”

  “Get me the info. Let me worry about the details. It’s what I’m good at.” A sound came through the speakers, and Owen looked up to see Alace glancing away from the camera. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Yeah.” He noted Alace’s distracted expression, listening closely enough to make out a woman’s voice layered over a male murmur. “Have a good evening with the fam.”

  No goodbye, the video disconnected, and he was left staring at the darkened monitor. It slowly resolved into a picture taken during their road trip to Colorado, Owen in the back seat between his sleeping kids, one leaned into each of his shoulders. His head was thrown back, a serene smile announcing his utter satisfaction at being right there in that moment.

  The brief glimpse of the calendar had shown Alace had already planned a mission for her other hunter, the red highlighting indicated it was a high-priority case. She was reorganizing things to take care of a target that likely wasn’t going to move, wasn’t suspicious or wary, and wasn’t urgent in any way.

  “Totally besties.”

  ***

  Alace

  “Oh, I miss you already.” Phoebe wrapped her arms around Alace and Lila, pulling them close to her. Cheek to cheek, they stood just outside the security entrance to the passenger concourse at the Denver International Airport. “You take care of yourself, Alace, my sweetheart. Take care of yourself, and the care and love of Lila will be effortless. You have it in you to be a brilliant mother, and I believe in you.”

  Alace didn’t speak; she couldn’t, her throat closed off to words. Something about Phoebe’s complete acceptance of her as Eric’s wife, as Lila’s mother, as a person Phoebe deemed worthy of love, stole Alace’s ability to communicate.

  “I know these things are harder for you, darling. That’s okay, truly.” Phoebe’s grip on her tightened in a reassuring squeeze. “You are a loving, caring mother, and my son thinks you hung the moon. I love you very much.”

  Teeth clenched, Alace rested her forehead against the side of Phoebe’s neck. “I love you, too.” Her voice was soft enough she thought Phoebe had missed her words, then the arms around her tightened again.

  “I know you do, darling.” Lila squeaked and Phoebe laughed, relaxing her hold enough to lean back and look down at the baby in a sling across Alace’s chest. “I hear you, too, my sweet baby girl.” Her lips brushed Lila’s head once, twice, a third time, in an unconscious re-creation of Eric’s caresses from every day. “Bring her to Malibu soon, Alace. Come visit me often and stay long.” An overhead announcement had them both looking up at the departures board, noting the ever-diminishing time before Phoebe would need to move through security and into the gate area, boarding the plane to take her home. “I’ve got a suite all set up for you, Eric, and little Lila. Anytime, no advance notice needed.”

  “You need to go.”

  Phoebe nodded, then pressed a soft kiss to Alace’s cheek. “I do. I’ll see you again soon.”

  Alace stood and watched as her mother-in-law walked through security, jovially chatting with the officers, and then waved at Alace with one hand, using the other to slip her shoes back on her feet. Phoebe blew a kiss off her fingertips, turned, and disappeared from view into the crowds heading into the main concourse.

  Lila fussed quietly and Alace soothed her instinctively, palm slipping over the baby’s head. She saw movement in her periphery and sidestepped, her arm coming down to strike the would-be thief’s hand away from the diaper bag. She twisted her hand and gripped his wrist, turning and yanking with precise pressure, releasing him when he yelped in pain. His arm hung useless at his side, dislocated at
the elbow.

  “Oww, bitch.” He leaned back, mouth open as if to shout at her.

  “I’d recommend you walk away.” Alace stared at him, her palm once again slipping over the curve of Lila’s skull in a slow stroke. “Two fingers to your throat and you stop breathing. You don’t want that. I’m not a mark.” She memorized his features, setting them into her memory so she could locate him later, and gave him one sharp headshake. “Walk away.”

  Five minutes later, she had buckled Lila into the car seat strapped into the back seat and was driving through the self-pay kiosk to exit the parking garage. She activated the secondary security system in the car and initiated a voice call. When Owen answered, she didn’t say hello, didn’t give him a greeting other than “On my way,” and terminated the call before he could respond.

  Using her voice, she navigated into a different segment of the car’s system and found a pair of responses from August waiting for her. The system read his brief replies aloud, the mechanical voice illustrating they were as short and to the point as hers had been with Owen, consisting of two statements: “Okay” and “Got everything.” Which meant he’d received the directive she’d posted to his folder last night and had also retrieved the identification and financial information she’d placed in a secondary location only available if he’d accepted the gig. Which he had. As she’d expected.

  Pulling up at the curb in front of Owen’s house a few minutes later, she scanned the neighborhood, gaze snagging on Ashworth’s house. Easily identified because of the construction debris dumpster in the driveway, it also stood out because of the sheer size of the home itself. Her investigation had revealed there were multiple bedroom suites, four full bathrooms, a den, media room, family room, and living room, along with a variety of other identified spaces in the tax document floorplans.

  For one man.

  And his wife, she reminded herself. At least for a few more days.

  Owen’s front door swung wide, and he stood in the opening. An instant later, he was shoved to the side as the boy Kelly darted past, angling across the yard to where Alace had parked. By the time she’d climbed from the vehicle, he was standing next to the back passenger door, one hand yanking on the locked door handle, the other cupped around the side of his face as he peered into the back seat.

  “Hey, kid.” She clicked the key fob, unlocking the door. “Want to grab the diaper bag?” The irony wasn’t lost on her that she was offering up the same piece of gear she’d defiantly protected less than an hour ago. “I’ll bring in Lila.”

  “You can trust me to carry her.” Kelly’s aggrieved expression made her want to laugh, but she kept the humor in check, giving the boy a testing glare instead. He not only survived, he shot back an answering glare as he said, “I wouldn’t drop her. I never dropped Shiloh, and I was lots younger when she was born.”

  “I’m sure you didn’t.” Alace opened the door on her side and leaned into the car, unsurprised when Kelly matched her actions on the other side of the car. She flicked the lock securing the car seat carrier into the base strapped into the car and lifted the handle into place.

  “You shouldn’t take her out on that side. That’s the traffic side.” Alace looked through the rear and front windshields, then back to the boy’s annoyed expression. “Don’t matter there’s no cars now. You’ve got to stick to the rules now so you don’t forget later.”

  “You want to carry her inside?” Kelly nodded at Alace, his eyebrows scrunched into a frown. “Okay. If you can get her out of the car without a struggle, I’ll let you carry her inside.” She lifted the diaper bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. “Wait until I’m over there.”

  “He’s good, Alace.” She looked up as she straightened, closing the car door while she took in the incongruous sight of Owen—one of the most competent and ruthless hunters she’d ever known—standing in his doorway with a little girl in his arms. He held Shiloh propped on one hip, her fingers in his hair creating uneven peaks as she combed it into a hairstyle only she understood. “Lila will be fine.”

  She walked around the back of the car and hesitated when she found Kelly hadn’t waited, already lifting the unfastened car seat from the vehicle. He carefully, tenderly rested the seat on the sidewalk, well away from the swing path of the closing door. The boy looked up at her from underneath a heavy fall of hair, but it did nothing to disguise his eagerness. “I swear I won’t let her get hurt, Miss Alace. Swear.”

  On impulse, she held out her hand, little finger extended. “Pinky swear.”

  The flash of smile was brilliant, blinding, filled with joy and appreciation at her affirmation beaming from the boy. He wrapped his littlest finger around hers and they shook solemnly up and down twice. When he released his grip, he lifted his palm to his face, then graced her with a different smile, more a teasing grin, and she understood in an instant what had made Owen move mountains to ensure Kelly would be safe and protected. And loved. “Want to spit on it, too?”

  Alace roughly spit into her palm and extended her hand, not hesitating when his saliva-coated hand disappeared into hers. Another two solemn shakes later, and they wiped the excess on the outside of their jeans in unison. “Deal, Kelly. I’m counting on you.”

  “I’ll never let you down.” With an ease and confidence she couldn’t help but wonder at, he lifted the car seat and held it to the side, so it didn’t bang against his legs. Taking the stairs one at a time, he moved past Owen and Shiloh and into the house, disappearing into the dimly lighted interior.

  “No,” she murmured to herself, heading up the walk to greet Owen, “I don’t expect you will.” Standing one step down from where Owen stood, she focused on the little girl. “Hello again, Shiloh.” Cutting her gaze to Owen’s face, she tensed when she saw the amusement on his expression. “Owen.”

  “You’re pretty.” Shiloh held out her arms, upper half of her body leaning precipitously towards Alace, who raised her hands in a reflexive action, shocked when Owen readily transferred the little girl to her. “You has pretty eyes.” Shiloh was so close their noses nearly touched, the wide eyes of the child staring unblinkingly into hers. “I wike you.”

  “She likes you, Alace. What do you say?” Owen stepped backwards into the house, creating an open corridor for Alace to enter.

  “Thank you?” Alace bent at the waist, intent on placing Shiloh on the floor, but thin arms tightened around her neck. “You’re choking me.” She straightened, and the girl’s grip eased, only to clamp back down in a fierce hold when Alace tried to put her down again. “Look, I can’t hold you the whole time I’m here.”

  “You hair’s pretty.” Fingers Alace failed to dodge threaded through her hair from the nape of her neck to the crown of her head, tangling in her hair with a rough tug. “I can make it prettier.”

  “My hair’s fine as it is, thank you.” Alace tried to grip the girl’s wrist to pull her hand away but was unable, the girl evading her attempts while simultaneously managing to repeat the same against-the-grain combing action, hair tangled by the initial pass yanking free. “Please stop.”

  “It’s so pretty.” Shiloh appeared enraptured, eyes shining and mouth dropping open to expose tiny white teeth and a pink tongue that curled around the edge of her lips. “So pretty.”

  Alace shifted the girl so she was in a front piggyback, putting their faces in direct alignment. She loosened her grip enough that Shiloh clutched Alace’s shoulders to stay in place. “You’re hurting me. Please stop.” In front of her eyes, all the shining pleasure fled from the girl’s face, replaced by a crumpled pain. Mouth turned down at the corners, Shiloh stared at her and abruptly released her grip, terrifying Alace by flopping bonelessly backwards in her arms. She held on, allowing the girl to suspend upside down, legs still wrapped around Alace’s waist. “What are you doing now?”

  “I hurted you. I’m hiding.” Shiloh gathered her hair in two handfuls pulled across her face, literally hiding behind her hair. “I’m sorry, Miss Alace.” />
  “You’re going to injure yourself doing this. I’m okay. Just—” Her sweaty hands slipped slightly, and Alace’s stomach flipped over, afraid she would drop the girl. “Get back up here, Shiloh.”

  Hair released, the little girl latched onto Alace’s shirt and yanked herself back upright. Her emotional changes were mercurial, turning on a dime as she reacted to everything in her narrow universe.

  “Come here, troublemaker.” Owen stepped in behind Shiloh and lifted her, easily taking her back from Alace.

  The sudden emptiness of her arms was wrong and disturbing, causing her skin to prickle into gooseflesh. Alace scanned the visible room, relaxing when she saw Kelly seated on the floor next to the car seat where Lila still slept.

  “She’s been real focused on hair recently. No idea why, except her own is drop-dead gorgeous. Doc and I are learning all about hair care. Who knew there were so many details and options?” Owen kissed Shiloh’s cheek, then a brief raspberry blown against her skin had her giggling again. He set her feet on the floor, receiving no resistance from the girl, who immediately abandoned the adults and ran to where Kelly sat. He pulled her to his other side, away from Lila’s car seat, and she settled next to him, head leaned against his shoulder. “Watch.” He tipped his head towards the kids, and Alace saw what he meant, gaze tracking Shiloh’s hand as it rose to wrap fingers in Kelly’s hair. “She likes you. That’s bigger than you know. She doesn’t like or trust most people. Doc said given her age when her folks OD’d, paired with bad foster experiences and then all the shit with Warrant—it shouldn’t be a surprise that attachment is hard when Kelly’s been the only constant in her life. Her wanting to be friends with you is huge.”