Girl in Trouble (An Alex Mercer Thriller Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  It was official now. He'd lost Zoey forever.

  Games

  Alex stood in front of the bucket of apples floating in water. Kids chanted for him to bob for one. His parents and sister clapped, urging him on. Zoey glared at him, leaning against her blond-haired, blue-eyed, golden boy fiancé.

  He focused on Ariana, who was jumping up and down. "Do it, Dad!"

  Only for her. Alex took a deep breath and bent down. He tried to bite into an apple without getting his face wet, but it didn't work. He tried again, just as unsuccessfully. The story of his life.

  The shrieks of the kids all around grew louder. Children pressed against him, calling out his name.

  Alex shoved his face into the water and pressed an apple against the wall of the bucket. Water stung his nose as he breathed in. He grimaced, but managed to dig his teeth into the fruit. Once he had a solid hold on it, he stood up straight. Water dripped down his face onto his shirt and vest.

  Kids and adults alike cheered for him. Ariana threw her arms around him and stared at him like he was a hero. "I knew you could do it."

  He pulled the apple from his mouth and put his arm around her shoulders. "Thanks, kiddo. I think you can, too."

  She laughed and bent over, getting an apple on the first try. She'd probably spent all year practicing. She stood tall and bowed dramatically a couple times. Everyone clapped and cheered for her.

  Ariana took the apple from her mouth and tapped one of her friends. "You're next, Em."

  Alex stepped back and found he enjoyed watching Ariana with her friends as they played the game.

  Someone cleared her throat next to him. Alex turned to see Zoey. She rubbed her finger just beneath her nose. He arched a brow. She rubbed her finger again.

  He ran his finger under his nose and felt something wet. Some snot had fallen onto his face after getting water up his nose.

  "Thanks." He grabbed a napkin and wiped it off.

  Zoey shrugged. "Thought you'd want to know."

  A hand rested on his shoulder. Alex turned to see Macy. He and his sister had grown so close in their teen years after she'd been kidnapped, but now they hardly talked.

  She smiled, her eyes kind and concerned. "How are you, Alex?"

  Guilt ravaged him. He shouldn't have pulled away from her. Not after everything she'd been through. He shrugged. "Gettin' by. How are you and Luke?"

  The skin around her eyes crinkled as she broke into a grin. "I got a job at a clinic. I'm finally going to be a child psychologist."

  He looked away and studied a jack-o-lantern. "Sorry I missed your graduation. I…" There was no excuse for it. He'd been drunk and forgotten. "I'm a jerk."

  "You're busy, I know. It's okay."

  Alex turned to her. "No, it's not. I should've been there."

  "Don't worry about it. You'll make our baby shower, right?"

  His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? You're pregnant?"

  She laughed and ran her hands through her shoulder-length brown hair. "Not yet, but we're going to try soon. I just wanted to give you some notice," she teased.

  Luke came over to them and gave Alex a fist bump. His hair was almost as long as Macy's.

  They made small talk until the game of bobbing for apples was over. Ariana led the kids over to another wall for a round of pin the head on the skeleton.

  Alex snuck away from his sister and brother-in-law and headed for the main snack table. He grabbed a sandwich that looked like a mummy and poured some punch.

  "That's non-alcoholic, you know." Zoey took a zombie-shaped cookie and smirked. Her unspoken words rang louder than the ones she actually said. Unlike him.

  He shrugged and turned his attention to Ariana, who was posing for pictures with her friends.

  "When are you going to pull yourself together?"

  Alex ignored the question. He hated that she thought so poorly of him.

  "You're twenty-five. It's time to start acting like an adult."

  He turned to her and narrowed his eyes. "Stop."

  She flinched.

  "I can't change the past, but you can stop with the holier-than-thou routine. Maybe it's time we both grew up."

  Zoey's mouth dropped. "I—"

  "Don't. Ariana pretends not to notice your cutting remarks, but how do you think it makes her feel?"

  Her mouth formed a straight line. "I'd know better than you. I have plenty of experience with an absent father. She and I have far more in common than you'd think."

  "Except that she doesn't resent me like you did Kenji."

  "Maybe she should."

  Alex took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, counting to ten forwards and then backwards. "Congratulations on your engagement, Zo. I hope you're very happy." He spun around and wove his way through the room to get as far from her as possible.

  The kids were now all barefoot and playing a game that looked like spin the bottle with nail polish. A girl dressed as a zombie spun the bottle. It stopped and pointed to bright pink nail polish. She squealed, grabbed it, and painted a nail. Another girl spun the bottle, her eyes wide with anticipation.

  "Alex."

  He stopped and turned around. "Mom."

  She pulled some long, now-auburn hair behind an ear and smiled. "It's so good to see you. I thought you were avoiding me."

  More guilt. He scuffed his shoe along the floor and played with his bandanna. "It's not like that. I'm just so busy with work and then I'm exhausted when I get home. These bags under my eyes—they're not Halloween makeup."

  His mom frowned. "Why don't you stay with us, hon? You could get a job with better hours, and you know your room is always here for you, right?"

  Alex sighed. "I know, but I don't wanna bum off you guys. You and Dad raised me to be independent and take care of myself. That's what I'm doing."

  "We don't mind helping you out, either."

  Great, pity.

  "You heard that Dad's book hit the New York Times bestseller list, didn't you?"

  He gave her a double-take. "It did?"

  Mom nodded, beaming. "Several weeks in a row. It hit some other big lists, too. You wouldn't believe how much it's bringing in. He's worked so hard, and now it's all paying off."

  "That's amazing—it really is. I mean, it all started with his little blog that we all thought was more important than us."

  She nodded. "Oh, I know it."

  "And what about you?"

  "I'm having a blast with my little hair studio. I take clients a few days a week, and the other days, I either help Dad with his stuff or we relax together. Macy and Luke stop by a couple times a week for dinner. It'd be great if you did, too. The door's always open. I know Ari would love to see you more, as well."

  No one could quite do guilt trips like his mom. "I'll see what I can do."

  He glanced at the clock, eager to get back to his crappy life.

  Hope

  Ariana Nakano put the last of the purple nail polish on her pinky toe and glanced around. The party had gone perfectly—just as she'd imagined and planned. The notebook she'd been filling in all year had been so worth it. Everything was just like she'd hoped.

  The best part was that her dad had come. She only got to see him a few times a year, and she'd really been hoping he would make it tonight. She sighed happily and twisted the lid back on the nail polish.

  Her friends' parents were already arriving to pick them up. She couldn't wait until they all got a little older and her parties could go later. They'd be teenagers in two years. Her parents always said a couple years would go by fast, but to Ari, it may as well have been a hundred years. It felt so far away.

  Emily ran over to Ariana. "Another great party, girly! I gotta go. Mom's whining that my brother needs to get to bed."

  Ari hugged her friend. "We'll do a sleepover soon."

  "Oh-em-gee. Totally!"

  The two girls squealed and hugged again.

  "Come on, Em," called Emily's mom.

  Emily groaned. "I'll
text you later."

  "Can't wait." Ari leaned closer and whispered, "Can you believe Joshua came?"

  "What do you think I want to text you about?"

  They both giggled and Emily's mom called for her again.

  Ariana turned to some other friends to say goodbye. She was thrilled the party had been so much fun, but bummed about it having to end. Maybe next year, she'd have to turn it into a sleepover. It would take a lot of convincing, so she'd have to start working on her begging speech to her parents the next day. Maybe later after texting with Emily.

  She glanced around the room, trying to figure out who was leaving next.

  Dad was putting on his coat.

  Her heart sank and crashed onto the floor.

  Ariana had hardly gotten to spend any time with him. She would have to think fast to find a way to talk him into staying longer—especially with the way Mom kept arguing with him.

  Ari ran over to Dad and grabbed his hand. "Let me show you the rest of my room."

  He smiled at her—oh, how she adored that grin—and patted her head. "You already showed me, remember?" He glanced over at Mom. Obviously, he was worried about her harping on him. She was good at that.

  Ariana frowned. She'd need a new plan, and fast. "I can show you some of the decorations you didn't see yet. Did you see the bathroom?"

  Dad's grin widened. "I did. How'd you make the ghost jump out like that?"

  "I'll show you. It took forever! I found this really cool trick online."

  He gave her a sad look. "I really should get going. Work in the morning."

  Tears threatened. Ariana blinked them back and swallowed. "Please, Dad. Please just stay a little longer." She gave him her most pitiful expression—the one that even worked on Mimi if used at the right time.

  Dad flinched. "Oh, Ari."

  Excitement ran through her. She was making progress.

  "I never get to see you. Can't you stay a little longer? I don't want to wait for Christmas."

  He opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

  "Please." She squeezed his hand with both of hers and stared into his eyes.

  Mom came over. "Don't bother him, Ari. I'll help you and Mimi clean things up."

  Ariana refused to take her gaze from Dad. She shook her head.

  "I do have a long drive," Dad said.

  She glared at Mom. Why did she have to interfere?

  "Don't look at me like that."

  Ari turned back to Dad. It was Mom that he wanted to get away from. "Let's go somewhere, Dad. Just you and me. It'll be fun."

  "But the party cleanup," Mom said.

  "I have all weekend." Ariana squeezed Dad's hand all the more. "Come on, Dad. Please. I know the perfect place."

  He arched a brow. "Where?"

  "The Ball Palace."

  "Never heard of it."

  He hadn't? She jumped up and down, still clinging to him. "You'll love it. They turned a huge building into a big ball pit. It has tons and tons of slides—giant ones—and you can joust and play all kinds of games. I've been begging to go there, but never have."

  "I… Don't you have to be in bed soon?"

  "No! It's Friday. Please." She let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around him. "You'll have fun. I promise. All my friends' dads love it. I swear."

  "Oh, all right. If it gets too late, I can use one of my sick days tomorrow."

  Ari's mouth dropped. Yes? He'd actually said yes? She jumped up and down. "Let's go!"

  Mom stepped back with her arms folded. She had a disapproving look on her face.

  Nothing was going to sour Ari's mood. She and Dad were going to the ball place together. She scrambled for the coat closet and pulled out her favorite jacket.

  "Maybe you should change first," Dad said.

  Ariana glanced down at her fairy witch costume. If she ran to her room for regular clothes, that would only give him time to think up a reason not to go. "I don't care."

  "Nobody else will be dressed for Halloween. I'm going to take off my bandanna and vest, too."

  "You'll wait while I change?"

  "I won't move from this spot." His expression told her he meant it.

  Ariana scrambled up the stairs, pulling off her wings as she ran. In her room, she threw off the wings and grabbed the clothes she'd worn to school that day. No, she didn't want to wear them. She just put some leggings under the dress since they'd be running around. There was no time to think. She had to get downstairs before Dad changed his mind.

  She glanced in the mirror. Her face was still covered in makeup and her hair was full of glitter. Not that she cared. She and Dad were going to the Ball Palace!

  When she got downstairs, Dad was talking with Uncle Luke.

  Dad tilted his head. "Don't want to wash your face?"

  "Nope." Ari slid on her jacket. "Kids go there with their faces painted all the time. Let's go."

  "Have fun, kiddo." Uncle Luke patted her shoulder.

  She glanced up at Dad and beamed. "I will."

  Mimi came over and looked at Alex. "Do you know when you'll bring her back?"

  He glanced at Ari. "I was going to leave that up to her."

  Ari's mouth gaped. She'd stay there with him all weekend if he'd let her.

  "Just give us a call if it gets late." Mimi hugged Ariana.

  She returned the embrace. "Bye!"

  Dad ruffled her hair. "You ready?"

  "Am I ever!" She grabbed his hand just to make sure it was really happening.

  Palace

  Ariana's heart thundered against her chest as she and Dad walked up to the Ball Palace. Shouts and music sounded from the wide-open front doors. Bright lights lit up the path, almost making it feel like daytime.

  "It definitely sounds like people are having fun in there," Dad said.

  "Wait until you see the inside."

  He arched a brow. "I thought you hadn't been in there before."

  "I haven't, but I've seen a ton of pictures, so I know it's the most amazing thing in the whole town."

  They walked in through the huge double doors. Video games sounded from an arcade just on their right. Just behind that, lights flashed from a room filled with games Ariana had seen at the county fair. The enormous ball area lay on their left. From her view, it looked bigger than her entire school. Twisty, bumpy slides ran as far as the eye could see.

  She grabbed Dad's hand, determined never to let go. At least not until she picked up a jousting stick.

  He led her to the line. When they reached the front, the man behind the counter flicked a nod at Ariana. "How old is she?"

  "Eleven," Ariana said, grinning. She loved being a pre-teen now.

  The guy looked at dad. "Twenty-five bucks for you two. You can buy tokens for the games by the concession stand."

  "Okay." Dad pulled out his wallet and handed the man some cash.

  They walked past the counter and looked around.

  "What do you want to do first?" Dad asked.

  "The balls!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the giant room. Kids ran around and shrieked with laughter. Ariana recognized some kids from school, mostly older kids at this hour. A boy ran by them, carrying an armload of tickets.

  Dad gave him a double-take. "He must have been playing all night to get those."

  "Guess we'll have to find out." Ariana grinned.

  "I'd like that." He smiled, seeming more relaxed than he'd been at the party. "Wow, there's so much to do. I can't wait to try that long, twisty slide."

  "I know! Oh, wait." She pulled her phone out from her inner coat pocket.

  "Need to call the president?" Dad teased.

  She laughed. "No, it's my game. Have you heard of Halloween Catch?"

  He shook his head.

  "Oh, it's so much fun. All month long, you can capture Halloween items. There are different ones in different places. Fun places like this sometimes have rare items." She slid her finger around the screen and held the phone up, scanning the room. The
screen showed the ball pit, but also some digitized Halloween items.

  She tapped one on the screen. "Got a bat with red eyes! That's new. Oh, and there's a zombie leg."

  Dad chuckled, seeming amused. "Is this why you really brought me here?"

  Ari's eyes widened. "No." She captured a goblin and then put her phone away. "I just remembered. Let's play tag." She tapped his shoulder. "You're it!" She ran toward a long, twisty tube slide. Her feet sank down into the balls. They went to her knees—it was seriously the best place ever.

  He caught up easily, having much longer legs. Dad reached for her, but missed—probably on purpose. Adults always did that.

  She wasn't going to argue this time. It only took a minute to adjust to running in the ball pit. The slide she had her focus on was almost within reach. She laughed as it neared. Then she jumped onto the wooden platform and threw herself down, head first. She screamed—the slide took her down and around at a higher speed than expected. Without warning, she was thrown into a huge ball pit. She landed on her butt, and the balls went up to her chin.

  Dad flew out of the slide, flying past her and spraying balls all around her.

  Laughing, Ariana rushed to her feet and jumped away from him. He reached for her again, but missed. She was sure that wasn't a pity miss that time. He struggled to his feet, but she was already running.

  Ari headed for some foam pads and climbed up. She had to balance on a beam about five feet above the balls below. Dad was already climbing up, not far behind. She stretched her arms out and hurried, knowing he was probably better at balancing since he spent his time on roofs. He was probably the best balancer in the world.

  She was almost to the end. Then she would just have to climb up another platform and she would have her choice of slides. They all went in different directions. If she could trick Dad into thinking she went into a different one, she would gain a better lead.

  "I'm almost to you," Dad called from behind.

  Ari didn't doubt that. She glanced back, and sure enough, he was almost close enough to tag her. She hurried, but her right foot caught on her ankle.

  "Whoa!" She overcompensated and tumbled down toward the balls, landing easily. Plastic balls shot out in every direction and then rained down on her.