Girl in Trouble (An Alex Mercer Thriller Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  "Why didn't you just call me?"

  Alex shrugged.

  "Talk to me."

  "About what?"

  "Us."

  "Didn't we talk about that over breakfast? And besides, what 'us' is there? We haven't been together in years, and you're engaged. I blew it." He looked down and played with a scab on his finger.

  She felt bad for him, but wasn't going to let him off the hook. "You blew it long before I got engaged."

  "I know. I should've been there when you left for college, but I couldn't go back in time and change that."

  "No, but you could've called me. You had plenty of chances to do that. Same phone number."

  "You deserve better, anyway." That felt like a punch in the gut.

  "I don't, Alex."

  He turned and stared at her. "What?"

  "You're the only one I ever wanted." She frowned. "I waited for a long time, hoping you'd call."

  "So, I screwed that up, too."

  "Yep."

  "It doesn't matter now. You've got Kellen, and he'll give you everything I can't."

  Zoey held up her ringless hand. "We called it off."

  His mouth fell open. "Why?"

  Because he could see what she couldn't. "It's complicated."

  Alex tilted his head and his brows came closer together, the way they always did when he was deep in thought. He was as adorable now as he always had been. It brought her back to happier times. How many times had that one look led to toe-curling, passionate kisses?

  Her breath hitched. She swallowed—the sound seemed to echo all around the small car.

  "How complicated?" Alex whispered.

  He's drunk, Zoey reminded herself. He lost Ariana.

  But his big, almost-gray eyes seemed to scream how sorry he was for everything—that it had all been a big mistake that he would take back in a heartbeat if he could.

  Or was that just what she wanted him to say?

  The air was so thick, Zoey felt like she could swim in it.

  "I should get you back home."

  Disappointment covered his face. "I can't face my parents like this, Zo."

  "You want to go with me and face my parents?"

  He put his face in his palms. "I just keep screwing up. I can't seem to stop. Worst of all, you're here to see. What am I going to do?"

  "You should probably go home and sleep this off."

  He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Take me home. What's the worst my parents can do to me?"

  Picture

  Alex woke with a splitting headache. Clementine purred next to him. It had never sounded louder. Moaning, he rolled over and pulled a blanket over his face to block the filtered sunlight and the loud purring.

  Memories of the previous night flooded his mind—getting arrested and then drunk. Everything after going to some random bar was a blur. Something about Zoey. Oh, no… What had he done? Did she have his keys? Or did he have them?

  He rolled over again, this time with his stomach lurching. How had he gotten home? A turquoise car?

  Zoey's car. She'd seen him plastered. What had he said? He had a tendency to let his mouth run when he drank too much, and given how he felt right then, he'd drank too much and then kept going.

  Knock, knock. It sounded like a jackhammer next to his head.

  "Alex, are you awake?" called his mom from behind the door.

  "Stop being so loud," he muttered.

  The door creaked open. "How are you feeling?"

  "That depends."

  "On what?"

  On whatever happened the night before. "Any updates on Ari?"

  "Not that I'm aware of. The same news is being recycled everywhere I've looked. I was hoping you'd heard something from the captain."

  "How close are we to Halloween?"

  "It's today, honey."

  Alex sat bolt-upright. "Today?" The light was like tiny daggers to his eyeballs.

  She frowned and nodded.

  He swore. "How did I not know?"

  "You had a busy day yesterday."

  "Can you blame me?"

  Mom put her hand on his. "No, I can't, and I'd be a hypocrite to judge."

  He arched a brow. "You?"

  "I'll tell you about it later. Why don't you give the captain a call?"

  "Can you get me some coffee and aspirin?"

  She patted his hand. "Sure." She sniffed the air. "A shower might not be a bad idea, either."

  "Thanks, Mom." He untwisted himself from his blankets and threw them to the side as she left the room. He stared at some bruises on his wrists. Must have been from the handcuffs.

  His phone lay on the floor next to his desk. The screen flashed. He must've missed a call or text.

  Each step he took made his head hurt more, but he made his way to the phone. There were missed calls and texts from the lawyer, Nick, Zoey, and Bella.

  He pulled on a shirt and returned Nick's call.

  "Where have you been?" Nick exclaimed. "I thought we were going to talk after you were released."

  "We were?"

  "Did you talk with Ralph?"

  "Who?"

  "Weiss, your attorney."

  "Not yet."

  "He got all your charges dropped. The arrest is going to be taken off your record—I hope you appreciate how huge that is."

  Alex was sure he would when the pounding in his head stopped and his stomach settled down. "I do. Thanks for finding him, Nick."

  "I have more good news. We released Sanchez a couple hours ago. Everyone is focused on finding lakes that match the cold cases in the area."

  "Oh, good. Found any yet?"

  "There are a few. Probably more with as much water as we have around here. We're excluding ones he's already used."

  "Why?"

  "Because it doesn't appear he's used any more than once."

  "Doesn't mean he won't. What should I do?"

  "Lay low. Our entire team is working on this, finally in the right direction. There are other forces helping us, too."

  "Okay. If you find something, can you let me know?"

  "Are you going to try to interfere?"

  Alex scowled. "I want to help."

  "I'll keep you in the loop. Stay near your phone." The call ended.

  Knock, knock.

  Alex covered his head. "Just come in."

  Mom came in with a steaming mug, a bottle of painkillers, and a plate of toast. "Hopefully, this helps. I'm going over to the hospital for a while. Dad's in his office, updating his blog with the latest on Ariana."

  "Okay." He sipped the coffee. "Thanks for all this."

  She squeezed his arm. "I just wish I could do more. I love you, Alex."

  He wrapped his arms around her, and she squeezed him. They held the embrace for a few moments before she stepped back. She gave him a sad smile before leaving the room.

  Alex swallowed a couple pills with the coffee and then ate the toast, finding that it helped with his stomach. He emptied the mug and then headed for the shower. His mind raced and his heart felt like it would shatter.

  Would they find Ariana in time? Halloween had come too soon, and the FBI had taken entirely too long to focus in the right direction. It better not be too late, or someone would pay. Alex would see to that personally.

  His phone went off. He groaned, but rinsed off and got out of the shower.

  A missed text from a blocked caller.

  Alex's pulse pounded. Was Flynn taunting him or giving him a clue?

  He wiped his hands on the towel and grabbed his phone.

  Flynn had sent a photo. If it was a picture of Ariana hurt, Alex would lose it. Part of him didn't want to look. But he had to.

  His hand shook as he slid his finger around the screen to see the image. He accidentally clicked on another app. Alex closed it and went over to his texts.

  There was the picture.

  Of a lake.

  His heart crashed to the ground.

  A thousand responses ran through his head,
but he couldn't text any of them back to Flynn. Not to a blocked number.

  He stared at the image. It looked familiar, but then again, he'd seen hundreds of lakes.

  Alex forwarded the picture to Nick. It was the right thing to do. The professionals knew what they were doing.

  Thwart

  Nick stared at the picture Alex had just texted him. Had Alex found it online? Why hadn't he texted any information along with the picture?

  He called Alex.

  "What's this picture?" he asked.

  "It's from a blocked number again. Flynn's back at it."

  "But why would he give you a picture of where he's taking Ari?"

  "Who cares?" Alex exclaimed. "We just need to find it and get there."

  "You don't know anything else?"

  "No. I got it and forwarded it to you."

  "Okay, good. If you get anything else, do the same."

  "I will."

  "I'm going to let the team know about this. In the meantime, see if you can find it online. The more people we have on this, the better."

  "Are you going to put it on social media? Someone might recognize it. It might be faster, but given my 'popularity,' I shouldn't be the one to post it."

  "I don't want the kidnapper to know we have the information yet. I'll see what Williams thinks. Talk to you soon." Nick ended the call and emailed the image to the computer, where he printed it onto paper and brought it to the main room.

  Everyone went to work immediately, trying to find the location of the lake. Unfortunately, nobody recognized it from the picture.

  Nick went back to his office to do his own research. They didn't have much time. This time tomorrow would be too late. They'd be searching for a body. His chest constricted at the thought, and his mind immediately went to his kids. If anything ever happened to them, he didn't know what he would do. It was hard enough with them living so far away now, but at least he knew they were healthy and happy.

  He checked the time. It was early enough that if he called now, he could talk to them before they left for school. Nick closed his office door behind him and called their new landline number, hoping to avoid speaking with Corrine, his ex-wife.

  "Hello?" asked a chipper female too old to be a kid, but younger than Corrine. Then it hit him—it was the kids' new nanny. The one Nick was paying heavily for. He couldn't remember her name.

  "This is Nick. Are my kids there?"

  "Oh, hi, Nick. This is Riley. The kids say you're on that famous kidnapping case. Is it true?"

  "Yeah. Are they there?"

  "Ava already left, but the other two are here. Hold on." Shuffling noises sounded on the other end.

  "Daddy!" came Hanna's voice. "Guess what? We get to wear our costumes to school."

  Nick's heart warmed, hearing his youngest's voice. "That's great, honey."

  "They just can't be scary. Parker's mad about that, but I'm a good fairy, so I get to wear it all day and then tonight, too! And we're going to have a party in our class. We even get to exchange candy and eat cupcakes."

  "Wow, it sounds like you're going to have a great time."

  "Best day ever!" she squealed. "I just wish you could be here."

  "Me, too, baby. As soon as daddy's big case is over, I'm going to make sure we have a weekend together."

  "Yes! Will it be a long one? Will we get to miss school? Please say we can miss school."

  Nick laughed. "I'll see what I can do. Is Parker there? I'd like to say hi before you guys leave for school."

  "Yeah. Parker!" Hanna yelled into the phone. "Dad's on the phone. Get over here!"

  He held the phone out until he heard his son's voice.

  "Hey, Dad."

  "What's wrong?" Nick asked.

  "I can't wear my costume. They say devils are too scary for the little kids. How stupid is that?"

  "Don't you have anything else you can wear?"

  "Nothing cool. Mom said I could wear my Mickey ears, but that's so lame unless you're actually at Disney World, you know? Everyone has them there. I said I'd be a bloody Mickey, but then we're back to scary."

  "What about your karate uniform?"

  "The bus is almost here. Gotta go." The line went dead without so much as a goodbye.

  Nick sat in the chair, his heart heavy. He was missing out on so much. The only way he'd see any of their costumes was in a picture, and that would be after pestering them. He cursed Corrine under his breath for moving the kids so far away.

  He went to his computer to try to find the lake. That reminded him of why he'd called in the first place. At least they were safe and sound, with their biggest worry being about costumes.

  Nick did a quick online search for local lakes. A travel planning site had a list of lakes with pictures, but none of them looked like the one Alex had sent. It appeared to have been taken from inside woods, given the tree branches along the edges, and probably not from a place most people would take a picture. That was going to make it harder to locate.

  Wait. What if the image had the location embedded in the data? He should have thought of that sooner. Nick right-clicked the image, but found no data. The sender probably knew how to turn that off. It was always the first thing Nick did when he got a new phone.

  He went to his phone and scrolled through his contacts. He knew a couple guys who were experts with photos. They would know how to find any information. He was about to press the call button when a call came in.

  It was from Alex.

  Nick accepted the call. "Did you find something?"

  "You'd better look online. I've been framed again."

  "What is it now?" Nick wanted to bang his head on the desk.

  "It's a fake picture of me digging what looks like a grave."

  Nick released a string of profanities and threw a pad of paper across the office. "Get down here now."

  Disbelief

  Zoey held her ringing phone, trying to decide whether to answer it. It was Kellen, and she really didn't feel like talking to him. She was a mess of conflicting emotions after talking with Alex the night before. Knowing that it was Halloween only compounded everything.

  Finally, she decided just to answer it. She accepted the call and sat on Ariana's bed. "Hello?"

  "Have you been online?" Kellen asked.

  "I'm still trying to avoid it." And you. But that wasn't working. "Why? What's going on?"

  "It doesn't look good for Alex."

  She froze. "What do you mean?"

  "There's a picture of him pulling a body into a white van. I assume it's fake, but people are saying there's no signs of it being altered."

  Zoey's mouth dropped. She grabbed Ariana's stuffed elephant and held it close.

  "And people are saying he's been seen at the police station. I think he's under arrest again."

  She felt like she'd been punched in the gut.

  Through the silence hanging between them, Zoey could hear Kellen's silent question—Do you really choose him over me?

  "Thanks for letting me know," she said, feeling in a daze.

  "I just thought you'd like to know. Do they still think today's the day?"

  "Yeah," she whispered.

  "Are you okay, Zo?"

  "Okay?" she exclaimed. "How could I be okay? Ariana might be killed today!" The reality of it crushed her. Tears blurred her vision and she crumpled on the bed. The air crushed her.

  "I'm coming over."

  Zoey couldn't respond.

  "You're at your parents' still, right?" Kellen asked.

  She muttered something resembling a word.

  "I'll be right there."

  Zoey shuddered and then gave into the sobs. She curled into a ball, clinging to the stuffed animal, and wailed. No one had even come close to finding Ariana, and now the countdown was a matter of hours until that sick piece of trash took her life.

  How dare he? He had no right. He hadn't given her life—he'd had nothing to do with that precious little girl until snatching her from everyon
e who loved her. Rage ran through her, equal in strength to the overwhelming depression.

  She screamed at the unfairness of it all. The rest of the world was going on like nothing was wrong, and it could be Ari's last.

  How would she survive? What would she do?

  Hands rested on her back. Zoey turned to see Kenji sitting next to her, his eyes red and his skin tear-stained.

  "We're all feeling it," he said.

  Zoey threw herself against him, wrapping her arms around him. "Oh, Dad."

  He squeezed her. "I know."

  "How are we going to get her back?"

  "The search team has a new clue they're looking into."

  "New?" She sniffled. "Since when?"

  "This morning. I don't know much, but apparently it's pretty big."

  "Who told you?" Zoey sat back and pulled some hair from her eyes.

  "Chad called. Alex is… in a predicament, though."

  "You mean he's in jail."

  "He's being held for questioning. No charges have been filed."

  She gasped for air. "But they think the new clue will help them find Ari?"

  "That's what they say. I sure hope so."

  "What if they don't?"

  He shook his head. "We can't let ourselves think about that, kiddo."

  Zoey jumped up. "I have to get out of here. Call me if there's any news."

  "Okay. Where are you going?"

  "Out." She ran from the room, down the stairs, and grabbed her purse on the way outside. Her mind raced. She never knew life could be so crushing. It killed her that she didn't know what tomorrow would bring. It would either be the happiest day of her life—with Ariana returned home—or the worst day.

  Zoey climbed into her car and started it. She didn't know where she was going. She didn't want to be anywhere. If only she could crawl somewhere and cease to exist.

  Since she couldn't do that, she needed to do something that would matter. The only thing she could think of was going to the station. That was where they were working to find Ariana. Surely, they would take volunteers. They had to. A little girl's life was on the line.

  She pulled onto the road and headed for the station. The worst they could do was tell her no. And then she would tell them off. She wanted to be part of the rescue efforts.