Losing Her (Lost and Found Book 1)

by K. S. Marshall

  I pulled away, still holding onto her tightly, focusing on her features. Her almond shaped eyes, the soft curve of her cheeks, the angle of her nose and the perfect pout of her lips. I loved every single inch of her and I was tired of pretending I didn’t.

  I was about to open my mouth and tell her, when the entire Prescott family rounded the corner, catching us in our tight, loving embrace.

  Her older brother, Jonathan, cleared his throat just as Benjamin, the middle sibling snickered, “Oh c’mon you two!”

  I let go of her and stepped sideways, frustrated at having been discovered so intimately and before I could tell her what was on my heart.

  “It’s alright, young man. I understand the attraction,” Thomas said, pulling Vivian against his side and planting a soft kiss on her neck.

  I smiled, glancing at Alina. Her head was bowed in

  embarrassment and she tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

  “She is stunning, isn’t she?” Vivian remarked, stepping away from her husband and crossing over to Alina, “You look marvelous. They did an amazing job with you, dear.”

  “Thank you,” she managed weakly. I reached for her hand, hoping to reconnect with her, despite being in the now crowded foyer.

  Her fingers intertwined with mine, but she didn’t look over. Instead, she looked to her father, who started speaking again.

  “Alright everyone, the car is pulling up now. Let’s get on the road,” he said, leading the group toward the massive front door.

  She tightened her grip on my hand and we followed everyone out. As she passed in front of me, I noticed her dress swooped down and exposed her back. Just below her left shoulder blade I saw a small mark, lighter than her skin color and shaped, oddly enough, like a heart.

  The edges weren’t smooth, but the overall shape was unmistakable.

  I leaned forward, touching my lips to the shell of her ear, and whispered, “tattoo or birthmark?”

  She giggled softly, so only I could hear it, “Birthmark.”

  I wondered why I had never noticed it before. It did make sense, considering she was almost always facing me whenever we made love.

  Apparently, I still had more to learn about this woman. And I was more than willing to spend a long time doing so.

  What felt like anxiety pumped through my blood during the ride to the party. We were surrounded by her family. Her parents sat to our right and her brothers to her left. I thought back to what Vivian had said earlier about me being one of them. They certainly seemed to act like I was part of the family in some way, which struck me as odd.

  They knew I hadn’t told Alina about working for them. I pondered her reaction yet again. I had to find the right moment to confess my feelings for her, then I’d tell her who I really was. And did that include telling Alina about her? About the reason I was so dead set on escaping my past?

  The limousine slowed in front of a large contemporary home flanked by tall trees illuminated with white lights. The sun was setting in

  the distance casting rich oranges, yellows and pinks across the sky. We exited the vehicle and found ourselves on a red carpet that lead up to the front door. Noticing the cameras and flashing lights, I ducked my head and stepped to the side. This was about the Prescott family. I wasn’t going to let my presence take away from Thomas and his campaign. Watching Alina pose and smile with her family, I was happy that she’d decided to come back home for the weekend. The way her family beamed around her, I knew they were happy too.

  We finally locked eyes. I was standing behind a female photographer who was calling for them to look in her direction when she caught sight of me standing there. Her cheeks flushed when recognition dawned on her. I tossed a wink at her and continued to observe. Then the realization hit me again.

  I was in love with her.

  After what felt like much too long, the cameras disappeared and we were ushered into the house. The party was hosted by a benefactor of the Prescott campaign. It was a way for Thomas to drum up more financial support for his run for mayor. I recognized many of the faces meandering through the mansion from my research. Some of which I’d worked for in the past as well. There was never any shortage of secrets in a crowd as wealthy as this.

  I quickly found Alina again, placing my hand at the small of her back, “There you are,” I whispered.

  Goosebumps ran along her exposed skin, “I thought you’d run away the second you were free,” she laughed.

  “And leave you all alone? Never. I’m the anchor,” I reminded her.

  She looked up at me, appreciation in her eyes, “Besides, I can’t stand being away from you for too long.”

  She beamed up at me. Our fingers interlocked as we walked from room to room, following dutifully behind her parents and her

  brothers. Parties like this weren’t about having fun. It was all business.

  Keeping to my promise, I held onto her hand, not letting her face any of it alone.

  I stayed by her side as people flitted by, complimenting her dress or asking how she felt about her family’s political aspirations.

  Watching her in this element that she wanted no parts of was interesting because she was quite good at it. The smiles, the conversation, the feigned interest. She was great at every part of it. If I hadn’t known her so well, I’d say she fit in perfectly.

  But I did know her. And before she could even say anything, I read the way her shoulders sagged after each conversation. I noticed the steadying breaths she took when she knew she was going to be approached. Her fingers never detached from mine. She needed me.

  After twenty minutes of conversation, I pulled anchor duty.

  “Excuse me, ladies,” I interrupted. Alina had been cornered by the wife of some dignitary and she was about to launch into another story. Alina’s smile started to fade from her face and I knew I needed to whisk her away, “Do you mind if I steal her away for a minute? This song is one of my favorites.”

  The first notes of “The Very Thought of You”, a popular jazz standard, began playing. The woman’s wide smile of approval was all I needed before I guided Alina toward the dance floor.

  I spun her around gracefully, placing my hand over the exposed skin of her lower back as I pulled her in close to me. The heat from our bodies enveloped us and everyone else faded away. She tilted her head up to look at me. Her face was grateful. I fought the urge to kiss her in front of everyone.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “No, thank you,” I said back, beginning to sway with her to the music.

  She rested her head against me, letting me lead the way around the dance floor. Having her in my arms this way felt nice. That unmistakable feeling that she belonged in my embrace didn’t escape me. We fit together in so many ways. I vowed right then that I’d do anything to make sure this would work. I needed Alina in my life.

  We spun around effortlessly, passing the other dancers and patrons milling around the edge of the dance floor. A murmur was taking place in the crowd, while people watched Alina and I dance so intimately together. I recognized so many of the faces in the room.

  Working as an investigator, I’d either been hired by them or they came up in my research somehow.

  The face I hadn’t planned on recognizing was holding onto the arm of Jason. He was dressed smartly in a tailored black suit, white shirt and skinny black tie. Looking more put together than he had the night before. In fact, he looked downright pleased with himself. And he was staring right at me.

  Because on his arm, was her.

  Her eyes bore into me. A knowing, smug smile on her lips. I tripped over my own feet, almost stumbling with Alina in tow. Steadying myself, I pulled her close to me and looked down at her as we continued swaying to the music. Her expression was serene and content, her head resting against my chest. Surely she could hear my heart pounding.

  Why was she here? And with Jason?

  Is this what he meant by “you don’t know who you’re messing with”? Was this
his payback to me? Bringing her… here?

  “Um, come with me somewhere?”

  Alina lifted her head, “Okay.”

  I touched her cheek, grateful for her blind trust and unwavering faith in me. Pressing a light kiss to her forehead, I was desperate to get

  her away from them. I didn’t know just how far Jason would take all of this.

  She held onto my hand tightly as we ascended the stairs to the second floor. When we reached a secluded spot, I turned and pulled her close to me.

  “Alina, there’s something I need to tell you,” I started, feeling panicked about what I had just seen down in the ballroom. I needed to get this out before that woman took anything else from me.

  Her brows knit together, worry etched across her face, “Is everything alright?”

  “I’ve been trying to figure out how to go about this. I need to come clean, but you have to know everything. I don’t want to ruin this.”

  “What’s going on, Derrick?”

  I looked into her eyes. The deep orbs that pulled me in like they held all the gravity in the world. I had to say it. She had to know. Before anything else, I had to express my feelings for her.

  “I’m in love with you.”

  A huge weight lifted off my shoulders when I uttered those words and it was replaced by a grip of anxiety that held on to my heart like a vice. I watched her eyes widen and her mouth part slightly in surprise at my declaration. She didn’t speak right away and I started reeling, wondering if I’d misread everything between us.

  “Say that again,” she whispered.

  I blinked, staring into her eyes again. Reaching forward, I touched her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear to get a better look at her face, “I love you, Alina.”

  She leaned into my hand, closing her eyes as a sweet smile spread across her lips. She inhaled deeply, letting all of the air out again before she opened her eyes, “I’ve been wanting you to say that for a while now.”

  “You have?” I quizzed.

  She nodded. Licking her lips, she smiled again before whispering, “I love you too.”

  Warmth spread all over me from the center of my chest as her words hung in the space between us.

  “I know it makes no sense at all. We barely know each other, but I’ve been falling for you and I can’t help it,” she chuckled softly.

  I covered my mouth with hers, ignoring the pit of guilt in my stomach. She barely knew me and I knew everything about her. But the most important thing was that we loved each other. The hope I’d been clinging to grew ten times in that moment. She loved me, and for the first time in my life, I believed that it was the kind of love I was searching for.

  My hands had moved to her face and I was kissing her with everything I had when I heard the clicking of shoes on the floor entered the room. Our lips unlocked as a deep voice rumbled an interruption. I turned and was met with a death stare from Jason. But my heart sank when I saw the smirk on Lindsey’s face.

  The woman who had tricked me into believing she’d loved me for better or worse. The woman I was now working like hell to get away from. If Jason had found Lindsey, then he knew why I was trying to stay away from her. Bringing her here was intentional. To somehow make me pay for what I said to him earlier.

  “Are we going to have another scandal on our hands, Alina? You know how you tend to get at these parties,” Jason mused.

  “What do you want, Jason?” Alina sighed.

  “I was showing my guest around and look at what we stumbled upon,” he said, opening his palm in our direction. “If you’re going to fuck her, take her somewhere more private.”

  The last dig was directed at me and it boiled my blood, “What the hell is your problem?”

  “You know my problem, Derrick.”

  I shook my head, plastering an innocent look on my face, “All I know is that since Alina and I showed up this weekend for her father’s event, you’ve had something to say at every turn. Why won’t you just disappear?”

  “Kind of like how you did? You two are the poster children for disappearing acts.”

  Lindsey and Jason laughed together, but I kept my eyes focused on him. I didn’t want to ever acknowledge her existence, and I damn sure wasn’t going to do it right here in front of Alina. Jason was looking for a fight. And as much as I wanted to give him one, I had to think about what was at stake here.

  My freedom.

  And Alina.

  NINETEEN | Alina

  I looked back and forth between the two men, utterly confused as to what they were talking about. Derrick looked like he wanted to bash Jason’s face in, while Jason wore his typical smug expression. The one he wore so often with me, I’d almost forgotten what he looked like any other time. Seeing him get pleasure from getting a rise out of Derrick pissed me off.

  “What the hell are you doing, Jason?” I asked, angrily. There weren’t many people around, but if anyone bothered to pay attention, they’d certainly be able to hear our conversation. “Why are you trying to ruin this night for my family? I’m here, aren’t I? Just drop it and let my father work. You’re supposed to be supporting him, not harassing us.”

  “Oh, but I am supporting your father. Mrs. Williams here is very eager to write your father a check. Pending she can get the funds from her husband,” Jason said, exchanging a look with the woman on his arm.

  I looked between the two of them, “You’re not sure if you can have the funds from your husband? Then why are you even here?” I felt

  like I was missing a piece of the puzzle and my stomach started churning.

  “Derrick, why don’t you tell Alina who her husband is,” Jason crooned.

  Derrick’s jaw clenched harder, a vein visibly bulging from the pressure of it. But he said nothing.

  “What is going—” I started, but Jason interrupted me.

  “You don’t want to tell her? Fine. I will.” His attention focused on me, a smile on his face and his snake eyes gleaming in the light as he spoke, “Mrs. Williams is the wife of Mister Williams. Mister Derrick Williams.”

  Slowly, my stomach twisted and sank. I felt a hollow dread settle within me as I processed what Jason had just said. Turning to Derrick, I looked for confirmation, but he never took his eyes off of Jason and the woman.

  “What is he talking about?” I stuttered, “Is that your w-wife, Derrick? Are you married?”

  I heard my voice catch in my throat and I swallowed to stop myself from sounding as stupid as I felt. Derrick’s eyes slowly lowered to meet mine. And I knew. The solemn way his expression changed from anger to sadness told me everything his lips wouldn’t.

  Derrick was married. To someone else. And she was right in front of me.

  I felt sick. My stomach twisted again, threatening to empty itself all over the floor. I took a step backward, but it didn’t help anything.

  Distance from him wouldn’t change the reality of this situation.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked, speaking to the floor, but directing the question at him.

  Jason scoffed, “Because then he couldn’t fuck you, Alina. And we all know that’s what he really wanted.”

  My blood boiled.

  “Fuck you, Jason. You have no idea what the hell you’re talking about. You don’t even know him,” I exploded angrily. If looks could kill, Jason would be dead and buried from the way I was glaring at him, but he just smiled.

  “I don’t know him,” he chuckled, “Ha! I don’t know him. You really believe that, Alina?”

  Derrick, who’d remained almost motionless this entire time, suddenly stiffened. He took a step forward, almost blocking me from Jason’s view, shaking his head, “No,” he said firmly.

  “No? Why not, Derrick? You said you had nothing to lose. That telling her the truth would only make my life more difficult, right?”

  “What truth?” I asked, not sure I even wanted to hear it.

  “Jason stop,” Derrick added.

  The woman— Derrick’s wi
fe— laughed.

  Jason continued, “She thinks I don’t know you. Me, the person in charge of every damn thing that happens in this family. The person who screens everyone they come into contact with. She thinks I don’t know who you are.” His voice was getting louder and more maniacal as he ranted.

  Derrick kept shaking his head, “Stop, Jason. Please. Just don’t.”

  I furrowed my brow. Why was Derrick suddenly pleading with Jason? This made no sense.

  “Tell her,” Jason’s voice boomed.

  Derrick’s jaw ticked again. And I was suddenly afraid of what Jason would say next.