Against All Odds

by Stacy Claflin

  Alex rose. “Does this mean I’m free?”

  “Yeah. Get out of here.”

  “Don’t I have paperwork to fill out?”

  “You were just being held for questioning, and whoever brought you here barely even mentioned you were there.”

  Alex grumbled under his breath as he headed for the door. He turned around. “I hope you find Ava soon.”

  “Thanks. And same with Zoey.”

  “Hey, if you want to talk, I’m here.”

  Nick nodded. “I just want to get out there and look until she’s in my arms, safe and sound.”

  Alex knew that feeling all too well.

  Contrast

  Alex slammed his car door and closed his eyes. Giving his description of Flynn to the artist had been a complete waste of time.

  His sketch looked nothing like any of the other drawings of the gunman. All of them were skinny with longish hair, but that was where the similarities ended. Flynn had wavy dark hair, light eyes, and a tired look about him. The other sketches all had light hair, dark eyes, and totally different features.

  Flynn stood out among all the other drawings. He couldn’t be the gunman, but why had he been at the school? Just to watch, so he could pick out his next victim?

  Alex’s phone buzzed. It had been going off the entire time he’d been inside the elementary school.

  He pulled it out of his pocket and fought to open his eyes. There were an array of calls, from both his relatives and Zoey’s.

  What did they think he could offer? He didn’t know where she was, either.

  Alex called his dad back. He hadn’t spoken with his parents since all of this started.

  “Alex, where have you been?” Dad answered.

  “Trying to find Zoey. How’s Ari, do you know?”

  “She’s really sick, but at least safe in her bed. We just brought over some soup. Kenji and Valerie are a mess. Valerie’s beating herself up for not going to the school instead of sending Zoey. Mom’s over there, talking with her now. Have you found anything on Zoey?”

  Alex ran his fingers through his hair. “I wish. She and Ava have disappeared without a trace.”

  “Ava? As in, Nick’s daughter?”

  “Yeah, they’re both gone. No clues for either of them. Not yet, anyway. They still have to process the entire school. I have no idea how long that will take. I hate this.”

  “We’re worried out of our minds, too. Zoey’s like a daughter to us. Let us know if you hear anything, or if we can help.”

  Alex groaned. “I wish there was something to do. If there was, I’d be doing it right now.”

  “Maybe you should get some rest. You can come here, you know. Your old room is always open.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’ll probably just crash at my place, not that I can see myself getting much sleep.”

  “Try. You’re going to need your rest.”

  Unfortunately, Alex knew that all too well. “I will. Oh, wait. How’s Macy?”

  “Good, and we haven’t told her about Zoey. She could go into labor any day now, and this news could make it start early. If you talk to her, don’t mention it.”

  “I won’t. Tell me the moment she’s headed to the hospital. I want to be there.”

  “Hopefully Zo will be back by then. Macy wants both of you there to meet the baby.”

  A lump formed in Alex’s throat. “Send her our love.” His voice cracked. “Love you, Dad.”

  “We love you, Alex. Our offer to stay stands day or night. Come over at any hour.”

  Tears misted his eyes. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”

  Alex ended the call before he ended up breaking down. He cleared his throat and blinked back the threatening tears. Then he started the ignition. One thing he could do was to drive around town.

  The first place he went was the middle school. It was lit up as though school were in session. Police cruisers, ambulances, and fire trucks were scattered throughout the parking lot. The entire parking lot was blocked off with yellow tape.

  More than anything, Alex wanted to run over and help process the scene. But even if he was a cop, he wouldn’t be allowed in. With a missing fiancée, he was too involved—just like Nick.

  Alex’s stomach twisted in tight knots. He drove around the property and nearly skidded off the road when he saw the part that had blown up. Half the wall was missing, exposing the classrooms inside. Bricks lay clear across the parking lot and had broken several car windows.

  If anyone had been in there at the time, there was no chance of survival.

  Whoever had done all of this was one sick bastard. Shooting up a school, then blowing it up. For what? Why would anyone do that?

  Alex gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. Whether it was Flynn Myer or some other twisted piece of garbage, Alex hoped he got to the coward before the cops—especially if he’d abducted Zoey and Ava in addition to everything else. He’d make sure the loser paid in ways the justice system never could.

  A horn honked behind him.

  Alex waved an apology and drove around the rest of the school until he reached the woods where he’d gone after Flynn. He slowed and stared, then picked up speed so as not to irritate the person behind him again.

  He drove around the surrounding neighborhoods. The only thing out of the ordinary were the extra patrols. Cops were everywhere.

  Good. Maybe they’d actually find the guy, or better yet, Zoey and Ava. As much as Alex didn’t want to think about it, the only thing that made any sense was that the shooter had taken them hostage. That meant that Flynn was only a looky-loo, and that actually matched his profile—that of a sick coward.

  But who had shot up the middle school, and what did they want with Ava and Zoey?

  Alex’s mind mulled over the many possibilities as he drove farther from the school. He was about to turn back around when something white on the sidewalk caught his attention.

  He pulled up to the curb and glanced over. It was something almost like a ball, but it was also partially spread out in one direction.

  Alex turned on the hazard lights and got out. The closer he got to the thing, the more it looked like a piece of clothing. He stopped and studied it, his feet just inches from it.

  His heart skipped a beat when he recognized the buttons. They were silver with something painted on them in black.

  He whipped out his cell phone and used it as a flashlight to get a better look. The buttons had the Eiffel Tower painted on them.

  It was one of Zoey’s favorite work shirts. She adored the city of love, and they were saving to go there for their first anniversary.

  Something else on the shirt caught his attention. Red splotches.

  Heart thundering, he knelt and angled his phone. Blood spatter decorated part of the collar and an arm.

  Alex fell to the ground, trying to breathe.

  It was Zoey’s shirt. Zoey’s bloody shirt. Where was she? Why wasn’t it on her?

  He reached for it, but then stopped.

  Zoey’s shirt was evidence. As much as he wanted to hold it close and smell her perfume, he couldn’t touch it. Not when it could help lead them to the killer.

  Alex turned off the flashlight function and called the station.

  Fretting

  Genevieve Foster kissed the top of Tinsley’s head. “Sweet dreams.”

  The girl held her gaze for a moment before closing her eyes.

  Genevieve brushed some hair away from Tinsley’s forehead before leaving the room. She kept the door open just a crack. It had been a few weeks since Tinsley had woken from a nightmare, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t happen again.

  Before coming to her, the girl had been through hell. Her parents had both been criminals. First her dad died, then her mom forced her to help her abduct men then torture them. Tinsley may have even seen some of them die. Nobody knew, because Tinsley was tight-lipped about everything, even to her counselor and Genevieve—two of the only people she would talk to.<
br />
  It had been months, but still Tinsley clung to her, rarely talking. But that was more than she gave most people.

  Genevieve poured herself a glass of white wine, then settled on the couch. Her head pounded from the day’s stress.

  When she’d watched part of the middle school explode, she had nearly collapsed. That could’ve been her and Captain Fleshman.

  Her heart raced, but not because of the bomb. Because of the image of her boss’s face. It was nothing short of a miracle that she could speak a coherent sentence in his presence. Every time she saw him, her throat nearly closed up and her pulse pounded through every inch of her body.

  He was not only so handsome it should be illegal, but he was sexy as hell. The shirts he wore, especially the V-neck tees he wore off duty, showed off the fact that he had to live at the gym.

  Then there was the way he looked at her. He could knock her to the floor with just one glance.

  She’d thought she’d imagined it for the longest time—that she was just some pathetic lovesick puppy. The new girl on the force, fresh out of the academy, falling for the head of the department. But then when she visited him in the hospital, there was no more denying the electricity in the air between them. It was so thick, she could barely breathe.

  After Tinsley came to stay with her, and the captain suggested they get their kids together, there was even less she could do to deny their mutual feelings for each other.

  She closed her eyes and imagined pressing herself against him and giving him a kiss that would surely get her fired.

  It was so hard to know what to do. On one hand, working with him was building her career faster than it could without him. She was rising through the ranks faster than most, and she learned so much from him every time they went out on a call.

  Yet at the same time, Genevieve didn’t know how much longer she could keep her feelings at bay. One of these days, she was bound to grab his hand and thread her fingers through his, or worse, act upon the things she imagined doing to him in her mind. Career-killing things if anyone ever found out.

  She couldn’t do anything to risk either of their jobs. Maybe once she made Sergeant, she could look into switching to a nearby force. It wouldn’t be the same without Nick there, but if they could finally pursue what they both so clearly wanted, it would be worth it.

  Coming home to see him at the end of the day would by far beat seeing him at the station.

  Guilt stung her for thinking about this now of all times. With his daughter missing, romance would be the last thing on his mind.

  What she needed to do was call and see how he was doing. Find out if he needed anything. Not that she could get anything now. She had to be home in case Tinsley woke up. It would traumatize the poor girl to wake up and discover she was alone.

  Genevieve finished off her glass of wine, then pulled out her phone. She brought up the captain’s contact information. His smiling face took her breath away.

  What she wouldn’t give to press her mouth on those lips.

  Focus. Despite the happy photo on her screen, the man was suffering in real life. In the worst way possible. What could be worse than having something horrible happen to your kid?

  She had been a complete wreck after her cat died. Something involving a child had to be a million times worse.

  Genevieve pressed call and waited as it rang. She was about to hang up before it went to voicemail, but he answered.

  “Foster?”

  Her heart jumped into her throat at the sound of his deep voice. It took her a moment to recover. “How are you holding up?”

  He groaned. “Barely. I’m trying to sleep but can’t. I close my eyes, but all I see is Ava in trouble.”

  The pain in his tone broke her heart. “Can I do anything?”

  “We need to find them. But I can’t do anything. I’m off the case.”

  Genevieve sat taller. “I’ll do everything I can, Captain. Everything in my power. I’ll work harder on this case than anything ever before.” She grimaced. That was a bit much.

  “I appreciate it.”

  At least he hadn’t noticed. “Do you want to discuss the case? We can talk about every angle.”

  “I don’t know what I want.”

  “Maybe talking about it will help us see something we missed before.”

  “Maybe.”

  Silence rested between them. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something helpful to say. But what would help in a situation like this?

  “You know what’s the worst?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “Aside from not knowing where Ava is, I mean. It’s being alone. Parker and Hanna are with Corrine this week. It’s probably for the best, as I’m in no shape to even take care of myself and I’m going to have to be at work a lot.”

  “Come over here.” Her eyes widened. She hadn’t meant to say that. Her heart pounded so hard, it was the only thing she could hear. The only times the two of them had gotten together off the clock was for the kids’ playdates.

  More silence. Crap. What if she’d completely misread all of his signals? Or worse, he thought seeing her was a bad idea? She scrambled to find something to say.

  He spoke first. “You really mean that?”

  Genevieve took a deep breath to steady her voice. “Yeah. Are you hungry? I can fix something.”

  “I’d like that. I haven’t eaten since before the shooting.”

  He actually wanted to come over? “Okay, I’ll throw something together.”

  “Thanks, Genevieve. It really means a lot.”

  Her breath caught at him calling her by her given name.

  Room

  Ava sat up, gasping for air. She glanced around the dim room. It was a tiny dusty bedroom.

  She tried to remember how she’d gotten there from the trunk. Then she remembered. Dave had shoved another smelly cloth to her face, making her pass out.

  That jerk!

  But he’d taken the ties off her wrists. She was free! Free to sneak up on him and hit him over the head with something heavy.

  Ava jumped from the bed, lunging for the door. She crashed straight down to the hardwood floor. Her hip, elbow, and chin all hit first. Then the breath knocked out from her chest.

  As she struggled to breathe again, she sat up and felt her ankles.

  Handcuffs. And they were tied to the bed. Probably with the same rope that had been around her in the car.

  The door flung open and banged against the wall. Dave stood there, glaring at her, his hands pressed against the frame. “I see you woke up.”

  “Let me go!”

  “Is that any way to talk to the one person who can bring you food and water?”

  “Why did you do it? Shoot the school and take me? Do you have Parker or Hanna?”

  “You always did talk too much. Shut up!”

  Ava flinched. She’d forgotten how loud he got when angry. His voice was like a weapon.

  “Just to let you know, things’ll go a lot easier for you if you’re agreeable.”

  Her defenses shot up. “Agreeable to what, exactly?”

  “Everything.” Dave stepped closer to her, slow and exacting. He wanted to intimidate her, and it was working.

  Not that she was going to let him know that. She straightened her back and tried to stand. The handcuffs and short rope made it challenging, but not impossible. “What are you going to do to me?”

  He stopped and stared at her, eye to eye, barely having to lower his head. “You’ve gotten taller.”

  “And smarter. And stronger.”

  “You’ll never be smarter than me.”

  “You wish.”

  “Do you remember what I said about being agreeable?”

  She put her hands on her hips. “When do you ever recall me being agreeable?”

  He laughed cruelly. “I can think of one time.”

  When Mason had taken advantage of her. “What do you want?”

  “We’ll talk later. After you
’ve had some time to think about what I said.”

  Ava clenched her fists. “Just let me go. I won’t tell anyone it was you, okay? Not at the school, and not the one taking me. I’ll say I never saw your ugly face.”

  Dave shoved her, and she fell back against the bed. He loomed over her, his nostrils flaring. “Think about what I said.”

  She struggled to sit upright. “Do you have Hanna and Parker?”

  “If I do, you’d better change your attitude!” He spun around and left, slamming the door.

  “Still a spineless jerk,” she muttered.

  But what if he did have her brother and sister?

  Why would he take any of them? To try and get Mom back? Like that would ever happen. Or was he trying to make her pay for leaving him? Maybe it was because his kid got in trouble for copping a feel under Ava’s shirt at that party?

  Both Dave and Mason were spineless jerks who thought the world owed them.

  Her stomach rumbled.

  Great. Ava scowled. That was what Dave was going to use against her to get her to do what he wanted—whatever that was. He sure wasn’t going to feel her up.

  Unless he already had, when she’d been unconscious. Her stomach lurched at the thought, but she wouldn’t put it past him. Like father like son, right?

  Well, not while she was awake. No way was that happening. Her arms were free, so she could fight him off.

  Ava swung her feet up on the bed and studied the cuffs. They looked like the real deal. Her dad was a cop, so she’d seen plenty of real ones. Dad had even let her play with them and try to get out so she could see how impossible they were to get out of. She’d fought and struggled, and even broke into a sweat before he finally unlocked them.

  As soon as she got away from Dave, she was going to demand Dad teach her to use a gun. He wouldn’t turn her down, not after this.

  She took a deep breath. It was a matter of getting away, and that would start with getting the rope untied from handcuffs. Then she’d have to find the key—hopefully Dave had it—then she could make her escape.