Curves Ahead: a romantic suspense novel

by Andi Jaxon

  “Hey!” I snap, the authority in my voice has people moving out of my way as I get to the center of crowd. Two guys from the neighborhood are beating the hell out of each other. This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last, I’m sure.

  “Brian! Chris! Knock it the fuck off or I’m dragging both your asses to the drunk tank!”

  The two are pretty evenly matched, but Chris has been in the bottle longer today than Brian. Storming up to the pair, I grab Brian’s arm in mine and heave. “Knock it off!” Not paying attention to what’s going on around him, Brian swings and catches me in the jaw. “Motherfucker!” I’m going to have a bruise, but I don’t think he knocked any teeth loose, this time. A few guys give me a hand, pulling the two apart and keeping them separated.

  “Both of you are going home! If I see either of you again, you’re going to the drunk tank. Am I clear?” I’m angry enough now that they don’t argue, even in their drunk states. “Make sure they actually go home.” Friends of the pair stay close as everyone disperses.

  “Alex, let’s get some ice on that jaw.” Mom takes my chin in her hand and moves my head so she can see better. “He got you pretty good, you’ll have a bruise for a while.”

  Opening and closing my jaw, I move it around to try to lessen the ache, but it does no good. Dumbass has a fist like a rock. Heading back toward my house, JJ comes running up to me. “Are you okay?”

  His concern makes me smile, then wince as pain shoots down my face. “Yeah, bud, I’m fine. Just a bruise.” I ruffle his hair and hug him to my side. “It’s about time for you guys to get home. It’s getting late.”

  JJ’s arms wrap around my waist and squeeze me for a minute before he steps back. “I’ll make sure everyone gets home. Thanks for an awesome fourth of July.”

  “My pleasure. You find any more trouble, find one of my family members and they’ll reach me, okay? Don’t try to handle it yourself.”

  “Yes, sir.” JJ runs off in search of his friends. He’ll make sure all the kids that aren’t normally watched closely get home, even if he isn’t close to them. The girls will be taken care of because he’ll see to it. I love that kid like he was my own. Sometimes, I wish I could adopt him and give him the home he deserves.

  Mom pats my arm, pulling my attention away from daydreams. “Come on tough guy, ice is going to be your best friend.”

  “I’ll ice it later. I have to clean up first. Don’t want racoons and crows in the garbage.” Mom huffs at me and heads to the house to get the rest of cleanup crew; Ben, Alister, and Dad.

  Grabbing the wagon that we stashed by the grill, I head to the far side of the street to empty trashcans. It’s going to be a long night of clean up, but maybe the manual labor will help keep the feeling of Kristen wrapped around me out of my head.

  Kristen

  CURLED UP IN THE corner of the couch, Ben is sitting in the middle holding my hand. The room is quiet and I’m exhausted, I just want to sleep. Panic attacks always take all my energy. My tired brain is struggling to reconcile the Alex I know with what I’ve learned about him tonight.

  The people here love him. The kids look up to him, the adults are beyond grateful for him. The way they spoke about him made think of erecting a statue of him in the middle of the street.

  The door opens, startling me as Jane steps in. “Cleanup crew, we’re up.” Alister, Ben, and David stand and move toward the door. I don’t want to be alone. What if he comes back? A whimper leaves me before I can stop it. Everyone turns to look at me, concern evident.

  “David, why don’t you stay with Kristen? You helped set up, the boys can help clean up.” Jane sounds like she’s giving an option, but no one argues, they all know better. She’s a force to be reckoned with.

  David nods and sits on the other end of the couch while the boys head out with Jane. The door closes and it’s quiet again. I don’t know what to say. I haven’t spent much time with David and when he’s around, Jane does all the talking. He never seems bothered by it. I get the feeling he’s just a quiet guy. Content to sit back and watch.

  The music outside is turned off and the following silence is deafening but not uncomfortable. I’m finally able to take a deep breath. Now that everyone isn’t watching me, I look around the space. It’s definitely a single man’s house, sparsely decorated, comfortable couch and a big TV. It smells like Alex in here.

  Seeing some pictures on the wall by what looks like a kitchen, I stand to take a better look. This wall is the only one that he’s spent time on that I’ve seen. The wood floors creek a bit under my feet as I get a closer look. Pictures of Alex and Alister at various ages, high school and college graduations, hiking, a family picture. Always smiling, always happy. He looks so carefree in these pictures, as if he’s never had a bad day.

  Moving along the wall, I find his college diploma and the certificate of completion from the police academy. He’s obviously very proud, as he should be. At the end are a few framed pictures of who I assume is Alex and a girl as teenagers. Something about that smile says it’s Alex and not Alister. The girl is beautiful. Pale blonde hair, a shy smile, and bright eyes. I can’t tell what color they are but they’re shining up at him.

  “That’s Erika.” I jump at David’s voice. I forgot he was here. “Her and Alex got really close one summer while he was working with Jane at her clinic.”

  My arms cross over my stomach, something in the tone tells me this isn’t a happy story. “What happened to her?”

  David lets out a tired sigh but doesn’t get off the couch. “She was in the system, foster care, like many of the kids Jane works with.”

  I nod but don’t speak. I’m both interested and terrified of what he’s going to tell me. Foster kids have such a hard life, so much abuse and neglect that it makes me sick. It’s one of the big reasons I became a journalist, to bring light to the injustices against children in this country.

  “Alex was working in the office, answering phones, filing paperwork, things like that. Jane found that Alex had a knack of getting kids to open up. Especially teenagers that didn’t want to talk to a counselor.”

  “He does seem to have a way with people,” I speak without meaning too as I take in every detail of the photographs.

  “Erika came in one day. She’s shy, jumps at her own shadow, won’t look at anyone or speak. Jane decided to let Alex sit with Erika in her office for the first session. Even if she didn’t talk, maybe Alex would help her feel at ease and next time she would talk.”

  When David remains quiet, I turn and look at him. He’s looking at his hands, a tear trails down his cheek. He takes a deep shuddering breath and continues. “It started out once a week, then she would just show up and sit in the waiting room. Alex would always talk to her but she rarely responded, I think he liked the challenge. After a few weeks she would be there when Jane and Alex got there in the morning to open the office and would stay the entire day, not leaving until Jane locked the doors for the night.”

  Turning back to the picture, I don’t like where this story is going. There’s a knot in my throat threatening to choke me, my stomach is clenched so tight it aches. I can’t take my eyes off the picture. Alex smiling so bright at the camera, his arm around her. Even as a teenager, he’s bulky with muscle, already much bigger than her petite frame. Her body is against his, her face shining up at him. Even seeing just her profile, I recognize the look of hero worship. He saved her.

  “She started opening up to him, telling him about her foster home and the abuse she was dealing with. Her foster Mom hated her for being young and beautiful, her foster father hated her for making him want her. She was beaten by the woman and molested by the man.” Tears clog David’s throat and drip down my cheeks. I can’t imagine how it felt to hear about it as a teenager. “I think he loved her. He tried so hard to get her moved, Jane and Alex went to court, filed police reports, called CPS. Erika refused to talk to anyone but Alex and no one would take his word for it.”

  My heart br
eaks for this girl and the pain it must have caused Alex and Jane. I know how hard it is to watch some you care about be abused, to try to help, and nothing work. The clog in my throat hurts to swallow around. I don’t want to know anymore.

  “Then, right before school started, she stopped showing up. No word as to why, no explanation, just stopped coming in. Alex was sure something bad had happened to her. That her foster family wasn’t letting her come out anymore. Jane got worried the second day and called in a welfare check.”

  I close my eyes, tears still falling from my eyes while I hold myself. I’m trembling from trying to keep myself together. Behind me, David is crying. The sound ripping me apart.

  “They found her body in the basement,” I can barely understand the words he chokes back. I can’t stand still anymore, moving to the couch, I wrap my arms around David and cry with him. I can’t imagine what it felt like as a parent to know your child was heartbroken. To know that someone beat a child to death that was the same age as your own. After fighting for her, wanting her to join his family, to be taken away so brutally, is heart breaking.

  I don’t know how long we sit together, crying for the loss of an innocent girl just beginning her life. A girl who didn’t deserve her lot in life.

  “He was different after that.” The tears have slowed down to a trickle, my head resting on David’s shoulder and my arm wrapped around his. “He wouldn’t get close to anyone. He didn’t take much seriously, still doesn’t. After graduating, he went to college and sewed his wild oats.” David chuckles and I find myself smiling, that’s the Alex I know. “He’s never forgiven himself for her death. He blames himself though he’s never admitted it to me.”

  David envelopes my hand in his, turning his face to look at me. “We all have demons, skeletons that hide in the dark corners of our mind. Alex deals with the hard parts of life with laughter, jokes, and sleeping around, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel things. He went to the police academy so he could protect kids like Erika and Ben who didn’t have anyone else. He lives here, in this neighborhood, so he can help people. Everyone deserves a good life and it doesn’t matter what their financial situation is.” I feel every one of his words, right in the heart. All I’ve ever wanted was a good life, to be accepted and loved for who I am.

  “Alex wants to help every person he can. He doesn’t just shell out money to help those around him, he teaches them how to be self-sufficient. The kids here know how to mow lawns, fix bike chains, take apart the back of a toilet and tighten a leaky sink. He teaches them that there is nothing wrong with working with your hands. He shows them how to have pride in helping others when you don’t expect anything in return.”

  Turning back to his lap, he brings my hand with his. “He’s the best man I’ve ever known. Proud doesn’t begin to cover what I feel about that kid. He deserves to be happy too, but I don’t think he believes it.”

  Alex

  STEPPING ONTO MY PORCH, I wasn’t expecting to hear Dad telling Kristen about Erika. I know how the story ends. I can’t listen to him tell her how they found her. Bloody, beaten, raped. I didn’t need to see it for myself to picture it in my head. I don’t know which is worse, the reality or the shit my mind came up with. If I can stop it from happening to even just one kid, I’ve done my job. Everyone after that is a bonus.

  Leaning against the railing, I take in the place I’ve called home for the last six years. It’s come a long way since I moved in. The lawns aren’t overgrown anymore. The trash has been cleaned up, roofs have been power washed. The road needs to be repaved, the sidewalks are cracked and uneven but it’s a hell of a lot better than it was. I’ve put a lot of work into my own house, but I can see my mark on most of the houses here. Sagging porches rebuilt. Broken windows replaced.

  Before the past can get a hold of me, I open the door and walk in. Kristen and Dad are sitting on the couch, tears on both their cheeks. “We’re done with the Alex show and tell part of the evening.” Stalking past them, I head to the kitchen and grab a beer from the fridge. Pop the top and chug. The cool crisp liquid soothing my throat but doing nothing to dissolve the knot in my stomach.

  I don’t want to think about Erika and how I failed to protect her. I want to deal with Kristen’s problem. In the corner of my eye, I see movement. Setting the mostly empty bottle down hard on the counter, I turn to look at Kristen.

  “Stop.” My voice not much more than a growl.

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  “You’re pitying me. Get that look off your face or get out of my house.”

  She shakes her head, dropping her eyes to the floor. I’m an asshole. She doesn’t deserve to be spoken to that way.

  “I don’t pity you, Alex. I empathize.” I can’t take my eyes off her, much like a moth to the flame, my world revolves around her when she’s near me. “I know what it’s like to care about someone and not be able to help them. Do you have any idea how many times I called CPS for Ben? Went down to the police station to beg them to do something, anything?”

  I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I wasn’t expecting to have my biggest failure thrown in my face tonight. I don’t like how vulnerable it makes me.

  “What happened tonight? What did you see?”

  Kristen searches my face before answering me, not looking me in the eye anymore. “Someone I know from a nightmare.” She swallows hard, her pulse pounding in her throat. “It’s nothing. I over-reacted.”

  Her arms once again wrap around her middle, her face turns away from me, but I can see the flush climb her neck. Stepping closer to her, I move her hair behind her ear, and cradle the back of her head in my palm. She looks up at me, tears threatening to spill over her lashes. “It must have been some nightmare,” I whisper.

  “The worst.” Her voice just as soft. “I’m sorry I ruined your party.”

  “You didn’t ruin anything.” My thumb brushes across her cheek, wiping a tear away. “Will you tell me about it?” she starts to shake her head, pulling away from me. “Not today,” bringing her closer to me, I lean down to place a kiss on her hair. “When you’re ready.”

  Her cheek presses against my chest, her face moving my shirt as she nods. Her arms come around my back and she hugs me. My free hand comes over her back and lays at the bottom of her spine, holding her close. I don’t know if it’s because of the emotional upheaval tonight or what, but this is the first time she’s hugged me. The only thing that could make this better is if my lips were on hers.

  The image of her lips moving with mine, kissing me back just as fiercely as I would take her lips has my body stirring. Trying my best to turn my hips away from hers, she jerks back away from me and gives me a typical Kristen look. One eyebrow raised and her arms crossed under her chest.

  “Seriously? You can’t go five seconds without thinking with your dick?” Kristen rolls her eyes and turns back to the living room. My front door opens and Mom, Alister, and Ben come piling in. Tired but smiling. Tonight was a good night, all things considered.

  “This old lady is going to bed. I can’t keep up with you young kids anymore.” Mom places her hand on Dad’s shoulder, he turns and smiles up at her. Dad stands and takes her hand, “Good night everyone, see you all Thursday?”

  Everyone nods but Kristen. “You’re basically family.” I bump her shoulder with mine. I get the feeling she needs a family, even if it’s not one by blood.

  “Absolutely. Dinner at our house, Thursday at five. Don’t be late,” Mom tells her before they leave.

  Watching Kristen, I can see her fighting back a smile. She’s happy for the invitation.

  “Come on, Kris. Time for bed.” Distracted from my line of thoughts, I turn to see Ben holding his hand out to her, which she takes without hesitation.

  A sharp pang hits me square in the chest knowing she’s leaving. I don’t do sleepovers, I rarely even have girls here to fuck, but I want her to stay. Kristen is the only girl I’ve slept next too all night. The. Only. One.
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  I don’t like this. The tightness in my chest at the thought of her leaving. The happiness that bloomed in my chest when Mom told her to come to dinner is throwing me. I don’t have time for a relationship and I’m definitely not fucking my brother in laws best friend.

  “I see how it is, you don’t want me but being the gooey center of an Alister Ben sandwich is cool.” I smirk despite how much I hate myself for my comment. It was uncalled for and has the opposite effect I was going for.

  Kristen wraps her arm around Ben’s waist, pushing her body flush against his. “I’m betting Ben was a better lover at 16, when he took my virginity, then you would be now at 37. What can I say, sometimes I like to revisit my stomping grounds.”

  Uh, what? Wait. Huh?

  Ben’s eyes are about to bug out of his head, his face pale. Alister starts laughing, leaning against the arm of the couch for support.

  “Come on guys, you have a center to make gooey.” As she says the last word, she pretends to gag. I’m forced to laugh. Sometimes, even I’m surprised by the words that come out of my mouth.

  Ben looks like he might actually vomit, Alister is now crying from laughing so hard, and Kristen looks completely prim and proper.

  “Alright, get out. I’m going to bed.”

  Kristen pulls Ben to the door and steps out, Alister following behind them, still laughing. I shake my head at them as I watch them walk down the street from my doorway. What the hell am I doing with my life?

  Kristen

  GETTING SETTLED AT BEN and Alister’s apartment is easy since they have a spare room that’s always set up. I’ve crashed here more than once when I didn’t want to go home to my parents.

  Ben gave me a shirt to sleep in, like he always does, and I’m sitting in the bed scrolling through Facebook. The door opens with a knock and Ben’s face peeks through.