Curves Ahead: a romantic suspense novel

by Andi Jaxon

  She looks up and down the hallway then flings her arms around my waist, holding on tight. My arms instinctually wrap around her to pull her as close to me as I can get her. My shampoo that she used yesterday still scents her hair, drawing a smile from me when I press my lips to the top of her head.

  One hand lifts to cup the back of her head and she leans into my palm, tilting her face upward. Leaning down I take her offered lips and slip my tongue between them. With the shit show that tonight turned into, I need this. I need her. I need to touch her, feel her react to my nearness. I crave it.

  I have to remind myself that we’re in her parent’s house and slow down to just a soft kiss. “I love you,” I say with my lips pressed to her forehead.

  “I love you too.” She reaches up to give me a quick kiss then steps back. “I’ll be just another minute.” She turns back to the door and closes it behind her. Knowing she’s okay, we’re okay, I head back to the dining room. I’m almost there when her father, Jonathon, stops me.

  “I’d like a word,” he says, motioning down a different hallway.

  “All right,” I nod and follow behind him.

  Entering an open door on the left, we’re in what appears to be his office.

  “Close the door,” he instructs.

  The room reminds me of every rich guy office I’ve ever seen on TV. Lots of wood, books, and leather chairs. Alcohol, a massive desk, and a fireplace. The room is all about who has the biggest dick and the most money. I couldn’t care any less about either.

  Sitting behind the monstrosity he calls a desk, he sips on a glass of scotch and watches me. I’ve been scrutinized by a lot of tougher men than this, and I don’t care in the slightest that he finds me lacking.

  “Kristen is a special girl.”

  My eyebrows lift, not the start I assumed this was going to take but okay.

  “That she is.”

  “She deserves the best, though she rarely agrees on what that is. She’s never liked being part of the society that we are. She rebelled at every turn and I’m sorry to say that I stayed away more than I should have. Worked more from the office just get some peace from her and Mary Beth’s constant fighting.” He sighs into his glass.

  “Sir, I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but what is this about?”

  “You are a rebellion. Look at you,” he motions to me. “This family has a reputation to uphold and you are not going to cut it. While it would have been preferable for her to have been innocent when he she married Garrett, he’s still willing to take her.”

  “Excuse me? Kristen is mine and no spoiled little rich kid is going to take her from me. She is a human being and we are in the twenty first century, we no longer trade woman for livestock.” Fury burns in my veins. The audacity of this man talking about my girl like she’s nothing but an inconvenience.

  “How much?” Jonathon questions.

  “What?” my jaw set, teeth clenched.

  “How much?”

  “How much for what?” My hands ball into tight fists.

  “How much for you to walk out of this house and never speak to Kristen again?”

  Ripping myself from the chair, seething at the nerve of him. Paying me to disappear? Fuck this.

  “You have no idea who you’re dealing with. No only am I not taking any money from you, but I will make damn sure she’s never in this house without me again. You can’t keep me away from her.” By the end, I’m leaned over the desk, pointing a finger directly at him.

  “You’ll have to find her first,” the shrill voice of her mother has me spinning around. She’s standing just inside with the closed door behind her.

  “She wouldn’t have left without telling me.” I’m positive.

  “Well, she’s not here anymore. The rude little brat huffed out. I really don’t know where she learned this kind of behavior from, I raised her better.”

  “I highly doubt that.” With long strides, I eat up the distance to the door and stop directly in front of Mary Beth. “If you harmed one hair on her head, I’ll have your ass up on charges so fast your head will spin.” My voice is calm but menacing. She understands how serious I am.

  Stepping away from the door, Mary Beth hovers close to her husband. As if that bastard is loyal to anyone other than himself.

  In the hallway I check my phone but don’t have any messages from her. Before leaving, I check the dining room, sitting room, bathroom, and her bedroom but she’s not in any of those places. Out front, her car is gone which leads me to believe she really did leave. I can’t imagine she didn’t tell me though. Climbing into my car, I call her but she doesn’t answer.

  I drive up and down the street but there’s no sign of her. I call her again but still no answer. If she left in a hurry to get away from her mother, she may have left her phone somewhere. I drive to her apartment but she’s not there either. The only other place I can think of would be with Ben and Alister, or my house. Dialing Ben, I wait for him to pick up.

  “What’s up, Alex? Did you piss her off and need a way to get back in her good graces?” Ben laughs at his own joke.

  “Hey, have you heard from Kristen in the last hour or two?”

  “Noooooo. Why?”

  “I was at dinner with her at her parents but she seems to have disappeared and I can’t get ahold of her.”

  “Wait. You were at the Collins house?” Ben sounds surprised.

  “Yes.”

  “Please tell me you were on your best behavior.”

  “Uhhh…defi-”

  “God dammit! Do you have ANY idea what kind of hell you’ve caused?!” Ben yells.

  “I’m starting to get a good fucking picture! Stop yelling at me! Her dad tried to pay me off. Can you believe that?”

  “Yes, I can believe it! Those people are fucked up in the head! Stay as far away from them as you can. Keep Kris away from them too. I don’t know what they do to her, but it’s something.”

  “What do you mean? Like abuse?” the cop in me is popping up and ready to take someone down.

  “Maybe? I know there were a few times when we first met that she would go visit someone for a day or two and would come back different. Closed off, snappy, almost jumpy.”

  My mind is trying to piece together the things I’ve learned, but I’m missing too many pieces to see the big picture.

  “I asked her about it later,” he continues, “But it’s like she had no memory of it. It was weird.”

  “That is weird, definitely suspicious.” If she was drugged into behaving or to make her compliant, it could make sense. “Can you call her and see if you can get through? Let me know one way or the other.”

  “Yeah, I’ll call her right now. If you find her, let me know.”

  We disconnect and I head home to check in, see if she’s there. God, I hope she is. Nothing about this entire thing feels right. My gut is telling me the Collins know something, but I have no way to prove it.

  Kristen

  MY HEAD IS POUNDING, and my throat is raw. What happened? Opening my eyes, I’m looking up at a water stained, moldy, paneled ceiling. My heart drops to my stomach. Where the fuck am I?

  Sitting up and looking around, my stomach turns violently as realization hits me. I know this room. Even in the dark, I recognize the filthy twin bed, the fake wood paneled walls and the dirty stuffed animals that have seen better days. In the time it takes to snap your fingers, I’m a little girl in Jasmin pajamas, hiding from the man that’s going to hurt me.

  My mind is racing, piecing together nightmares, and trying to make this make sense but fear is keeping me hostage. I can’t move, every muscle in my body is screaming to move but it’s like my brain can’t give them permission. I’m in my worst nightmare and I don’t know what to do.

  Something under the bed touches my leg and I scream, jumping up and running to the other side of the room. Terrified and barely able to stand, I slide down the wall into a ball on the dirty carpet, not taking my eyes off the bed. The smell of m
old and unwashed humans is so strong over here it chokes me but I don’t dare move. Slowly, a tiny bruised hand appears from under the bed.

  Oh, my God, there’s a child in here?! Creeping closer on hands and knees, my body trembling, I hold my breath. An emaciated little girl comes out, wearing a torn, stained Jasmin night gown. My hand slaps over my mouth as a sob escapes me, tears running down my face with no hope of them stopping. Her blonde hair is matted and dirty, the skin I can see is bruised and scarred, and in desperate need of a bath. The Jasmin nightgown is exactly like the one I wore in my nightmares.

  She curls into a ball, much like I did, arms wrapped around her legs, feet crossed at the ankle, and she watches me. She can’t be older than four or five. My heart is broken, I’m looking into my nightmare and I can’t get away from it.

  “H… Hi.” I stutter around the lump threatening to choke me. I want to wrap her in my arms and tell her that’s going to be okay, but it’s not. No part of this is okay and it’s not going to be for a long time. Even if we survive this, it’s not going to be okay for a long time.

  Sucking in as deep of a breath as the tears will let me, I try to talk to her again. “My name is Kristen. What’s yours?”

  “I… I tink Angel?” she croaks, her throat dry or raw, I’m not sure.

  “Hi, Angel. I’m really glad to meet you.” My voice cracks around the emotion knotted in my throat. This poor little girl. “How long have you been here?”

  She shrugs but doesn’t speak.

  “Do you know how long I’ve been here?” From what I can tell, it’s dark outside, some sort of streetlight is the only thing illuminating the room.

  “Not long.” She lifts her head enough for me to see her mouth, split open lips with dried blood on her chin and rotting teeth. “He bowght you but no weave. He here.”

  I’m scared to ask but I’m pretty sure I know the answer already. “Who is he?”

  “Bad man.”

  My chest hurts, my heart is in pieces, and if I survive this, I don’t know how I’ll ever sleep again. Right now, I want Alex to wake me up wrapped in his arms, my leg over his hip, one of his legs between mine, and his hand gripping my butt. I want this to be the worst nightmare I’ve ever had, but I know it’s not. I don’t understand what is happening or how this is real, my head is still pounding, and my memory is foggy.

  “I will do everything I can to keep you safe from him. I promise,” I tell Angel. Come hell or high water, he will have to kill me to get to her.

  “Why?” her question is spoken so quietly, I’m not sure I heard it.

  “Because I think I’ve been in your place and I would have given anything to make it stop.”

  Her forehead creases, eyebrows pulled together as she looks me over. “He hut you?”

  I nod, looking around the room that I have seen so many times in my nightmares. “I think he did.” Pulling at my dress, I show her the bruises that were left only a day ago.

  Angel hesitates then closes the distance between us, wraps her spindly arms around my neck and gives me a hug. This little girl who has been through unimaginable horrors is reaching out and giving me a hug. I wrap my arms around her, holding her as tight as I can. I can feel her ribs and vertebrae which makes me cry again. She’s literally starving, lord only knows how long it’s been since she had something to drink either.

  The door opens behind me and she slides off my lap to curl into a ball in the corner. Fear twists in my stomach and freezes me to the floor. I want to run, to hide, but I can’t. The shivering girl against the wall reminds me that I have to protect her.

  “It’s been a long time since you’ve been in this room, I hope it’s just as you remember it.” Mike Preston stands in the doorway, still in his police uniform, and his yellowed teeth showing through his sneer. I can smell the old grease and stale sweat over the mold and mildew in the room. It turns my stomach and brings the nightmares back in vivid detail.

  “I see you met your sister. She’s not you but she’ll do in a pinch. I was lucky to get my hands on her before anyone else. She came with a hefty price tag, but Dan cut me a deal and you’re dear old Daddy cut a check.”

  My what? He’s lost his mind. Who the hell is Dan? A price tag? What the fuck is he talking about? There’s no way I can be related to this child. My mother has only ever been pregnant once. I would have remembered her getting pregnant in the last decade.

  A sinister laugh has me looking at the doorway again. “I can’t wait for you to find out the truth, but I will tell you this. You are not the biological daughter of Jonathon and Mary Beth Collins. Kristen Grace Collins has been dead for a very long time.”

  Mike steps toward me but I’m so lost in my own head that I don’t notice until he slaps my cheek hard enough for my neck to snap. The shock of being struck has me sucking in a gasp. My cheek throbs and burns and I can taste blood. The room spins when I right myself and my stomach rolls. Tears are once again rolling down my face and dripping onto my dress. When I look up the door is closing, and he’s gone.

  What the fuck is happening? He has to be fucking with me. There’s no way I’m not biologically theirs. Why would they have me if I wasn’t? Do my parents know where I am?

  My stomach twists again, something in the back of my mind is flashing and waving a red flag. I have a feeling that by the time the night is over, my entire world will be gone.

  It’s quiet, the night hiding how ugly things are in here. Looking out of the dingy windows, my hope of someone seeing us flees. Angel is getting tired, she hasn’t moved from her spot in the corner. All curled in on herself to make her body the smallest target possible. She starts to doze but when her head starts to fall forward, she jerks up.

  “It’s okay to sleep, I’ll protect you.” Angel looks up at me and gives me a weak smile before laying her head down on her legs and quickly falling asleep. How would she be related to me? Is she actually, biologically, related to me or is he fucking with me? Is it all some mind game he’s playing? Trying to make me question everything I know?

  Sitting next to Angel on the floor, I stretch my legs out and place my hand on her head. Immediately she jerks up, fear in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” I pat my leg, “Here, lay down, you’ll be more comfortable.”

  She shakes her head adamantly. “No safe.”

  “You’re safe with me.”

  She scoots closer but refuses to lay down, resting her head on my arm instead. I can’t imagine living my life like she has, constantly on guard and afraid. My own eyes are getting heavy, but I made a promise to this little girl to protect her and I’m not going to let her down.

  Where are her parents? Is anyone looking for her? How long has she been here? Hang on a little longer, sweet girl, I’ll protect you the best I can.

  Alex

  IT’S BEEN HOURS AND I haven’t heard from Kristen. I called in a favor and had her phone tracked, but it dropped off not far from her parent’s house. I searched the area in case she was there, but I came up empty handed. Either it died or someone turned it off. I’m off tonight but that doesn’t mean I can’t go sit and watch the Collins’ house. Which is where I currently am.

  I alerted the officer in the area that I’m here, so they won’t blow my cover. After giving him a brief recap, he told me to let him know if I needed anything. I don’t know him well, he’s only been with us a few months, but he’s a good dude from what I can tell.

  It’s almost one a.m. and nothing has moved in hours. All is quiet and every minute is passing slower than the one before. I need to do something.

  My phone alerts me to a message. Seeing Kristen’s name pop up has me fumbling to get the message open. Relief and adrenaline pumping through my veins makes my hands shake and my fingers unable to hold on. Finally, I get the message open and it’s a picture. The image has ice hardening my body. Mother. Fucker. Someone is going to pay for this.

  Calling the number, I’m sent straight to voicemail. Whoever has it turned
it off once the picture was sent. Opening the picture once again, I take in Kristen, passed out on the back seat of a car, her dress up and panties showing. Her hair is everywhere like they dumped her and moved on, not caring about anything else. One arm is off the edge of the seat, dropped onto the floor, her legs bent and awkward. The sun is out in the picture so it’s a few hours old. She doesn’t look like she’s injured so she must have been drugged. I was with her most of the time, who would have done it and when?

  Finally having something to go on, I turn on the car and head to the station. I can send the picture to IT and they can run whatever programs they have to see if they can trace where the phone was when it was sent. Maybe something in the background will tell them where it was taken. It’s a long shot, but at this point, I’m fucking desperate. I need her back.

  Pulling into the parking lot, I recognize most of the cars as night shift workers. Looking at the squad car parking lot, I notice a particular car is in the lot. Where the fuck is Preston?

  In the station, I do my best to avoid the captain and his office. I shouldn’t be here and I shouldn’t be using the station for personal matters. If there’s a crime being committed, I should report it and let the on duty cops deal with it. That’s not going to happen. I can’t prove a crime was committed anyway. My girlfriend not responding to me is not against the law.

  In the IT unit, I slide in and close the door behind me. “Hey, Matt, I have a favor to ask.”

  Looking up from his desk, Matt sees me and rolls his eyes. “Do you have any idea how much work I have to do?”

  “Look, I’m going to be straight with you. I’m as certain as I can be without having been a witness, that my girlfriend was kidnapped. Someone sent me a picture of her from her phone just a few minutes ago. I will owe you for any information you can give me.” I’m damn near on my knees begging for help. If I knew my way around the computers, I would do it myself.

  He lets out a sigh and opens his hand. “Let me have the phone.”