LOGINThe boss looked down at me and frowned. “Stop struggling.” I stopped. It wasn’t doing any good, anyway. He had a tight hold on me. “Come on.” Larry and friend each grabbed one of my arms and frog-marched me towards the elevator. In the elevator I finally got a close look at the boss. He’d walked behind us, probably in case I tried to escape again. I knew this guy. I’d seen him somewhere, a long time ago. If only I could remember… It must have been a private elevator, because it let us out into an office. Which was much nicer than the last place I’d been kidnapped in. Plush carpet. Mahogany desk with Aeron chair. Cushy loveseat. Sitting on the loveseat, hands tied in front of her, was Savannah. Her clothing was rumpled and her hair was mussed, but she looked lovely, as usual. She was looking daggers at me, also as usual. Aha, I had it! I knew who the boss was. Seeing him here with Savannah had jogged my memory. It was the guy who’d accosted her in the restaurant when I’d met u
“Whoa, you look amazing!” Madison came out from behind her desk to get a better look at my outfit. I twirled around in front of her admiring gaze. Althea had helped me pick out the clothes. We’d gone shopping together in London before I went back to the States. She had excellent taste and a good eye for outfits that expressed my personality. I looked elegant and professional, but still ever-so-slightly rakish and uncaring. I looked cool. I’d never looked cool before. And I needed the morale boost today, because I had to go in front of the board and defend our internship program. Kurt and I had figured out how Oliver was doing it. The investigation had led to the arrest of the assistant to the CFO of that company. Oliver was only fifteen, so he came back to us. I sighed. Adrian could have given him a stern talking-to and made him straighten up. In retrospect I should have been more suspicious about that. My heels made a tick-tock sound as I walked towards the boardroom. I squared
Laura called me about ten minutes after I got home. “Hey, Derek has Emma tonight, right? Wanna go out?” She’d been resolutely cheerful and productive since she broke up with Ryan, but I could see through the cracks. “I’ve still got Ethan,” I reminded her. “Oh,” she said in a small voice.“I can go to Mason’s.” Ethan was in the kitchen raiding the fridge again. “His mom said I can come over for dinner anytime I want.” I smiled at him and ruffled his hair. He’d come such a long way since I first met him. I was so proud of him. Even with everything that had happened, he was growing and thriving. We sorted out our dinner schedules and I met Laura for happy hour at our local pub. Yes, we had a local pub. They served English beer and English food. Laura opened her mouth when she saw me and I glared at her. “Don’t say it.” I sat down and picked up a menu. “Okay.” She ducked her head meekly. Something was seriously wrong. I’d expected a sassy remark addressed to “her ladyship.” Lau
“Got some photos for you, babe.” Victor clicked something on his phone.My phone beeped. I picked it up and swiped through the photos he’d sent me. Claire getting into her car. Going into her office. Chatting with Derek.I frowned. He was gazing down at her, smiling, a tender look in his eyes. He wasn’t supposed to look at her like that, goddammit! That expression was reserved for me! I threw my phone across the room.Victor reached out and plucked it from the air. “Now, now, babe,” he said. “I understand things are tough right now in that beautiful brain of yours. Preggo hormones and whatnot. But I’ve already replaced your phone twice this week. That’s enough.”I glared at him. If it wasn’t so hard for me to get up, I’d waddle across the room and slap him in the face. “You want some strawberries?” he asked solicitously. “Chocolate?”“Herring.” I leaned back and put my feet up. “Aw man, do you have to?” he said. In someone less intimidating it would have been a whine.“Yes. Yes, I
I practically skipped across the parking lot. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, even the smog didn’t smell as bad. Ethan was talking! On the way to school he’d reverted back to signing, but the wall had been broken. Then I remembered what Ethan had told me and I stopped skipping. My foot came down hard on the concrete. People had been stalking me. And I’d had no idea! It had taken a child to spot it and drive them away. A child. I was the adult. I was supposed to be protecting him. Thank God Emma had slept through the whole thing. With Adrian in jail, I’d thought I was safe. Everyone thought I was safe. I remembered Ethan showing me his notebook, with all our neighbors’ cars written down. He’d listed them by name of family, make, model, color, and license plate number. He was a very methodical and intelligent little boy. And justifiably paranoid. He’d seen his mother murdered in front of him. What would that do to a developing mind? Maybe I was letting his hyperv
I turned on my super-bright flashlight and opened the shed door. The bad guys were hanging upside-down, covered in paint and glitter, swinging back and forth.They screamed when the light flashed on them. I knew they couldn’t see us. We were behind the light, and I put it on a shelf where it could shine into their eyes and blind them. “Well, well, well. What do we have here?” Emma was using a voice changer app on her phone. She sounded like a grown man who ate gravel for breakfast. “You can’t hold us here!” the woman screamed. “Let us go! We’re going to sue!” And then in a quieter tone, “Oh god, I’m going to be sick…”“If you’re going to sue, why should I let you go?” Emma said reasonably. “It’d be much better for me if you… disappeared. For good.” Her new voice made it sound extra threatening. “Who are you, anyway? You dating that bitch?” the man said.I poked him with an old broomstick handle. Hard. He started swinging back and forth again, bumping into the woman, who screamed
“All rise.” Everyone in the courtroom got to their feet as the judge entered. Derek stood beside me like a protective pillar I wasn’t sure I wanted. He had insisted on coming with me and I had been too tired and drained to refuse. To give him credit, he was doing his best to be supportive. And no
“Blake!” I screamed, struggling against the ropes. “Help! Somebody help me!”No one came, and the ropes only pulled tighter, cutting off my circulation. At least he’d left the light on. I think I’d go insane if I had to sit here in the dark. Time passed. I didn’t know how much time. It was warm an
I never thought I’d be tying a little girl’s glitter-pink shoelaces in a place like Forest Park. Her name was Eliana. And she was frowning with fierce concentration, like the knot was a hostile acquisition, and she was never going to back down.“Bunny ears,” I reminded her gently. “Cross them over
I pulled into my parents’ driveway, so angry I couldn’t see properly. I was too upset to pull into the garage. Just shoved the car into park, snatched my Aurelia Vane purse off the seat and bolted for the door. I didn’t bother to knock. I hadn’t lived here for years, but this was my sanctuary. I s







