[Alex Mercer 01.0] Girl in Trouble

by Stacy Claflin

  He connected his laptop to his old printer and set it to print out fifty fliers while he brushed his teeth and took a shower. When he came back into his room, the pile waited for him and Macy sat on the bed.

  Alex adjusted his towel around his waist, hiking it up. “What are you doing?”

  “Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. You seemed upset—I mean, more than before. Did something else happen?”

  The concern in her eyes nearly broke him. “Can I get dressed first?”

  She nodded and got up, glancing at his box. “Moving back in?”

  He shook his head but shrugged. “Just seemed like I needed some more clothes. Hopefully, Ari will be back soon and I won’t need them.”

  “So you can go back to your life?” There was no accusation in her tone, and that made the sting hurt all the worse.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, Macy. I just need to focus on Ariana. Crap.” He slapped his forehead. “I need to call Nick. I was supposed to call him earlier.”

  “Who’s Nick?”

  “Fleshman. Seriously, I need to get dressed. Scram or get a show.”

  “You’re on a first name basis with the police captain?”

  Alex reached for his towel.

  “We’re not done talking.” She left, closing the door behind her.

  He sighed in relief and grabbed some clothes from his apartment. He brushed his hair and then picked up the fliers. Ariana’s smiling face and big, innocent eyes felt like a punch in the gut. He sat on the bed, gasping for air as he read the flier with her age, size, coloring, and other information like where she’d been last seen and what she’d been wearing.

  It was all so… He didn’t know the word. Clinical? Impersonal? It should’ve said something about how fun and sweet she was, and how important it was to find her and punish the bastard who’d taken her.

  Alex set the stack on the desk and shoved his clothes into the drawers. When he picked up one of his work shirts, a scrap of yellow paper floated down to the ground.

  He picked it up, trying to figure out what it was from. There shouldn’t have been any paper in his clean clothes. He unfolded it to find unfamiliar fancy handwriting in blue ballpoint ink.

  I told you to stay out of it. You didn’t listen. I hope you see now that I mean business. Drop your research, or your sister gets it.

  Alex’s hands shook as he read and re-read the note.

  First, the weasel takes his daughter, then he plants drugs in Alex’s locker and gets him fired. Now he dared to threaten his sister?

  Blind fury tore through Alex. If he ever got his hands on the kidnapper, he would tear him to shreds. He would torture him slowly, making him pay for everything until he pleaded, begging for mercy.

  Alex grabbed a stapler. He would make sure the fliers were on every pole in town. The kidnapper better hope the cops got to him before Alex did.

  Longer

  By the time Alex got back home to his parents’ house, he was exhausted. Hanging and handing out fliers was surprisingly tiring—maybe as much as roofing. Or maybe it was because of the mental exhaustion.

  He’d been trying not to think about the kidnapper’s threat against his sister, but how could he not? His anger toward that man went into every staple on every pole.

  Alex was tempted to find the man and give him a piece of his own medicine. He had time now that Flynn had gotten him fired. Time was all he had.

  The only question was whether or not to tell Macy there was now a threat against her. The first one had panned out—and Alex sure as hell wasn’t going to give up the search for Ariana.

  Macy deserved to know what was going on—but what if Alex could take care of Flynn first? He could outsmart the loser and find him before he made his next move. Then Macy would never have to deal with the stress of knowing he’d threatened her.

  “Is that you, Alex?” called his mom from somewhere upstairs.

  Alex closed the door. He’d been standing there with it open without realizing it. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  He took his boots off and went upstairs, finding her in the kitchen. She was cleaning it, despite the fact that it was already spotless.

  “I was out hanging fliers. Handed out some, too.”

  “Good. You never know which one might be the one that makes a difference.”

  He nodded and sat, doubting if they would actually matter. Everyone already knew she was gone from social media and the news.

  “Are you hungry?”

  Alex shrugged. He was, but he didn’t feel like eating.

  “You need some food, and we have plenty. Some neighbors brought over meals. Do you want lasagna or a casserole?”

  “Surprise me.” He rested his head on the table, trying to decide how to bring up the threats to Nick. One thing was sure—he needed to do it soon. Flynn had threatened Macy.

  Clementine came into the room and rubbed against Alex’s legs. He reached down and petted the tabby.

  He realized his mom was talking to him, but he had no idea what about. Then the microwaved beeped, and she set a plate in front of him. He sat up and saw the steaming casserole piled high on the plate. “Thanks.”

  “Eat up. You need your energy.” She poured some red wine into two glasses and sat next to him, giving him one.

  “So do you. Have you eaten?”

  “Plenty.” She sipped the wine. “I hope we all get through this. A second kidnapping—that’s two more than any family should have to endure.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” He downed the entire glass of wine.

  Mom arched a brow, but didn’t say anything.

  Alex dug into the casserole, realizing just how hungry he actually was. He scarfed the whole thing down, burning his tongue in the process.

  “How long are you planning on staying? You can stay as long as you want,” Mom added quickly. “I’m just trying to plan.”

  “At least until we find Ariana.”

  “Your boss is okay with you missing more work?”

  “He’s not expecting me any time soon.” Alex pushed his plate away, anger building just thinking about his interaction with Darren.

  “Are you okay, hon? I mean with your job.” She took his plate and glass, and carried them to the sink.

  Part of him wanted to open up and spill everything. Mom had always been on his side. But he didn’t know where to begin, and he felt like such a mess. “I just need to focus on finding Ariana.”

  She turned around and gave him a sad smile. “You’re a good dad, I hope you know that. She knows that.”

  Alex looked away. “I’d like to be better. Speaking of, I need to make a call. Thanks again for the food.”

  As Alex went up the stairs to his room, he passed his dad.

  “I’ve been blogging about Ariana like I did with Macy. I’m getting a lot of views and comments.”

  “That’s great, Dad.” He’d always been obsessed with his site’s stats.

  “It’s really getting the word out about Ari. People are talking and searching—they’re sharing possible sightings. I need to let the police know.”

  “I’m going to call Fleshman, so I can tell him if you want.”

  Dad put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “People don’t blame you as much as you think.”

  Alex snorted.

  “I’m serious.”

  “That’s because they’re commenting on your blog.”

  “It gets as many jerk comments as any other site. You should read some of the comments—you’ve got a whole Team Alex.”

  “Right.” Alex rolled his eyes.

  “You do.”

  “Obviously you haven’t been on social media.”

  “You have to ignore the trolls. They’re only there for the drama. At least until something more exciting comes along.”

  “Like I said, I’m going to call Fleshman. If I want things done, he’s the one to talk to.”

  “I thought the FBI took the case over.”

  “They’re helpi
ng. Hey, I’ll check out your blog. I swear.”

  “It’ll help to hear from people who believe in you. Ignore the trolls.”

  Alex nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

  “We’ll find Ari. We will.”

  “I know.” Alex walked by him and into his room. His body begged him to crash on the bed and give into the food coma for a while.

  Not until he spoke with Nick. The captain needed to know what was going on with the threats. He would know how to handle the latest one aimed at Macy.

  Alex sat at the desk and called Nick’s cell phone.

  “Hey, Alex. I’m just heading home, and I found something you need to see.”

  “We have to talk.”

  “Meet me there.”

  Flynn had known the last time Alex went there. “Somewhere else.”

  “Why?” Nick asked.

  “I’ll explain when we get there.”

  “Do you think one of our phones are being tapped?”

  Alex’s stomach twisted in knots. He hadn’t until Nick brought it up. What if Flynn had managed that? If he had, Alex couldn’t say anything to Nick over the phone. “Ha, ha. That only happens in the movies. Let’s just meet somewhere out of the way.”

  “There’s a greasy hole-in-the-wall restaurant near the—”

  “Hey, why don’t you text me the address?”

  “Sure.” The call ended, and a minute later, the text came in.

  Got it. Cu soon.

  Alex stuck his laptop in the case, hurried to his car, and put the address in the GPS before punching the gas. It was definitely out of the way—the number of turns down obscure streets was ridiculous. He found a place to parallel park down a seedy side street. It was a good thing he didn’t have a nice car. Someone stealing the Tercel would almost be a gift.

  He secured the laptop case across his shoulders and kept a hand near his oversized pocket knife. A raindrop splashed on his cheek. He pulled up his hood and kept his gaze lowered as he walked. Several drug deals went down as he made his way down the road.

  After turning down a few more streets, he finally reached the little dive. Bullet holes decorated the glass door between the chipped black bars. Nice. This place made his neighborhood seem like the Street of Dreams.

  He reached for the door.

  “Hey there,” said a sultry feminine voice behind him.

  Alex spun around. A woman old enough to be his mom stood there, wearing a torn red mini skirt and a tiny tube top.

  “Lookin’ for a good time?” She winked, making a large mole wiggle.

  “Not really.”

  “I can make it worth your while. Discount for a super sexy hottie.”

  He hurried inside, looking for Nick, and found him at a table in the corner, sipping from a coffee cup and staring at his phone. Alex went over and sat, first wiping a pile of crumbs from the seat. Half of them stuck to his palm.

  "You found it." Nick never looked up from the screen.

  Alex tried wiping the crumbs from his hand. “Next time, I pick where we meet.”

  “You wanted something private. I doubt anyone we know will look for us here.”

  "Isn't that the truth? So, what did you find?" Alex scraped his palm along the edge of the table to dislodge the crud stuck to his hand.

  “What did you want to tell me?”

  Alex took a deep breath and told Nick about all the threats.

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I didn’t think he was serious.”

  Nick shook his head. “You need to tell me stuff like this.”

  “Okay.”

  “Immediately. Forward me everything you have and I’ll look into it.”

  Alex nodded, feeling stupid.

  “In other news, I got an anonymous tip today.”

  “What did they say?”

  Nick held Alex’s gaze for a moment. “It would appear these cases have been going on for close to thirty years.”

  Pins

  Ariana woke to the smell of bacon, feeling rested despite the stiff bed. After their movie night—Lloyd had picked out not just one but two scary movies, and he’d brought out bags of candy for the second movie—she’d been so tired, she had fallen right to sleep.

  She sat up and stretched, taking in the delicious smell. Her stomach rumbled. She climbed out of bed and put on some clothes as the aroma of bacon grew stronger.

  Just after she slid on the stiff green-and-blue striped sweater, her gaze landed on one of the dolls that had a fancy hairstyle.

  Bobby pins.

  Her heart pounded. That was exactly what she’d been looking for. Maybe the next time Lloyd went out, she’d be able to get through the lock. It would be a lot easier if she had her phone and could find a how-to video, but she’d seen enough TV that she was pretty sure two bobby pins would get it done.

  She hoped.

  The deadbolt clicked. Ariana reached for the hairbrush and ran it through her tangles.

  Lloyd came in, smiling. “I made omelets. I hope you’re hungry.”

  “I am. It smells delicious.” She smiled back.

  “Let me help you with that.” He stepped behind her and took the brush, running it through her hair with care. He removed the knots without yanking. “Let’s eat. Everything’s ready.”

  He took her hand and led her to the kitchen, where the plates were already filled. A huge omelet sat at her place, filled with peppers and beef. Three juicy pieces of bacon sat next to it.

  Ariana sat, and he poured her some orange juice.

  “Dig in.”

  She did, and he talked about the two movies as they ate. When they were clearing the table, Lloyd turned to her. “Sorry to do this to you, but I have to go into work today. We’re not kids anymore—well, I’m not, and bills have to be paid.”

  “Oh.”

  “I’ll try to be back in time for lunch, but if not, I hope the big breakfast will hold you.”

  Her pulse drummed in her ears. This would be her chance if he was going to be gone all day.

  Lloyd said something else, but she couldn’t hear.

  Ariana took a couple breaths to calm her nerves. “What?”

  “I’ll make it up to you if I can’t get back for lunch, okay?”

  She nodded. “I’m stuffed. It’s okay. Last night was really fun, too. Thanks.” She tried to give him a convincing smile. Hopefully, if he didn’t feel bad about being at work all day, he’d stay there longer.

  He patted her shoulder. “You’ve always been so sweet. Too sweet, actually. That’s what got you—never mind. Let’s not talk about that. Why don’t you go to the bathroom while I get everything cleaned up in here?”

  She stared at him. He was going to let her go back there without following her?

  Lloyd gestured for her to go and turned to the dishes in the sink.

  As tempting as it was to run down the hall and find a way out, she knew better. He was bigger and faster. She needed to wait until he was at work. Then she could get far away before he had any idea she’d even left.

  Ariana went into the bathroom and took care of business and then dug around in the drawers, looking for anything else she could use to make her escape.

  Knock, knock.

  “Time to go to your room, Jan.”

  Disappointment washed through her. At least she had a chance of getting out this time.

  She opened the door. Lloyd stood so that she only had room to walk into the bedroom. She went inside.

  “I promise to make it up to you. And I’m going to try my best to work from home tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m really sorry. Come here.”

  Ariana walked over to him. He engulfed her in an embrace and then left without a word, locking the door between them. The woodsy smell of his cologne stuck to her.

  She went over to the window to watch him leave. The alarm beeped after about a minute and then Lloyd opened the car door. He paused, looked up toward her, and waved.

&nbs
p; Her heart nearly leaped into her throat. He knew she’d been watching him come and go? She forced herself to wave back. He climbed in the car and drove away.

  Ariana leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. Maybe she wasn’t as sneaky as she thought. If she didn’t get out while he was at work, she’d have to be really careful with her escape attempts.

  She waited a little while to make sure he didn’t come back and then went over to the shelf where the larger dolls were. Ariana picked up a fancy one. Its hair was in a tight up-do. There was no way she could replicate that once she removed the pins. If she was lucky, the hairstyle would just stay in place. If not, then she’d have to think of something clever, like putting it in a hat or hiding the doll altogether—that was if she didn’t get away. But she would, so it didn’t matter.

  Ariana slid the doll off the shelf and studied the hair. The pins looked like they would come out easily enough. They weren’t glued in place. She sat on the unmade bed and held the doll at different angles. Her heart felt like it would explode out of her chest.

  “Pull yourself together.” This was her chance, and she needed to take it. Maybe she could be back home in time for dinner. That was what she had to focus on.

  Hands shaking, she reached for the first bobby pin. The doll wobbled in her grasp and she missed the pin by a good two inches. She set it on her lap and held it with her arm instead. That time, she managed to not only touch it, but slide it out.

  The pin fell onto the floor.

  Well, it wasn’t going anywhere. She reached for the second one and slid it out careful not to drop it. Once the end came out, the fancy hairstyle fell apart and covered the doll’s face.

  She would deal with that later. Ariana put the doll back on the shelf, tucking it behind the others. She had to rearrange them to hide it in the back.

  Clinging to the second bobby pin, she got on her hands and knees and looked for the first one. She couldn’t see it, but she finally noticed it under the bed.

  Ariana couldn’t stop shaking. What if she got caught? What if he had hidden cameras somewhere? But if he did, wouldn’t he know she’d tried to escape already? He wouldn’t have given her ice cream and popcorn.