Never Surrender

by Stacy Claflin

  And it may very well be the end of the life he’d built with the only woman he’d ever loved.

  Chapter 3

  Nick double-checked the baby monitor and closed the door as quietly as he could, holding his breath.

  No cries. Megan was still asleep.

  He sighed with relief as he crept down the hall. Just as he reached the living room, Genevieve was coming from the kitchen.

  “You got her to sleep?” She collapsed onto the couch.

  He sat next to her and put his arm around her. “Barely. I thought she was going to wake when I put her down.”

  “Teething is the worst.”

  “Not as bad as colic.”

  “You win.” She leaned her head against his and drew a deep breath. “We have the evening to ourselves, and all I want to do is sleep. How sad is that?”

  He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “As long as you’re in my arms, it sounds good to me.”

  Genevieve gave him a sheepish smile. “It’s like we’re an old married couple. How often do we get time alone? And now we’re ready to sleep before eight.”

  Ava and Parker were at a party, and Tinsley and Hanna were at a sleepover. Before Megan was born, they would have had an elaborate date night planned.

  Nick pulled a blanket over Genevieve’s lap and turned on the TV. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll make some popcorn, and you pick a movie to stream. It’s a date, and at least we won’t be going to bed at seven-forty.”

  She yawned. “That sounds good, but I can’t promise I’ll stay awake.”

  “No worries.” He squeezed her hand and headed into the kitchen to microwave some popcorn. While he waited, he looked around for ice cream. The kids must’ve finished the stash. Probably a good thing, given how many caramel cookies he had eaten at work. He and Alex had already agreed to hit the precinct’s gym the next day after brunch.

  By the time he returned to the couch, Genevieve was already sleeping.

  He set the popcorn bowl on the coffee table.

  She sat up. “I was just resting my eyes.”

  “You sure?” Nick raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah. Just waiting. Let’s watch the movie.”

  “Did you pick something out?”

  “They added a bunch of new ones.” She showed him the choices as he snuggled under the blanket with her and took a handful of popcorn.

  They settled on a rom-com she’d been itching to see. Something light and fluffy was just what he needed because his mind kept returning to Alex and Zoey. Not only did he not want to see his best friend move away, but he hated seeing him so miserable. Alex was good at putting on a poker face and pretending he wasn’t worried, but Nick could see through it. His friend was torn apart by Zoey’s announcement.

  Genevieve paused the movie. “Are you okay?”

  “What? Yeah.” He turned to her, confused.

  “You haven’t laughed at the last five funny lines.”

  “Oh.” He rubbed his temples. “I keep thinking about Alex.”

  She frowned. “I feel so bad for him, too. It seems there’s no convincing Zoey to stay.”

  “You’re not making any progress?”

  Genevieve shook her head. “When we met with Macy and Debbie after Zumba yesterday, the only thing she’d say was what a great place Boise is. She even went as far as suggesting we look into it.”

  “She wants us to move, too?” Nick exclaimed.

  “Any of us who were there. Not us specifically.”

  “We’re settled into this house, and the kids are all happy,” he said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll definitely miss them if they decide to move.”

  “Right. I wouldn’t change a thing now that Tinsley’s finally thriving in school.” Genevieve shook her head.

  “What about Ari?” Nick grabbed some more popcorn. “Alex says she refuses to go anywhere.”

  “Zoey didn’t mention it. I’m not sure if she’s planning on moving Ariana against her will, or if she’s just planning on taking the twins. But I couldn’t imagine leaving one of my children somewhere.”

  “She must think she’s going to eventually convince Alex to move. He’s always gone along with her ideas in the past, but this is different. They’re at a standstill.”

  “Right. Tomorrow, we need to get both Alex and Ariana to speak up. I don’t think she realizes how serious this is. Their family could split, and yet her goal is to keep all of the kids safe.”

  Nick rubbed his scruff. “I sure hope we can help them work something out. The precinct hasn’t heard a peep from the kidnapping ring in a few weeks.”

  “That isn’t going to convince her of anything,” Genevieve said. “There was a full year of silence before the girls were buried alive. It seems this town really is the Bermuda Triangle for kidnappings.”

  “And the last abductions weren’t related to the ring,” Nick said. “At least, not that we could find. Those abductors were acting on their own.”

  He and Genevieve went back and forth about it for a few more minutes before turning their attention to the movie again.

  Nick’s mind raced as he struggled to think of a solution that would make both Alex and Zoey happy. He didn’t want to see his best friend move out of state, but at the same time, he didn’t want his friends’ marriage to dissolve. Nick knew the pain and hardship that brought all too well. Luckily, for him that was now far in the past, but he would never forget the stress and heartache brought on by Corrine’s decision to move their three kids across the country against his wishes.

  The way things were going, Nick’s time might be better spent trying to help his friend either move or maneuver the tricky legal system which often seemed biased against dads.

  Hopefully Zoey didn’t know that.

  Chapter 4

  When Alex woke, he rolled over, reaching for Zoey. But the other half of the bed was empty. He rubbed his eyes and checked the time. Had he slept through his alarm? No, he had plenty of time to get up and get ready for brunch with Nick’s family.

  Maybe Zoey had heard the twins and got up with them. That had to be it. He was a heavy sleeper, so he probably hadn’t heard the toddlers playing or crying when they woke.

  Alex rubbed his eyes and yawned. As he started to get up, he froze in place and stared at the closet, his heart hammering. Zoey’s half was empty.

  Empty.

  His stomach dropped, crashing down to the first floor and beyond.

  “What the—?” He leaped out of bed, dashed across the room, and turned on the light in the closet.

  All her stuff was missing—clothes, shoes, hangers, storage bins, and anything else she’d had in there.

  He darted to her dresser, opened the top drawer. Empty. The second as well. Same for all of the others. He looked under the bed where she stored her out-of-season clothes.

  Nothing but dust bunnies.

  He struggled to breathe, to take in the situation.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  But it was.

  She’d left. Moved.

  Without even a word. Slipped away in the night.

  He’d slept through his opportunity to talk her out of it.

  Alex raced to the window.

  Her car wasn’t in the driveway.

  He swore. Multiple times.

  Then he ran into the twins’ room. It too had been cleared of clothes, the beds stripped of the blankets and sheets. Laney’s and Zander’s favorite toys were gone—Zander’s blue teddy bear and Laney’s stuffed bunny.

  She’d left the furniture. Maybe that was a good sign.

  Either that, or she couldn’t fit it in her car. That made more sense. Her little smart car didn’t have room to spare.

  Ariana.

  His heart plummeted again.

  Zoey didn’t take their fifteen-year-old too, did she?

  Blood rushed in his ears as he tore across the hall to Ari’s room and flung open the door.

  Everything in the room was as it should be. His da
ughter even slept soundly in her bed.

  Relief flooded him.

  Until he remembered his wife and toddlers were gone. There was still so much wrong, even if he had one thing going for him—the eldest of his three children.

  He closed the door gently before storming down the stairs. Breathing heavily, he looked around the kitchen. Checked the table, the fridge, anywhere his wife may have left a note. They always left notes for each other in the kitchen.

  But there was nothing.

  Not that there was anything she needed to say. They both knew what was going on—she’d made good on her threat to move. She’d taken the only family members who couldn’t object to moving. Neither Laney nor Zander understood enough to give an opinion.

  They were gone.

  He looked in the converted garage-apartment they used to live in before they began house-sitting for his in-laws.

  His wife had left no clues there, either.

  Overwhelming rage ran through him, and without thinking he punched a wall. He shook out his sore, scratched fist then tore through the rest of the house looking for a note—or anything.

  But it was in vain.

  She’d left without a word.

  The reality was starting to settle in.

  He double-checked their bedroom in case he’d missed anything there. He hadn’t.

  Alex leaned against a wall and slid to sitting. The room seemed to spin around him. He tugged on his hair.

  How could this be happening? Everything had been going so well. Until the abductions the month before. Those girls had been kidnapped, and everything had flipped on its head for Zoey. No, she flipped.

  Sure, she’d talked about moving in the past, but it had never been anything serious. More along the lines of something she wished, or maybe something for them to consider down the line.

  Apparently now was down the line.

  He gasped for air, unable to believe she would leave without him. Without even telling him. In the middle of the night, as he slept.

  So much for being a team. Their tight relationship was obviously over. She wouldn’t have made such a bold move—literally and figuratively—if they weren’t done in her mind.

  Images of their life together raced through his mind, like a movie out of order. He thought of the day Ariana was born. They’d both been so young. Then his mind went forward to the twins’ birth. The day he and Zoey married. Playing in this very house as kids. Family vacations, both as kids and as adults. Ariana’s abduction. Alex’s career change.

  Every event in his life had Zoey in it.

  Now what was he supposed to do? Give in and move to a state he’d never been to? Try to convince her to come back? Or see if they could come up with something halfway so they could both be happy, at least on some level?

  A heaviness settled over him like a weighted blanket. Everything seemed hopeless.

  There was no way things could get worse. He knew that was a dangerous thought, but it was true. This was rock bottom.

  Where could they go from this situation she’d put them in? He couldn’t pretend he was okay with what she’d done. If he moved to Idaho with her, that would be going along with what she was doing. Then she’d think she could call the shots from then on.

  Or was he being insensitive? Not giving her worries enough consideration? Was this disappearing act supposed to be a wakeup call, showing him how strongly she felt about the family leaving?

  She’d gotten his attention. That much she’d accomplished.

  He struggled to take a deep breath, to make sense of the situation. Pressure built around his temples and behind his eyes and nose. His heart felt like it would give out.

  The alarm on his phone blared, telling him to get ready for brunch—for the intervention to convince Zoey to stay where their life was.

  He barked a bitter laugh, the sound foreign to his ears.

  The only reason he got up to turn off the alarm was because Ariana slept down the hall. He didn’t want to wake her because she’d been at some school party until late.

  Alex trudged across the room, his feet heavy. The phone felt strange in his hands. He turned it off then collapsed onto his bed, still trying to come to terms with what was actually happening.

  Later—a minute or a month, Alex didn’t know how long he’d been lying there, squeezing his fists—a text came in. He checked the message, hoping it was Zoey but knowing it probably wasn’t.

  Nick: We’re going to bring hash browns, waffles, and fruit. Sound good?

  Alex closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to admit to his best friend what had happened, but there was no other choice. He would either tell Nick over text or have their family arrive and find out then, in person.

  Nick: We can bring juice too.

  Alex: Today isn’t going to work.

  Nick: Why not?

  Alex: Zoey isn’t here.

  Nick: What do you mean?

  Alex: She left with the twins.

  The phone rang. He didn’t have to look back at the screen to know it was Nick.

  He accepted the call and spoke before Nick could say anything. “Just stay home and enjoy your food with your family.”

  “What do you mean Zoey left with Laney and Zander?” Nick demanded.

  “Just like it sounds.”

  “Did she go to Idaho?”

  Alex sighed. “That would be my guess.”

  “What happened?”

  Sharp pains pressed into Alex’s skull. He got up and closed the door, not wanting Ariana to overhear him. She would obviously find out what happened, but he wanted to tell her personally, not have her overhear it.

  He returned to the bed and tried to figure out the quickest way to explain the situation. “I woke up and she was gone. She took the twins, all their clothes, some toys, and bedding. Probably other stuff I didn’t notice. I’m sure she’d have taken more if her car was bigger.”

  “She didn’t tell you she was going anywhere? No text or note?”

  “Nope.”

  “Have you called her?”

  Alex drew in a deep breath. “Nothing I have to say right now would help the situation. I need to calm down—not that I can imagine that happening anytime soon. I do have to pull myself together for Ariana when she wakes up.”

  “What do you need?” Nick asked.

  He looked at his frazzled reflection in the mirror. “Nothing. Like I said, have your food with Genevieve and the kids.”

  “Do you want to bring Ariana over here?” Nick asked. “You don’t have to bring any food. The two of you can eat what we have.”

  “No,” Alex said quickly. The thought of facing anyone—even Nick, Genevieve, and their kids, who were like his own family—was too much.

  “What are you going to do?” Nick asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “You two need to eat. Why not come over here? Or we can still go to your house, if you don’t feel up to driving.”

  “What I need is time to figure out what to do. I have zero appetite.”

  “Let me help. I’ve been in a similar situation, remember.”

  “Did Corrine move with the kids in the middle of the night?” Alex asked.

  “No. She was much more dramatic about everything. But that doesn’t negate the fact I can help. If you don’t want me bringing the whole crew, I can still bring some food over for you and Ari, and we can brainstorm together, just you and me. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know what to think.”

  “Then it’s settled,” Nick said. “I’ll be over in about an hour with some breakfast. We’ll eat, come up with some ideas, then hit the gym. See you soon.”

  The call ended before Alex could respond.

  Now he needed to tell his daughter that her mom had moved out without them before Nick arrived.

  Chapter 5

  Ariana sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. “What’s going on, Dad?”

  He cleared his throat, fidgeted
with the decoration on her comforter. “We’re not having our brunch this morning.”

  She pulled some loose hair from her face. “Then why are you waking me up? I can sleep in even later.”

  Dad drew in a deep breath, and something about the way he did sent a jolt of fear through her.

  “What’s wrong?” Her stomach flip-flopped.

  He squeezed her hand. “There’s no easy way to say this.”

  “Just tell me!”

  He looked into her eyes. The lines on his forehead seemed more pronounced.

  “Did someone die?” Her mind raced to think of what could’ve gone wrong—and with who.

  Damon had dropped her off after the party. Had he gotten into an accident?

  She leaned forward, heart pounding. “Is Damon okay?”

  “He’s fine, sweetheart.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Ari breathed a sigh of relief. “What’s the matter, then? It isn’t Mimi and Papi, is it?”

  Dad looked away and chewed on his lower lip before turning back to her. “Your mom and the twins—”

  “They’re dead?” Tears stung her eyes.

  “Nobody’s dead! Would you just listen to me?”

  She nodded.

  “Your mom took the twins last night.”

  “Took them?” She tried to make sense of it. “What do you mean? Where?”

  “She took all of her and the twins’ clothes and some toys and left in the car.”

  Understanding hit Ari in waves. “They went to Idaho?”

  Dad nodded. “That’s what it looks like.”

  “Without telling us?” She sat up taller.

  “Unless she left a note I can’t find.”

  Ari grabbed her phone and went to her texting conversation with Mom. There was nothing new from Mom. No explanation. “Why would she do that?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. If she was just looking at real estate, she wouldn’t have taken all of their clothes. She also wouldn’t have been so secretive about it.”