Never Surrender

by Stacy Claflin

  Alex found his phone downstairs on the couch and looked out the window to see if his parents were in sight. They weren’t. Maybe Macy was giving it some time before calling them.

  Or she might’ve gotten Zoey to answer her call.

  His stomach rumbled, but he ignored it. There was plenty of food to eat, but he didn’t care. Didn’t have the energy to heat anything up. Plus, he’d just thrown out food he hadn’t been able to eat.

  He plopped back onto the couch and considered his options. One was to give in and join his wife in Idaho. Then he would still have his marriage, and his twins would be with him again. How he ached to see their smiling faces after only such a short time apart. But even if he did agree to move, there was the matter of Ariana’s refusal to leave. And if he was able to convince her to move with them, what kind of a marriage would he have left? One where he followed Zoey with his tail between his legs every time she made a demand?

  That wasn’t a marriage.

  His marriage had barely started, and now, no matter what choice he made, it was over.

  Chapter 8

  Alex shifted on the hard park bench, trying to ignore the mist in the cold November air. Despite the weather, a few birds still flew over the lake and happy families meandered the path.

  He’d once been part of a happy family.

  Shoving that thought aside, he checked his phone. No updates from anyone. Not from Nick at the station or Genevieve and Macy trying to reach his wife.

  Nobody could get Zoey to answer a call.

  At least it wasn’t just him.

  He returned his phone to his pocket.

  It rang.

  His heart skipped a beat. He chastised himself.

  It was probably just Macy checking on him again. He almost didn’t look.

  But after a few rings, he did.

  It was Zoey.

  Zoey was calling him.

  His hands fumbled as he tried to accept the call. Missed it.

  It stopped ringing.

  “No!” He struggled to unlock it, to call her back.

  It rang. He held his breath but didn’t dare hope. He’d probably missed his one chance to talk with her.

  “Alex?”

  His arm turned to rubber at the sound of his wife’s voice. He nearly dropped the phone. His mind raced, trying to find the right thing to say. Something to keep her on the line. “Where are you, Zo?”

  “I’m looking at houses.” She sounded chipper.

  Chipper.

  Acid churned in his stomach. “Really?” It took every ounce of his self-control not to yell. “You’re looking at houses?”

  “Yes. I just went through one that’s twice the size of ours, and it has so much property. The mortgage payment would be less than we were paying for rent before we started house-sitting for my parents. Do you want me to send you pictures? It’s gorgeous.”

  Her light, airy tone made him want to punch something.

  “Alex?” she asked.

  “I’m here.” He made a fist.

  “Do you want to see the photos?”

  He drew in a deep breath. “Why did you leave while I was sleeping?”

  “I had to leave early to meet Brenda. She’s over here for the day, last minute, and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to look at some of the houses I’ve been eyeing online.”

  “You didn’t think to invite me? Or at least clue me in on what you were doing?”

  “I left a note.”

  “No, you didn’t!”

  “Yes. I put it on my pillow.”

  He squeezed the bench until his knuckles turned white. “It wasn’t there. I looked everywhere.”

  “Maybe you accidentally knocked it on the floor when you were sleeping.”

  “That doesn’t explain you taking all your clothes. Or the twins’ bedding.”

  “What?” She sounded genuinely confused. “No, I didn’t take the sheets or blankets with me. Laney and Zander both had accidents—it’s been that kind of morning. I threw the bedding into the wash. You might want to throw them into the dryer before they start to smell, now that I think about it.”

  “I’m not home.”

  “Where are you?” Was that a hint of worry in Zoey’s tone?

  He took a deep breath. “Doesn’t feel good to not know the answer to that question, does it?” He couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his tone.

  “Alex—”

  “Why’d you take all the clothes? You wouldn’t do that if you were only leaving for a day trip.”

  “I wasn’t sure if we’d need to spend the night. Or maybe all weekend.”

  “So you took your entire wardrobe?” He leaped to his feet and marched down the path, anger building in his chest, unable to sit still any longer.

  “I didn’t know what we’d need. Brenda mentioned maybe going out to eat tonight.”

  “You don’t need to empty out your closet for a weekend! What’s really going on? Did you buy a house without me? Are you in the early stages of moving? Tell me the truth!”

  “I just told you. I’m looking at options. Once you see what’s available, you’ll see why I’m so excited.” Her tone was slightly less cheery.

  “And it’s all on your terms,” he snapped. “To hell with what I think.”

  “That’s not fair. It isn’t like that.”

  “No?” he countered. “Fill in the blanks for me.”

  “I’m just looking. I figured if you could see the options for yourself, you’d understand where I’m coming from.”

  “You could’ve shown me pictures from a real estate site.”

  “I tried that, and besides, it isn't the same. Now I have pictures that will mean something to us. Not just generic photos. Close ups of things we’re most interested in. Really, you should see this one house I was telling you about. You could have a weight room and a garage twice the size of what we have now.”

  The last thing he wanted to see or talk about was houses, but he needed to appeal to her. To convince her to come home. “Why don’t you come home and show me the pictures then? The brunch was canceled, but maybe we could have dinner with Nick and G tonight. Or we could just go out as a family. What do you think?”

  “I like the idea of eating as a family!”

  Relief washed through him. Finally, they could have a face-to-face conversation. He could reason with her over a meal with all three kids there. “Great. I’ll make reservations at that Greek place we went to on my birthday.”

  “I have an even better idea,” she said. “Bring Ariana here. There’s a fancy Japanese restaurant nearby that has great ratings.”

  “Speaking of Ariana, did you get her text this morning?”

  “Yeah.” Her tone didn’t indicate how she felt.

  “Did you read it?”

  “Sure. She’s upset with me because I took off. You both are, and I get it. Next time, I’ll let you know what’s going on first, even if you’re both sleeping.”

  He could hardly believe her response. Their daughter had chewed her out, using language they didn’t allow in the house, and Zoey didn’t care?

  “Are you there?” she asked. “Did the call drop?”

  Alex clenched his jaw. “Yes, I’m here.”

  “Drive Ari over. She’ll love the Japanese restaurant.”

  “First of all, I don’t know where she is. Second, if you wanted us to eat as a family in Idaho, you should’ve made your trip a family event and not gone off on your own like you did.”

  “Wait, what? You don’t know where our daughter is? I’m gone for half a day, and you lose her again?”

  “Again?” Everything around him took on a red hue. “I cannot believe you’d go there! No, I did not lose her. She wanted to be alone after she found out you left without a word.”

  Zoey gasped. “That’s not fair! Go check my side of the bed and you’ll find my note, probably on the floor or wrapped in the blankets. Look now.”

  “Don’t talk to me about what’s fair,”
he grumbled. “If you want to have dinner as a family and to show me those pictures, you’d better make your way over here. Should I bother making reservations? Or would I be wasting my time?”

  “Alex.”

  “Zoey.”

  Several beats of silence passed before she spoke. “I’m trying to invite you here to have a look. You’ll see how peaceful it is. There’s so much space, and best of all, the crime rate in the neighborhood is unbelievably low. People are so friendly, and everyone looks out for each other.”

  “Which means their police department isn’t looking to hire a new detective. I’d be out of a job.”

  “I said low, not nonexistent. And don’t you remember me telling you about some openings in the area?”

  Alex stopped and kicked a rock into the water. “You know how I feel, yet you did what you did. This is something we need to come to an agreement on together, or we don’t have a marriage.”

  “Is that a threat?” she exclaimed.

  “It’s a fact. Just like we’re better off here with our friends and family than in a strange place where we don’t know anyone.”

  “That isn’t true.”

  “How is it not?” he asked. “The feds keep finding and taking down more of the kidnapping ring leaders. They aren’t on the trail of anyone here—Cal was that guy, and he’s dead.”

  “Are you meeting me for dinner?” Her tone was clipped.

  “That depends. If you’re coming back tonight, I’ll make reservations at the Greek restaurant.”

  “I’ll be at the Japanese restaurant here. I hope you and Ariana join me. You can find the address online, or I can text it to you.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Looks like we’re at a standstill.”

  “If you aren’t coming to Boise, then we are.”

  Alex clenched his fists and resisted the urge to throw his phone into the lake.

  Chapter 9

  Ariana glanced at the time and then to Damon. “I’m tired of being here.”

  The sound of pool balls clanged together just feet away, followed by a mixture of cheers and moans.

  “Do you mean this room or the community center?” Damon asked.

  She rubbed her aching neck. “The center.”

  He massaged her shoulders. “Where do you want to go? Still want to skip your Tae Kwon Do lesson? It’s starting soon.”

  “I don’t care about martial arts today.” She closed her eyes as more balls banged around.

  “It’s loud in here. Let’s figure out what to do in my car.” He helped her up, and they headed out, waving to friends as they passed them along the way.

  Damon opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed in. Her head throbbed. She wasn’t sure if it was from stress or the noise of the pool balls.

  After getting in the driver’s side, he started the engine. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Somewhere I don’t have to think about anything and can just disappear.”

  “I don’t know of anywhere like that.” He rested his hand on her knee and gave her a sad smile. “Do you want to go to the library and study? It’s a lot quieter there.”

  She shook her head. “I won’t be able to focus on anything.”

  “What about chocolate and coffee?”

  “You mean a mocha?”

  One corner of his mouth curved up, and he looked especially gorgeous. “I was thinking along the lines of picking up a box of chocolates from that new candy shop then grabbing a coffee. It can be a mocha, if that’s what you want.”

  “That sounds good.” She was avoiding carbs and had only been drinking bulletproof keto coffee lately, but today all bets were off. If anyone deserved a cheat day, it was her. She’d happily eat a box of chocolates while drinking a mocha with Damon. “Maybe we could even have pizza afterward. Or Mexican—that sounds even better. A cheese-stuffed enchilada sounds heavenly.”

  He lifted a brow. “Are you sure?”

  She sat up straighter, starting to feel a little better. “Positive.”

  “Okay.” He gave her a quick kiss before pulling out of the parking spot.

  About five minutes later, they were inside the candy shop picking out handmade specialty chocolates. Each one made her mouth water. It was impossible to choose just a few when there were more than fifty varieties, and each piece cost a dollar or more, so there was no way she would ask Damon to buy all of them.

  “Maybe we should get a bigger box,” Damon teased, his eyes shining with delight.

  She glanced at the prices again. “No. This box is perfect.”

  As Damon paid and chatted with the cashier, Ariana glanced around. The shop was filled with candies from around the world. Most everything was unavailable at the other stores around town. As she was studying an odd-shaped, colorful treat that resembled a cow udder, she noticed a tall guy with bushy eyebrows standing in the corner. He wasn’t paying attention to any of the delicacies.

  He looked away as soon as Ariana made eye contact with him.

  Or maybe it was just her imagination. Having a cop for a dad, she’d learned to be suspicious of people. The guy probably just wanted some candy or to pick up something for his kids and didn’t know where to start looking.

  Damon said something, pulling her attention from the man. Ariana took his hand, and they went back outside, but she watched the guy from the corner of her eye. He didn’t turn her way.

  She was on edge because of Mom. The guy was just shopping for sweets.

  In the car, Damon handed her the box of chocolates. “Normally, I’d say we should wait to have any, but if you want one take the first pick.”

  As tempting as it was, she said no because he really hated having anyone eat or drink in his car.

  “At the coffee shop, then.” He squeezed her hand and started the engine.

  Ariana smiled, but it quickly faded as she noticed the guy with the bushy eyebrows coming out of the candy shop without a bag or box. And he was looking right at Damon’s car.

  She thought about saying something but pushed the man out of her mind. Guys were always impressed with the sports car. In fact, it wasn’t unusual for someone to stop Damon and ask him about the engine or how fast it would go on the freeway.

  It was only because of her mom taking the twins to Boise that she was feeling off. If it wasn’t for that, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed the guy, who was likely just minding his own business.

  “Which one do you think you’ll start with?” Damon asked as he pulled from the spot. “I’m leaning toward the raspberry-lemon one, unless that’s your first pick.”

  “Or we could share it.”

  “An even better idea.” He grinned.

  They discussed the various candy flavors until they were in line at the coffee shop. Ariana held the chocolates as she looked over the coffee menu, trying to figure out which had the most carbs. If she was going to have a cheat day, she may as well go all-in. When she found one that had more than a day’s worth of sugar, she ordered it.

  By the time they sat with their drinks, she was actually starting to feel better. She’d sipped her drink, and it tasted divine. In fact, it was almost delicious enough to convince her to drop her war on carbs altogether. Maybe moderation was actually the way to go.

  Damon pulled the top off the box. “Which one was the raspberry-lemon one?”

  Ariana smiled as she looked at all the dainty chocolates. “I don’t know. They all look the same now.”

  He picked up an oval one with some yellow oozing out the side. “Maybe it was this one?”

  “Try it.” She sipped her salty-sweet cappuccino.

  Damon bit half of the candy, looked deep in thought, then made a sour face. “I think this is your banana cream piece.”

  She laughed, surprising herself. “Let me see.”

  He fed it to her.

  It was definitely banana, and it was delicious. She lifted a brow. “You don’t like it?”

  “No.” He gulped his americano.

/>   Ariana picked up a rectangular one with a bit of red in the decoration. “Maybe this was it?”

  He leaned over and took a bite. “Mmm. Definitely this one.”

  She fed him the rest.

  “I wanted you to have the other half,” he objected.

  “But I can still get a taste.” She kissed him, tasting raspberry, lemon, and coffee. “You’re right. It’s divine.”

  They laughed and shared more of the treats until they were down to just a few.

  Ari sipped her drink and enjoyed the moment. It felt so good to be enjoying life rather than worrying about her family drama. Calling Damon after she left the house had been the right choice, no doubt.

  The bell above the door dinged, and her attention immediately went to the entrance.

  It was the man with bushy eyebrows from the candy store.

  He looked around, not paying any attention to the menu or the line at the counter.

  “What’s wrong?” Damon asked.

  Her heart raced. She couldn’t find her voice or take her attention from the guy.

  Damon rested his hand on her leg. “What is it?”

  “See that man by the door?” She kept her gaze on him.

  “The one in the trench coat?”

  “Yeah.” She studied his features. He had a narrow face with a prominent nose and cheekbones. His hair was just as thick as his eyebrows.

  He stopped looking around once his gaze locked on Ari’s. It felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds.

  Her blood went cold, but she refused to look away.

  But he did, then he hurried over to the line as he pulled out his phone. Probably only pretending to look at the screen.

  “What about him?” Damon asked.

  “He was at the candy shop.”

  “Maybe he had the same idea as us—chocolates and coffee. It’s a perfect combination, especially in this blustery weather.”

  She continued watching the man. “He doesn’t have a box of candies.”

  “In his car. He’s probably eating them somewhere else. Maybe he’s going to bring it to his girlfriend.”

  Ari scooted closer to Damon. “He didn’t buy anything at the shop. And I don’t think him being here a coincidence.”