Careless Whisper

by Stacy Claflin

“My mom’s work.”

  “Of course. You’re so lucky!”

  “What is this place? Damon said you swore I’d love it.”

  Em’s eyes widened. “You will! It’s to die for. Remember the place I told you about? My dad’s business partner brought us, and I couldn’t stop talking about the food.”

  “Oh, right.” She didn’t really, but it was easier to just agree.

  Emily talked about the food some more before moving onto some gossip about friends whose relationship statuses had changed.

  Ari’s mind wandered back to her parents, even though she didn’t want to think about them. There was no way she was moving anywhere. And it made her blood boil that they would think about it now, of all times, with the school year well under way and with everything going so well with Damon. Not only that, but she had her friends, family, and other activities. The annual Halloween party was just around the corner.

  “Are you listening to me?” Emily waved her hands in front of Ari’s face.

  “Sorry.” She sighed.

  “Is everything okay?” Em studied her.

  There was no point in trying to hide anything from her. They’d known each other forever, and Emily would figure out Ari was upset and demand to know why. “My parents are arguing.”

  “Really? They’re so happy together. What’s the problem?”

  Ariana glanced over at Damon to make sure he wasn’t listening. She’d tell him later, after the dance. Otherwise, he would worry about her the whole evening. “About moving.”

  Emily’s mouth gaped. “Like, away? Far away?”

  Ari nodded, not daring to say more. She’d likely break down. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, though. The only thing I want is to enjoy tonight.”

  “And enjoy you will!” Em took her hands. “You’re going to love the food. No matter what you get, it’ll be delicious. And my dad talked to the owner—he’s going to throw in free dessert!”

  Ari smiled, genuinely happy. She was at a fun new restaurant with her best friend and boyfriend, then they were going to a dance. The only thing that could ruin the night would be going back home. And she wouldn’t.

  “What’s that devious look?” Emily nudged her.

  “What look?”

  Em poked her. “You can’t hide anything from me.”

  Ariana stood taller. “I’m not going home tonight. That’ll show my parents how strongly I feel.”

  “Good for you. Want to come to my house? I can’t remember the last time we had a sleepover. We’re long overdue.”

  “Maybe. I was thinking of something else, though.”

  Emily grabbed her shoulders. “Damon’s house?”

  Ari gave a slight nod.

  “Seriously? Is tonight the night? You guys have never—”

  Ariana covered her mouth. “Shut up!”

  Em stood back. “Are you?”

  “That’s not what this is about. I want to make a statement to my parents.”

  “Your dad’s gonna flip!”

  She shrugged. “Whatever it takes to make my point.”

  “Feel free to make your point at my house sometime. Like I said, we’re long overdue. But I won’t take it personally that you’re choosing him over me.”

  Ariana’s mind raced as they were seated, but she tried to slow it and enjoy the date. Everyone at the table got along great, and it was fairly easy to forget about her parents. Emily was right about the food—it practically made her taste buds sing. They laughed, joked, and had a great time.

  The school gym had been transformed into an undersea wonderland. It almost made her wish she’d gone with the dress that made her look like a mermaid. The walls were covered with sparkly decorations and dancing blue lights of many shades bounced around. The music was fun and flirty and everyone was happy and enjoying themselves. Loads of girls complimented her dress.

  After grabbing a few snacks, Damon took Ari’s hand. “Ready to dance?”

  She held his gaze. “With you? Of course.”

  He kissed her hand and led her to the crowded dance floor. “Looks like I’ll have to hold you close.”

  “How awful.” She laughed.

  “Tell me about it. Absolutely dreadful.” He brushed his lips across hers.

  They stayed on the dance floor until the last song ended. He leaned his head against hers. “I hate for this night to end.”

  “Who said it has to?”

  He lifted a brow. “What do you mean? It’s almost curfew.”

  “My curfew, you mean. You don’t have one.”

  “It’s our curfew because we’re in this together.”

  She started to protest, but someone interrupted to praise her dress.

  The staff shooed everyone toward the doors. Ariana and Damon said goodbye to their friends before heading outside.

  Once in the car, Damon put his hand on her knee. “Are you sure about not going home on time?”

  “I couldn’t be more sure.” She held his gaze.

  He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? To be honest, I don’t want to get on your dad’s bad side. He finally trusts me.”

  Ari frowned. “He’s trusted you for a long time.”

  “And I don’t want to screw that up.”

  She sighed. “I don’t think it matters anymore.”

  “What do you mean? He’s not dying, is he?”

  A group of kids walked by, laughing loudly. Some of them bumped into the car.

  “No. Can we talk about this somewhere else?”

  “Sure.” Damon started the car then drove to the beach. Bad idea—the lot was full and kids dressed up from the dance were piling out of vehicles. “Want to go to the coffee shop?”

  “Or we could go to your house.”

  “Inside?” He lifted a brow.

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s one of those things that’ll put me on your dad’s bad side.” Damon pulled out of the lot. “What about one of the parks? I bet nobody’ll be there.”

  “Your place.” Her stomach knotted as her mind went back to her arguing parents.

  “I just don’t want your parents to forbid me from seeing you, Ari.”

  “They don’t get to make that call right now.”

  Damon stopped at a light and threw her a curious glance. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ll tell you at your place.”

  He frowned. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

  “I am.”

  Other than the music, the rest of the ride was quiet. They didn’t say anything as he pulled up to his house or as he unlocked the front door.

  Once inside, he spoke. “Sorry for the mess. I wasn’t expecting we’d end up here.”

  “I don’t care.” She kicked off her shoes and hung her coat on the rack next to one of Cal’s jackets. The house looked mostly the same as it had before Damon’s dad had been arrested, except that now there were more feminine things out.

  Ari stopped and picked up a colorful ceramic peacock from a shelf in the living room.

  “I’ve been bringing out my mom’s things,” Damon said. “Dad packed most of it away after she died. I’m trying to make everything look like it did before her accident.”

  She set down the knickknack carefully. “It looks really nice.”

  “More like a home, less like a bachelor pad.” Damon turned on the kitchen lights. “Do you want some ice cream?”

  “I’ll never say no to that.” She would, however, need to eat extra salads to make up for the treat.

  Five minutes later, they sat at the couch with bowls of rocky road and a blanket wrapped around them as they ate. Ariana looked around at all the new decorations. It did feel more like a home now.

  Damon set his empty bowl aside and wrapped his arm around her. “What has you so upset? You looked near tears when I picked you up, and now you don’t want to go home.”

  A lump formed in her throat and she avoided looking at him. “My pare
nts have been arguing about moving away.”

  “What? Moving?”

  She played with a ruffle on her dress and nodded. “Yeah, moving.”

  “Where?”

  “As far from here as possible, if my mom gets her way.”

  “You said they’ve been arguing? So, your dad doesn’t want to move?”

  “No, but if that’s what Mom wants, he’ll eventually agree.”

  “Have you told them how you feel?”

  She shook her head. “If my mom doesn’t care what Dad thinks, she won’t care what I want, either.”

  Damon let out a slow breath. “But you don’t know they’ll end up moving.”

  Ariana straightened her back. “I don’t care what they do. I’m not going anywhere. My entire life is here in town.”

  “What’s your plan, then?”

  She leaned her head against him. “I can stay with my grandparents or my aunt. Heck, I could even stay in our house. Mimi and Papi still own it. My parents are just taking care of it. I could stay and take care of it. You know, kind of like you’re doing with this place.”

  Damon took a deep breath. “What brought all this on?”

  “Probably the kidnappings. It isn’t the first time my mom has brought up leaving this place in the dust.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I’m taking in the news. It’s so sudden.”

  “And it doesn’t matter because I’m not going anywhere.”

  He cupped her chin. “Is that why you don’t want to go home?”

  “Yes. I need to make my point. Mom needs to understand how serious I am about staying.”

  Damon chewed on his lip for a moment. “Maybe don’t be so hard on them.”

  “Are you crazy? They want to move me away from my life! I’m not switching schools. No way. I’m staying here with you and later graduating with my friends. That’s all that matters.”

  He rose and helped her up. “Can I show you something?”

  “What?”

  “Follow me.” He led her upstairs.

  Her heart pounded. Was he going to take her to his room?

  Damon stopped just outside the bathroom. He pointed to a dent in the wall. “See this?”

  “Yeah. What is it?”

  “When I was a kid, my dad slammed my mom against the wall right here. He tried to punch her in the head, but she turned away. That could’ve been her head, and he didn’t care. Also didn’t care that I was standing there, crying and yelling for him to stop.”

  Ari’s heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry. I know your dad put you through so much trauma.”

  He cleared his throat. “Right. But that isn’t my point. Your parents care about each other, and they care about you. I think you should try talking with them. At least they’re here, alive.” His voice cracked. “Give them a chance. Do you know what I’d give to have such an opportunity? I’ll never get to see either of them again.”

  Guilt stung. Deeply.

  “Will you try?” he asked. “For me?”

  Chapter 37

  Alex stared at the computer screen, hardly able to focus. He was downstairs in the garage apartment trying to write a short commentary on the video of the kidnappers burning the girls’ locations to post on his blog. But all he could think about was fighting with Zoey and Ariana leaving upset with them.

  Not that he could blame her. She wouldn’t want to move any more than Alex did. Plus, she hated it when he and Zoey fought. He just hoped she was able to put it all out of her mind to enjoy the night out.

  Alex remembered his own Under the Sea dances with Zoey. They’d always had so much fun, and now it was Ari’s turn to enjoy the same things they had. And it wasn’t like there had been no abductions back then—there just hadn’t been as many. And even with all of them, their family was still together. They were survivors.

  They could make it a few more years until Ariana graduated. Then maybe talk about moving. Or even better, there might not be any new major crimes, and Zoey could be happy staying right where they were.

  Alex rubbed his temples and brought his focus back to the screen. There were at least two girls buried alive, and their locations were now ashes.

  He needed to focus for them. Then he could worry about convincing Zoey to stay in town. Once the girls were safely with their families, she would feel better. She could relax and get her mind off leaving their lives behind.

  Alex replayed the video for what had to be the twentieth time. Focused on anything identifiable about them or the room. Finally managed to type out a few paragraphs, pleading with his followers to pay attention and come forward if they recognized anything.

  Once the blog post was live, he texted Hanks.

  A few minutes later Sergeant Wu, the precinct’s top IT expert, called. “Anything yet?”

  “I just published the post.”

  “Let me know as soon as anyone comments, no matter what they say.”

  Alex rose and stretched his neck. “Or better yet, I’ll text you the link. You can check it yourself. Have you found anything?”

  “I’m working on it. The location is encrypted, but it isn’t the most sophisticated I’ve seen. I should be able to crack it soon.”

  “Good. Let me know.”

  “Will do.”

  Alex said goodbye then went to the kitchen for a snack. Despite his nerves, his stomach was rumbling. He’d had no dinner. Zoey had gone next door to get the twins from his parents and ended up having dinner with them. Alex had been busy fussing over his blog post, but spending more time thinking about his own problems.

  He warmed up some leftover lasagna and checked his phone for any new updates. Nobody had texted him—not Zoey or Ariana or Wu. Nor had he expected anything from any of them. Not really. He checked his blog. There were new comments, but nothing from anyone who recognized the criminals or the room. Nobody mentioned any matches to the boys Ariana thought were guilty. Mostly people sharing theories—his typical comments. But his fans loved spreading the news far and wide. Eventually, it would reach someone who knew something.

  Hopefully.

  The microwave dinged. He took out the food. Once seated, he scarfed it down without tasting anything as he scrolled through social media to see what people were saying there. Nothing new, but plenty of people were arguing about theories. The bickering grated on his nerves, so he set the phone aside.

  Alex finished the food, hoping to hear the creak of a stair or the turning of a key in the front door.

  The house remained silent.

  He waited. Checked his blog, his texts. Finally got fed up and put his dishes away. Went upstairs. There was no light coming from under his bedroom door. He pushed on it. It didn’t budge. He twisted the knob.

  Locked.

  Annoyance ran through him.

  He checked the twins’ room. Laney and Zander were both sound asleep in their toddler beds. Out of habit, he looked in Ari’s room. It was empty, of course, and smelled of her favorite perfume.

  Alex sat on her bed and whispered an apology for starting her night off on the wrong foot. Not that she could hear, but it helped him feel a little better.

  He went back to his and Zoey’s room and tried the knob again. Still locked. They kept a key for emergencies on the top of the shelf between their room and Ariana’s, but he didn’t feel like dealing with it. If his wife didn’t want to see him, so be it.

  Alex checked the time. It was about a half hour from Ariana’s curfew, and he didn’t feel like sitting around waiting. Especially if she decided to come home late. He wouldn’t blame her if she did—he’d have done the same thing. And the girl was definitely his daughter.

  Tonight, he didn’t want to hold her to the time restriction. And it would be easier to do that if he wasn’t even home.

  He went downstairs, grabbed his coat and keys, then went outside. The crisp air felt good in his lungs. He got in his car, drove to the station, then parked in the
back to sneak in through a door near the workout room.

  Once in there, he took out his frustrations on the punching bag. By the time he was done, sweat dripped down his face. He gasped for air, leaned against the wall, and wiped his forehead.

  The door opened. Sergeant Wu entered. “I thought I saw you come in.”

  Alex nodded, unable to speak. He drew in more deep breaths.

  “I got a location.”

  “For the kidnappers?” Alex bolted away from the wall.

  Wu nodded. “The idiots aren’t far away. That abandoned apartment building near the convenience store that burned down a while back.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “We’re going to storm the place.”

  Alex wiped his face again. “Makes me wish I was still on the case.”

  “You can hang out here and follow the action live.”

  “After I get a shower.”

  “Yeah, really.” Wu threw him a teasing glance. “We have a couple guys already there. Everyone else is meeting in the conference room in five.”

  Alex yanked his gloves off. “Can’t wait to listen in.”

  “You can watch. The feds have cameras on their gear.”

  “Nice. Thanks for the update.”

  Alex grabbed some clean clothes from his locker and headed for the showers.

  Coming here had definitely been the right choice. It was exactly what he needed to focus on, instead of the drama back home.

  Hopefully once they caught the kidnappers, they would be able to convince them to give up the girls’ locations.

  Chapter 38

  Owen refreshed his phone’s screen. Again.

  “Is that blog post down yet?” Sam asked.

  “The opposite.” Fear ripped at his gut.

  “What does that mean?” Sam glared at him. “What’s the opposite of it being deleted?”

  “There’s a new post.”

  “What?” Sam leaped up from the couch. “That jerkwad didn’t post our videos, did he?”

  Owen clicked over to the new post. “That’s exactly what he did.”

  Sam released a string of profanities.

  “You’re surprised? They have nothing to lose now.”

  “Other than the girls’ survival?”