by A. A. Dark
Moving over, I parked as close as I could to the back. Large shrubs bordered the area, and I could see through the spaces between the branches as I got out. My hand pushed into my suit jacket and I put on my fedora, strolling toward the entrance. A large statue sat centered, and vendors lined the sidewalk. Scanning the space, I headed forward as the baby blue once again caught my attention. They were talking as he pointed to a row of red and white roses. I got close enough to listen, keeping my back toward them, pretending to take in the perfectly manicured hedges.
“Out of all these, those are your favorite?” Louder, Boston laughed. “You amaze me. You truly do. I figured you would have picked something different. And here I thought I knew you.”
“You can’t know everything,” she teased.
“You sure about that?”
More laughter had me looking over my shoulder. Boston leaned forward, grabbing the necklace around her neck and leading her closer to him. He bit his bottom lip before kissing her. It was brief, but the passion was obvious. Lucy blushed, and their voices grew softer as they walked away. I kept my sights on the wall of green as I checked my watch. Foot by foot, I worked my way down. Minutes passed, and like clock-work, a voice spoke over the intercom, echoing around the grounds.
“Boston Marks, will you please report to the Volunteer Service Center. Boston Marks, please report to the Volunteer Service Center.”
“What the hell?”
Confusion masked his tone as he craned his neck. I kept glancing over my shoulder, noticing he was looking toward the entrance. It was Lucy who pointed to the white building at the far end of the gardens.
“Did you drop your wallet or something?”
“No. It’s right here.”
Her brow drew in as she shrugged. “Go see what they want.”
“And leave you? No way.”
“Boston, really, I’ll be fine,” she laughed.
“No…let’s go see together.”
Like I expected, he grabbed Lucy’s hand, keeping her close as they headed in the general direction. Just before they approached, their hands disconnected, and he moved around a man to get to the woman holding a phone level with her shoulder.
I exhaled, channeling confidence, as I moved wide to stay out of view. The smallest spike of something close to adrenaline hit while I took the cloth from the zip lock in my pocket. Boston peered back at Lucy with the phone at his ear but returned his attention to the older woman. His head shook while he spoke, and I moved in, placing my arm around Lucy’s shoulder like we were friends, lovers…close. The surprise had her head spinning toward me. Shock began to turn to a smile as I pulled her face toward my chest and covered her nose and mouth with the saturated fabric. Resistance jerked wildly against my arm through her panic, but the effects were immediate. Her legs buckled, and weight settled into me at her sway.
Boston still spoke into the phone, and with his anger rising through his hand gestures, I didn’t wait. I swept Lucy into my arms and pushed us through the large hedge surrounding the gardens. Crowds were thickening along the sidewalks. I dropped her legs, holding her close as I carried her along at a fast pace. Although dazed, she was still conscious. She stumbled, mumbling through her heavily drugged state. In seconds, I had her in my car, and we were driving away.
“D…Dr…”
Lucy’s acknowledgement had me looking over. I reached out and placed a dark green blanket over her lap. The ballcap and glasses were next. I even tucked her hair behind her shoulders. The windows may have been dark, but we weren’t out of the clear yet. And I wasn’t taking chances as I lowered our visors to cover more of our faces.
“I do believe we have some rules to go over. It’s not Doctor anymore, Little Lucy. I’m afraid for the role I’m taking with you, it’s Master. And we’ll go over what exactly that means very soon.”
Chapter 2
Detective Casey
“Calm, sir. One word at a time.”
Anger flashed on the young man’s face as his lids narrowed at me. There was panic, but something else that had me looking at him a little closer. Hazel eyes were slightly wild and jerky. He had a thin nose and full lips. But nothing was more distinguishable than the large scar that ran from the side of his forehead into his hair line. It was a good five inches long, and he had another one, this one thinner, on his cheek.
“You’re the third person I’ve had to explain this to. Pardon me if calm is the last thing I am. My girlfriend…” he swallowed, blinking hard and running his fingers through his dark hair. “Lucy Adams, my girlfriend, was taken. Someone fucking took her, and you need to be out there looking for her.”
“How do you know she didn’t just walk off? Maybe she got tired and went back to where you’re both staying. Or maybe she decided to check out one of the stores.”
A growl.
“Lucy wouldn’t do that. You don’t know her. Listen to me. Someone fucking took her. I got a call over the intercom. I went to the volunteer station, and she was right there.” He pointed a few feet away. “I said hello, the voice over the phone said hello. I kept repeating it. Hello? Hello? Static started setting in, but I could still hear someone. A man. Next thing I knew, I turned to look back, and she was fucking gone. That was almost two hours ago. Two. She wouldn’t have just left. And no one even knew we were here. Do you get what I’m fucking saying? Someone called for me, but we’re not from here. We flew in from Florida not even twenty-four hours ago. We’re not locals.”
I shifted, eyeing him suspiciously. “Someone knew. They asked for you. Are you sure she didn’t want to break it off and got a friend to call as a distraction so she could leave without a confrontation?”
“Lucy loves me. She’d never do something like that. If she didn’t want to be with me, she would have told me to my face. She wouldn’t have come on this trip. Someone. Has. Taken. Lucy. Do you understand me? Someone has taken her.”
Arguing was pointless. I already knew he was right, but I wasn’t sure what exactly to think of the guy standing before me.
“Her age?”
The man sighed impatiently. “Nineteen.”
“Full name?”
“Jesus, do you officers not communicate with one another? This is wasting our time. You need to be looking for her.”
The anger was increasing, but I expected it. He was genuinely afraid, or appeared to be.
“Fine,” he said, letting out another aggravated sound. “Lucy Elaine Adams.”
“Your name?”
“Boston Marks. No middle name.”
I scribbled down the information, glancing up to my partner, Diego, who was talking to a pair of officers. Swift movement had my hand pausing. My jaw tightened as my entire body stiffened.
“Son of bitch. Diego!”
Even though I tried to warn him, Anna’s light brown eyes were hard and pinned right on me. My pulse jumped like it always did when I saw her, and I couldn’t deny the longing that surfaced. She didn’t look like the same Anna I had almost asked to marry me. Her shape was different: leaner, less curvy. Even her face was slimmer, defining her high cheekbones and bow shaped lips.
She lived at the gym or at her Krav Maga classes. And if she wasn’t there, she was on the running path that went the length of the river. I knew, because I was always watching. Always making sure she was safe. Whether it was the detective in me, or the heartbroken lover who had believed for months the woman he loved was dead, I wasn’t sure. Maybe both.
“This is a crime scene, Anna. You can’t be here.”
My words came tumbling out, but she gave me no attention as she turned to Boston Marks.
“Hello. My name is Anna Monroe. I overheard your girlfriend is missing?”
“Anna.”
Still, she didn’t look at me.
“Yes. Someone took her. She was there one minute, and I turned around, and she was gone.”
“Is she young? Around eighteen?”
“Yes,” Boston breathed out. “She just turn
ed nineteen not that long ago.”
“Green eyes?”
“God, yes. Is that bad? She has blonde hair too. Does that matter?”
Her stare cut up to me. Green eyes. Blonde hair. So close to Anna’s description. It was also close to the women No One, The Rock River Killer, used to take. But he was dead. I had watched Anna rip his heart to shreds with her bare hands. Besides, Lucy would make the first blonde taken. The two other missing girls had darker hair, and we weren’t even sure their cases were connected.
“I can’t really say on the hair coloring,” Anna said softer, pulling out a card and handing it over. “My number is on the back. What I can do is try to help you. I’m sorry. I didn’t get your name.”
“Boston Marks. Tell me about Lucy. Why is her age and eye color an issue?”
“It’s not,” I snapped. “And you can throw that damn card away. She’s a news reporter. Anna?” I grasped her forearm, barely able to lock on before she spun, twisting my own up behind my back. As fast as it happened, she let go. Officers rushed forward, but I winced, lifting my other hand to calm them as I shook out the limb racing with pain.
“Don’t touch me. Not like that, Braden. I’m sorry. I…didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Goddammit, Anna.” I threw Boston a look, lifting my arm again as I scowled. She eased her palm to grip around my bicep while she let me lead her toward the entrance of the gardens. “This is the second time you’ve barged onto one of my crimes scenes in the last three weeks. Are you going to force me to arrest you?”
There was hesitation as she gave me a quick glance.
“No. It’s just…I happened to be in the area, and I overheard people talking. I thought it wasn’t much of an actual crime scene yet, so I figured I’d join in and see if maybe anything coincided with the other girls.”
“Do you see law enforcement standing around doing their job? It’s a scene, and I know you snuck in. Now, stay out of it. You’re a reporter. I’m a detective. We have jobs to do. Don’t break the rules, or you’ll force my hand.”
“You believe she was abducted.”
It wasn’t a question. I slowed us, frowning as my heart softened even more at the tone I was taking with her. “One of the first officers on the scene found what looked like a handkerchief. He smelled it and immediately became disoriented. It wasn’t chloroform, it’s something different. He’s at the hospital now. We’re trying to keep this under wraps, though. That means you have to go.”
Brown eyes widened, and her head spun to look behind us toward Mr. Marks.
“Any chance you could tell me more?”
“You know better than that.”
“I didn’t think so.” Fingers flexed against me as her voice dropped. “This will be the third girl. She fits the age range and eye color.”
My head shook. “These cases might be completely unrelated. The girls could be run-aways for all we know.”
“But not this one. Braden, someone is out there, and they could be taking young girls. Whether it’s the same person or not is irrelevant. There are no bodies. No girls surfacing. They’re gone, and if they’ve been taken by the same person, there’s still a chance they’re alive.”
Her words held more than a motivational statement. They held our past. They held regret. Pain. Agony. Overwhelming heartbreak that I hadn’t been able to find or save Anna from the torture she endured. My throat tightened, and the urge to hug her nearly had me acting. Had I known she wouldn’t attack me for the gesture, I might have attempted to. But Anna wanted nothing to do with me—or anyone.
I gave the officer taping the entrance a firm look as I brought us to a stop. “We’re doing everything we can. For now, you need to back off and wait for our statement. Don’t make me regret being open with you. I shouldn’t have, but I’m trusting you. And I want you to start trusting me.” I paused, unable to ignore the way my heart ached. “I miss you, A rúnsearc.”
She took a step back at my old pet name, putting distance between us. Nothing left her, but I didn’t expect a response. Her walls were coming down. It was evident in the way she wouldn’t look me in the eyes. But what had I expected? It had only been months since she had checked herself out of the mental hospital she’d intentionally kept herself hidden inside. She wasn’t ready. I wasn’t sure either of us were. There were still secrets from her past I was unraveling. Secrets I was sure I already knew. I had No One’s confession to thank for that. He said Anna killed a girl. A lover of hers she’d murdered in a jealous rage. The detective in me needed to have the answers, but the man who loved her almost didn’t care. It’s not like I didn’t have secrets of my own.
“Hurry up and get that up,” I snapped to the officer. “No one passes.”
Looking back to Anna, she was already gone. I headed toward my partner, who was now talking to Mr. Marks. The guy kept fidgeting and shifting on his feet. His eyes took in everything, but they held an emotion I was all too familiar with: overwhelming fear. We were supposed to suspect the significant other, but my gut was starting to tell me he wasn’t involved.
“God, is there nothing we can do? I can’t take this. Fuck. I need…Lucy. I need…” He spun in a circle, scanning the area.
“Calm, Mr. Marks. It may appear we’re not doing anything, but I promise we’re already working on trying to locate Lucy Adams. I want you to think back for me. Back to when the two of you were approaching the gardens. Did anyone or anything stand out to you?”
“That’s crime scene tape.” His fingers drew in to his palm repeatedly. “You believe me. You know someone took her. They have, haven’t they? It was someone. Not her running off.”
“Yes. From what we’ve uncovered, we believe so. Now, think back for me, Boston. This is crucial. Think back over your morning. Back to when you were both walking up. Did anything or anyone stand out?”
Tears clouded his eyes, and his expression saddened. Boston’s lids lowered, and he took a deep inhale, finally shaking his head and looking back to me.
“I was focused on Lucy. We were talking about how we always run late. She knew I wanted to be here before nine so we could take our time looking at the gardens. I…we were…in bed longer this morning than we should have been. Then we drove here from Chicago, eating on the road. She was teasing me, saying how we can never make it anywhere on time.” He took a shuddering breath. “We were here at the gardens maybe five to ten minutes before my name was called.”
I nodded, scribbling the information on my notepad. “What about once you were inside the gardens. Anything then?”
“We passed a few couples. One had a loud kid. It was crying over by the entrance. Fuck, why didn’t I pay more attention? I usually do, but…” He hesitantly reached into his pocket, pulling out a black box and fisting it. “I was going to surprise her tonight over dinner. I wasn’t focused. I kept going over how I was going to propose. And she was so happy to be on vacation. She’s never been to Chicago or Rockford. Everything felt perfect. She was all I saw. All I ever see.”
I threw Diego a look before jotting down more notes.
“Is there anyone who might want to harm Lucy?”
“What? No. No way. Everyone adores her.”
“What about her finances? Does she come from a wealthy family? Does she owe anyone money?”
Boston’s mouth parted. “No. Nothing like that. But me…my family. We have a lot of money. Do you think someone took her for ransom?”
“We don’t know anything yet. We’re covering all bases.”
“I have to call my mother. Fucking…I swear. This isn’t happening.”
He was already pulling out his phone. My head gestured for Diego and he came in closer.
“Anything else?”
Diego glanced toward the officers standing by the hedge.
“A witness says he saw a couple head through those bushes over there. He didn’t get a good look at the man. He was wearing a hat and gloves. But they did say the woman was a blonde wearing a light blue dress.
He was carrying her in his arms, like a child. Her head was in his neck, almost like she was sleeping. That’s what the witness says. Not sure how much of it is true, or if it even is. No footprints we can see. No evidence. Nothing, except the handkerchief the officer ran across. He could have dropped it on accident.”
My eyes cut to where Boston was pacing. “Or he could be responsible for the other two girls, and he’s getting braver. Maybe it wasn’t an accident at all. Maybe it’s a message that he’s not afraid us.”
Chapter 3
Anna
Three girls. Two eighteen, one nineteen. Two dark hair and green eyes. One blonde and green eyes. All three around five-foot-four. All taken from the same area.
I paced in front of my cheap corkboard, staring at the photos I’d stolen from their social media pages. Melanie had dark wavy hair that went to her mid-back and freckles spread over her cheeks and nose. The girl was on the pale side, where Paula had a darker skin tone and a short pixie cut. She was exotic looking with almond-shaped green eyes. Lucy, on the other hand, had the lightest hair, and her skin was slightly tanned. She was beautiful with blonde layers that reached a few inches past her shoulders. All three girls had no similarities except their build, age, and eye color. It didn’t make sense.
“There has to be something more. Speak. Where are you?”
Back and forth I went, scanning over the map I had pinned up below their pretty faces. The red tacks marked abduction locations. They were so close together, they were practically touching. The garden area where Lucy was taken was outside the downtown area, not far from a residential neighborhood. It’s where Melanie had last been seen, a block away from her home. Paula had been taken close by, leaving an ice cream shop just three blocks from the gardens.
