Against All Odds

by Stacy Claflin

  “Don’t you understand how divorce works?”

  “It was a mistake. We can fix it.” Corrine leaned closer and forced her mouth on his. She moved even closer, put her palms on his chest and pressed herself against him.

  Nick was pinned against the corner of the couch. He put his hands on her shoulders to move her out of the way, but she took it wrong and climbed onto his lap, then deepened the kiss.

  He shoved her off and jumped up. “What are you doing?”

  “Baby, don’t you miss that? How good we were together?”

  “You’re—”

  Ding-dong!

  He glared at her. “Don’t ever do that again!”

  “Nicky!”

  He stormed to the door and flung it open. Garcia and Chang stood there, both with funny expressions.

  Nick gestured to Corrine. “She has a photo you’ll find interesting.” Then he hurried past them without another word, heading straight for his Mustang.

  Temptation

  Alex set down the black plastic basket. He shouldn’t have come here. Yet he had.

  He took a deep breath, his insides shaking as he stared at the beer. Rows and rows of it, all refrigerated to perfection.

  “Excuse me.” Two giggling blondes moved around him and took a couple bottles of fruit-flavored drinks. Whispering and laughing, they left.

  Alex licked his lips and stared at his old favorite. The cheapest one there—the only thing he could afford back when he worked as a roofer in his smelly little apartment.

  He could afford much better now, but his old friend called his name.

  Really, would it be such a big deal if he had a drink? Was it wrong, or just a bad idea? It wasn’t like alcohol was bad. Not in moderation. If he only bought one bottle—maybe two—then he couldn’t have more. It would be just enough to dull the pain. He couldn’t go through a whole box if he didn’t have a box.

  If the stuff was so bad, why did they sell it at the grocery store? It wasn’t like it was illegal. He could take a couple bottles to the register and buy them, and nobody would bat an eye. It would be just another tired-looking guy bringing home some beer.

  Except that he wasn’t just some dude. He knew the path the drink would take him. He knew. But that didn’t stop him from standing there, staring at all those bottles full of liquid sunshine. Or liquid hell.

  But could just one bottle really be that bad? Just one?

  Surely, he’d moved on far enough that he could handle it. Especially given everything in his life. His fiancée was being held by a madman. Maybe he’d already killed her.

  A relaxing drink was practically required in a situation like this. People would think he was crazy not to.

  As he stood there trying to figure out what to do, several others came by and grabbed various drinks. None were conflicted. Not one person gave it a second thought.

  It wasn’t bad stuff. All he needed was just enough to relax and get some sleep. That way he could be awake and alert tomorrow to dig up more dirt on Dave and Mason.

  Alex reached for a bottle, then froze. If he did this, he’d have to start over with his number of days without alcohol. His mind was too fuzzy to think of what that number was, but it was in the hundreds. It was impressive and he’d worked hard to get there. And besides, he liked marking each day on his calendar.

  Did he really want to throw that away for one drink?

  He stared at the bottle. His mouth watered and his insides shook.

  Did some arbitrary number really mean anything? Who really cared how many days he’d gone? Was he going to win an award? Have it proudly displayed on his gravestone?

  It wasn’t like there was some ticker on his forehead. Not that many people even knew about his past struggles.

  He glanced at his shaking hand, frozen halfway to the beer bottle. Past struggles. That was laughable.

  Except he wasn’t laughing.

  Beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

  This was getting ridiculous. It was just one drink. One.

  He took a deep breath. Closed his eyes and pictured Ariana, safe but sick in her bed. He pictured his brand new nephew. The tiny baby he’d almost had to deliver.

  Two children who he’d seen born. One who looked up to him and loved him. The other who hopefully would feel the same way.

  He couldn’t let them down.

  Then there was Zoey. Scared somewhere. Probably hurt. Maybe worse. She was so proud of him for his long streak of no alcohol. So proud he could see it in her eyes.

  He didn’t want to let her down, either.

  Alex opened his eyes. He stared down the bottles. “You aren’t going to win today.”

  He picked up the shopping basket and headed for the bread aisle, where he’d originally been heading.

  Crushed

  Genevieve forced smiles as she made her way to her desk, a double-shot espresso in hand. She’d slept fitfully and had to face another day of work.

  Not only was she worried about Nick—she’d stopped calling and texting—but now she was having flashbacks to her experience in the woods. And for what? She hadn’t helped find Ava and Zoey. Yeah, she’d stopped a predatorial teacher, but it hardly felt like a win.

  She sat and opened up her emails, hoping the distraction would help pull her out of the funk.

  There was a slight buzz of excitement in the air. Hopefully, that meant there had been a break in the case that she hadn’t heard about yet. Something the news hadn’t gotten ahold of.

  Genevieve gulped her coffee, hoping it would help. So far, nothing.

  Chang came over and leaned against her desk, hovering over her. “Did you hear?”

  She kept her gaze on the computer screen. “About what?”

  He laughed. “Oh, I don’t know. Some school shooting. Sound familiar?”

  She glared at him. “Either tell me or leave me alone.”

  “Who pissed in your cereal this morning?”

  It took all her self-control not to throw the rest of her espresso in his face.

  The corners of his mouth twitched, then he leaned closer, still over her. “Well, the captain’s ex is being really helpful in this case. We have a possible location for the cabin.”

  Genevieve’s eyes lit up. “We do?”

  He nodded and pressed his palm on her desk, inching closer to her. “Yeah, the feds have been on it all night. Just got the location a few minutes ago. But that’s not the biggest news.”

  “There’s more? Are the hostages okay?”

  “We don’t know yet, but it looks like our captain might be getting back together with his ex.”

  It felt like a punch to the gut. “Wh-what makes you say that?”

  Chang smirked. “Garcia and I went over last night to get a picture of a cabin from Corrine Fleshman. As we were walking up her walkway, she was on his lap with her tongue down his throat. Her hands were all over him.”

  Blood drained from Genevieve’s body. She couldn’t breathe. Chang had to be lying. He just had to be.

  “Can you believe that?” Chang scooted even closer, now his eyes were just inches from hers. She could smell his cologne. It practically choked her. “They were making out right in front of a window with the curtains pulled wide open. But they were married and have three kids together. Guess there isn’t anything scandalous about that. Is there?”

  Her stomach lurched. “Excuse me.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  She pushed past him and ran to the bathroom. Chang’s laughter followed her until the door closed behind her.

  Mackey was washing her hands.

  Genevieve rushed into a stall before the other woman would have the chance to start talking. She sat on the seat and let the tears escape silently.

  The water stopped, then Mackey’s footsteps went toward the door. Once it closed behind her, Genevieve allowed herself to sob.

  Why had she let herself fall for her boss? She’d been stupid to think it could work. Even worse, she’d giv
en herself to him in the most personal way possible. And she’d been stupid enough to think it actually meant something.

  What if she’d sent him straight into the arms of his ex-wife?

  That was someone she stood no chance against—the mother of his children. They had three kids together, and one was now missing. He and Corrine shared something Genevieve could never share with him.

  How was she ever going to face him again? He would eventually return to work—maybe soon if the lead on the cabin panned out. Then what? How could she ever look him in the eyes again? He would never respect her.

  She would never be able to move through the ranks in this precinct. Or, if she did, she would always wonder if Nick pulled strings to keep her quiet about their night together.

  What made all of this worse was the fact that his daughter was missing, abducted by a murderer, and all Genevieve could think about was her broken heart and potentially ruined career. She’d be the laughingstock of the station. Chang had already picked up on her feelings for Nick. How many others had too, but kept quiet about it?

  Beyond all of this was Tinsley. The girl was fragile and had started to make friends with Nick’s kids and Alex’s daughter. She hadn’t made any progress with any kids at school.

  Now Genevieve wouldn’t be able to take Tinsley on play dates anymore. She’d have to cut the girl off from the only kids she was starting to trust all because she’d slept with her boss.

  One night of thinking with something other than her head, and she’d ruined her life and Tinsley’s in fell swoop.

  The door to the bathroom opened.

  “Are you still in here, Foster?” Mackey asked.

  Genevieve cleared her throat as quietly as possible. “Yes.”

  “Garcia wants you to join him and Chang. They’re going out with the feds to look at the cabin.”

  She wiped her eyes. “Tell them I’ll be right there.”

  “Okay.” The door closed.

  Genevieve lowered herself to the floor and vomited into the toilet.

  Back

  Ava struggled against the ropes. Dave had tied her ankles and wrists, then wrapped more rope around her arms and knees. Now she was flat on her back on the uncomfortable bed with no way to break free. She couldn’t even scream for help because he’d duct taped her mouth.

  There was literally nothing she could do to get out. Part of her wished Zoey would come back to help her, but she was glad Zoey hadn’t. There was no doubt in her mind that Dave would keep his word and shoot both of them.

  Hopefully Zoey would be able to find her way out and bring help. Dave had basically left Ava there to waste away. She’d had nothing to eat or drink, and despite her best efforts, she’d peed herself about an hour earlier.

  Something sounded not too far away.

  Ava’s heart jumped into her throat. Was that good news or bad? Had Zoey already found help and brought them? Or was it just Dave making noise?

  She held her breath and listened, not able to hear much over the sound of her pulse drumming in her ears.

  Breathe, just breathe.

  That was easier said—thought—than done because of the duct tape and the dust that was irritating her nose.

  Finally she calmed herself enough to actually listen.

  It was a dull, repetitive sound.

  What was he doing?

  It finally hit her. Dave was snoring. The jerk was sleeping soundly enough to snore while Ava was struggling against the ropes and while Zoey was out in the woods, fighting to find her way out.

  Anger surged through Ava and she struggled all the more against the ropes. Things looked as bleak as they could be, but she couldn’t give up now.

  She wouldn’t.

  There had to be something she could do. She just hadn’t looked hard enough yet.

  Ava took a deep breath through her nose and studied the room as best she could with the daylight coming through the closed, ripped curtains.

  The room was still mostly bare, but not entirely. That meant she could find something to help her. Maybe something to cut against the ropes or a way out without waking Dave.

  Something.

  Anything.

  It didn’t matter what. She scanned the room. Then her gaze landed on a stray piece of wood. The edge looked rough enough to rub against the ropes and maybe be able to free herself.

  She just needed to get to the ground without making a sound, then maneuver herself over to the wood and grab it from behind. Then she needed to be able to angle it just right to cut the ties.

  It sounded impossible, but it was all she had.

  She had to try. It beat the alternative.

  Ava squirmed and threw her weight to move her closer to the bed’s edge.

  Squeak! Creak!

  She held her breath and closed her eyes—like that would hide her from Dave if he heard her.

  Silence.

  Then a distant snore.

  Ava breathed a sigh of relief. She squirmed and wiggled some more, inching closer to the edge of the bed.

  It felt like it was taking forever. If only she had a button she could push. An app would be nice. Or even just not being there at all. That would be best. Dave would pay. She would make sure of that once she broke free of the ropes.

  But that would mean reaching the floor first. That could take all year at the rate she was going.

  She continued struggling. Inching. Trying to stay quiet while listening for him. All she heard was the occasional distant snore.

  Then her arm brushed the edge of the bed!

  Ava swung her feet over while holding her upper body weight over the bed. One wrong move and she would crash to the floor and undoubtedly wake Dave.

  Her heart pounded.

  Just a little farther.

  Ava’s toe brushed the floor. She pressed both feet down flat. Once she was sure she’d be able to hold her body weight, she pushed off against the bed and stood.

  She stared at the wood. It felt light years away. But she’d made it this far. She could keep going and pick it up.

  All she had to do was to keep her balance while making her way over, one little bit at a time.

  She wiggled her fingers, readying them to grab the wood.

  Something crashed in the next room.

  Convince

  Alex sat at the edge of his bed. His head pounded and ached, but it was nothing compared to what it could’ve been if he’d given into temptation the night before.

  With a fresh morning perspective, he was glad he hadn’t. He was actually surprised he hadn’t. He’d wanted a drink so bad.

  It was no wonder people went to meetings and had sponsors. He wanted to call someone and talk about how great it felt to have faced temptation that had grabbed him by the throat and to have walked away without giving in.

  But even so, there was no time for celebration. Not with Zoey and Ava missing.

  Alex grabbed his phone and checked for any news updates. Nothing new, unfortunately.

  There was a text from his mom asking if he needed anything and saying that Macy and the baby were back from the hospital. He sent a quick thanks, and said he didn’t need anything.

  A twinge of guilt pricked him for not visiting his sister and nephew in the hospital, but he’d been there for the birth. That counted for a lot more, didn’t it?

  What was everyone telling her about Zoey? Macy had to be furious, or at least hurt, that her lifelong best friend hadn’t been there for the biggest moment of her life.

  Was it crueler to leave her wondering or to tell her the truth?

  Alex called Luke, hoping he wasn’t asleep.

  “Hey, Alex.” The new dad sounded tired.

  “How’s Macy and the baby? Sorry I didn’t make it to the hospital.”

  Luke yawned. “Don’t worry about it. You have your own stuff to deal with.”

  “Have you told Macy about Zoey?”

  “I told her how sick Ariana is and led her to believe Zoey was sick, too. I j
ust couldn’t bring myself to tell her. Is that selfish? I hate keeping it from her.”

  “So do I, but it’s for the best. She doesn’t need that kind of stress right now.”

  “That’s what I keep telling myself, but I know she’s going to be mad at me when she finds out.” Luke yawned again.

  “Even if she is upset, she’ll understand. She’ll have all these memories untainted from everything else going on. Hey, did you guys pick a name yet?”

  “We did. The hospital staff didn’t want us leaving without one. Your nephew is Caden Alexander.”

  “What? Alexander?” If Alex wasn’t already sitting, he would need to. “Not Lucas? Or your dad’s name?”

  “We both agreed you make a great namesake. You’re going to be the cool uncle he looks up to. Besides, the two names have a good sound, don’t you think?”

  “Wow, thanks. I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything.” Luke yawned for the third time. “But if you don’t mind, I’m going to see if I can get a little nap before Caden wakes again.”

  “Yeah, sure.” They said quick goodbyes while Alex let the name sink in. He wasn’t sure if it was because of Zoey’s disappearance, but them picking his name left him with a lump in his throat.

  He gave himself a minute to let it settle, then he called Nick.

  “Alex, what’s going on?” Nick’s voice was thick and groggy.

  “Sorry if I woke you.”

  “What time is it?”

  “After ten.”

  Nick swore, and rustling noises sounded on the other end. “I should’ve set my alarm.”

  “Do you have somewhere to be?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what to do about Corrine.”

  “What about her?”

  He muttered something. “She’s lost her mind.”

  “Ava’s missing, I’m not surprised. We’re all going a little crazy right now.”

  “No, I mean seriously, she’s lost her mind. She’s trying to win me back.”