Finding Faye:

by A. J. Andersen

  I can tell she more than thinks she knows Analise. She just doesn’t want to commit until she knows she can keep her safe.

  Somehow Faye is friends with Analise Cerelli.

  “Who is she to you, Sweetpea?” I say as I close the file and lock my computer. Her thin shoulders shake with sobs again. When she cries herself out she finally speaks, her face buried in my chest.

  “It’s Ana. From the diner where I work. She is thinner now and her hair is way different, but I would know her anywhere. She is the closest thing I have to a friend.” Her voice breaks as she whimpers the last few words

  I think back to the frightened waitress I spoke to yesterday. Faye is right—her hair is dark now, and she is pregnant and exhausted, but Ana is Analise Cerelli. Without a word Faye slips off my lap, and I hear her quiet steps retreating down the stairs and calling for Max.

  I know this isn’t easy for her.

  I rise to follow her, but then think better of it, giving her a few moments to herself. I know that she is going to have to process this development. I pick up my phone to call Blake and fill him in. This is going to be a problem, a big one. Faye won’t want me to hand her friend over to a husband she ran away from, and I can't do it without her support. Going against her in this will drive a wedge between us, and I have just found her. I don't want her to feel like she needs to run again, and I’m afraid that is what she might be thinking about doing.

  If she runs and takes Analise with her, I will have a major mess on my hands. A mess that involves the mob.

  Just what I need right now.

  Chapter Twelve

  Faye

  My shoulders slump as I leave the office and make my way downstairs to sit on the couch and love on Max. Being surrounded with old photos of myself kind of weirds me out. I’m also having a hard time processing what I just learned. How did I fail to pick up on the fact that my friend, Ana is the wife of a mob boss?

  Especially one whose family I have been hiding from for years without knowing it.

  What are the chances of that? Really?

  Having to turn an unknown woman over to a husband she ran away from was hard enough to consider. That woman being Ana makes it that much harder. Ana has never said much to me about why she is hiding from her husband, but knowing she is on the run from the mafia…it makes so much more sense now.

  I want to help her hide, NOT hand her over. I have to talk to her. If sending her back to him will put her in danger I won’t do it. I won’t let Travis do it either.

  I will take my chances with the Cerelli family. Travis will just have to accept that and keep me safe. If he won’t do that, then I will have to leave, and take Ana with me if necessary. I’ve made it on my own this long, I know I can continue to do so if I have to.

  I hope Travis understands.

  I need to talk to Ana, but first I have to talk to Travis and figure this mess out. Let him know what I’m thinking. Unfurling myself from my spot on the couch with Max, I go back upstairs and peek in the open door at Travis.

  “Hey you,” I say, giving him a silly finger wave as he looks up at me. A huge smile brightens his face, showing his dimples. Butterflies explode in my stomach.

  Geez! He really is crazy hot.

  I’m not sure I could actually leave again, now that he has found me.

  “Hey Faye.” He motions for me to come in and I do, perching on the edge of his big desk, glancing around the room, looking for anything I can focus on.

  “So… I have a couple things…” I hesitate and he looks at me. “The pictures of me have to go.” The words stumble out in a rush. “At least into an album. I’m happy you have them, but they sort of weird me out.” I gesture at the walls and he chuckles, nodding his agreement. I guess that means he knows it’s a little weird.

  “That’s fine, Pea. Maybe we can make a scrapbook or something,” he deadpans, and I roll my eyes and giggle, thinking about a big sexy marine scrapbooking at the dining room table with me.

  “That’s the easy one, Trav,” I tell him, my voice serious again.

  “I figured.” He’s still smiling, so I take that as encouragement and continue.

  “We have to talk to Ana before you tell her husband you’ve found her. I have to know why she left him. If he abused her, I refuse to force her go back to that, no matter what the risk to me is.”

  His face is somber as he meets my eyes. “I kinda figured you were gonna tell me something like that. I don’t like it, but I do understand. Blake and I are already figuring out the logistics of an alternate plan. Just don’t run again, okay?” Relieved, I nod my head and reach for his hand, hoping to soothe the worry I can see in his eyes. He squeezes my hand tightly. “Is Ana supposed to work today?”

  I think about it for a second before nodding. “She usually works the same shifts I do, and I should have been there today. If we want to catch her, we should go now. She won’t stick around after her shift, and I don’t know where she lives.”

  His voice is confused when he asks, “I thought you were friends?”

  “We are... sort of. I guess neither of our lives has been very conducive to being the kind of friends who hang out outside of work. I didn’t even have friends like that in high school.”

  I see his emotions float across his face. I slide my feet to the floor and head toward the hall. The last thing I ever wanted to see in his eyes was pity, but it was there, plain as day and it makes my heart hurt.

  “I’m gonna change so we can go to the diner,” I throw back over my shoulder, striving to keep my voice normal.

  Travis

  She breaks my heart. When she said, so matter-of-factly, that she didn’t even have friends in school, I couldn’t stop my feelings from showing. I tried, but her words opened up a sadness in me that I can’t bear.

  She pulled back instantly. She is proud and tough and she doesn't want me to feel sorry for her.

  I don’t blame her. I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for the things I have gone through.

  Living with the dysfunction of Brad and Claire didn’t make friendships easy for her. Hell, I was only there for a year, and it was nearly impossible for me.

  It had to have been unbearable for her as a girl. There was always the risk of embarrassment from Claire’s drinking, and the potential for Brad to lose his temper and hit her.

  She told me all of this in her letters, but I just hadn’t allowed myself to think about it in years. Her words brought it all rushing back to me. More than anything, I wish that I could have saved her from all that loneliness.

  Letting Faye have a few minutes, I head outside to start my truck, promising myself that she will never be alone and friendless again. Somehow I’m going to solve this problem and give her everything she has always deserved. I’m hoping meeting with Analise will help us come up with a plan that works for everyone.

  A few minutes later she is all smiles as she climbs up into the passenger seat of my pickup. It seems a little forced, though. “You ready?” I ask her.

  “As ready as I’m gonna be,” she says. I know she doesn’t want to admit to Ana that we know who she really is and what that means to us. If there was another way to help Faye, I would do it.

  “It’s going to be okay, Faye. We will figure it out, and I swear I won’t make her go back to him if she feels like she is in danger.”

  She brushes her hand over mine and smiles at me. The anxiety tightening my chest starts to dissipate. I like knowing that I can put her mind at ease.

  The drive across town goes by in lightly strained silence. We pull into the diner and Faye points out Ana’s little car, so we know that she is still here.

  “Travis, I want to talk to her first. She may not open up with you right there, but I think she will tell me the truth about why she is hiding from her husband.”

  “All right, but I’m going in with you.”

  She doesn’t argue with me. “That’s fine. Just give me a few minutes to talk to her alone, then we can figure thi
s whole thing out together.”

  Nodding my agreement, I park my truck and pull her across the seat and into my arms.

  I have to kiss her. I can’t wait another minute.

  Her startled eyes meet mine as her tongue slips out, slicking over her bottom lip.

  “I’ve needed to do this all day,” I mumble, framing her delicate face in my big hands and pressing my lips tenderly against hers. She slides her hands up my arms to rest against my biceps, and the breathy little sound she makes causes my blood to run hotter.

  Every protective instinct I have for her comes crashing forward, and I pull her more tightly into my arms. Choking back my own sounds of desire so I don’t frighten her with the intensity of my lust, I nip at her lips until she opens, accepting my searching tongue.

  My heart pounds out a rapid rhythm against my ribs while my mind chants mine, mine, mine in time with the beats. Her little body softens against me, her fingernails scoring my skin as she slides her tongue against mine. My fingers slide into her hair, adjusting the angle of our kiss so I can take her mouth more deeply. She moans as my hand slides under the hem of her shirt and settles against the cool satin of her naked back.

  I can’t restrain the groan that rumbles out of me and into the wet heat of her mouth as I realize she still isn’t wearing a bra. Her eyelids flutter open at the sound, her honey-eyed gaze unfocused as her eyes meet mine.

  A soft knock on the window snaps us both back to the realization that we are in my pickup in a public parking lot.

  Faye scoots away from me, gasping for air, her damp lips swollen. Her cheeks flush bright pink as she realizes what we were doing. My own breathing is ragged and loud in the confined space.

  I take a centering breath and only smell the sweet scent of Faye. It doesn’t help me calm down at all.

  Glancing out the window, I see the waitress I spoke to the night before. Faye must have noticed her at the same time.

  “Ana!” she exclaims, just before she scrambles out of the truck and circles around to her friend. Gathering myself, I open my door and hop to the ground, watching them as they hug.

  Ana murmurs something to Faye I can’t hear. She looks at me with a wide grin and nods at her friend with a laugh.

  Ana gives me a quick smile, and I lift my chin in greeting before they turn toward the diner and head inside.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Faye

  My knees are still shaking from his kiss. Hell… I did not see that coming.

  I keep touching the tip of my tongue to my lips. I can still taste him on my skin. It’s driving me crazy. I’ve never been kissed like that.

  I had one kiss after a dance my freshman year, but after that I kept the few boys who expressed interest in me away by telling them I had a boyfriend who was a marine. No fifteen-year-old boy feels he can compete with that, especially after catching a glimpse of the picture of Travis I kept in my locker.

  I still have that photo of him. Shirtless, in fatigues and combat boots, laughing. I don’t know how many times I gazed at it in bed at night, pretending it was me making him laugh, my words making him smile.

  Later, I would stare at it, imagining his hands slipping into my panties. I can’t think about that right now though, not with the taste of him still on me and the feeling of his big hot hand against the naked expanse of my back. Way too distracting and this is not a good time for me to be distracted.

  Ana and I head inside and claim a booth in the corner furthest from the cash register where our co-worker Ronda leans, her heavily lined eyes fixed on Travis as he enters behind us and takes a seat at the long counter. I hear Travis ask for a cup of coffee and Ronda’s low voice answering. I’m sure she is flirting with him, she flirts with every man who comes in these doors, and jealousy boils in my stomach.

  Ronda is one of the gals who works the parking lot after her shifts, and she must be good at it because she has a bunch of regulars who aren’t just nasty old perverts.

  I can’t stop my glare as I watch Ronda lean across the counter, giving Travis an unimpeded view of her breasts down the front of her uniform dress.

  He doesn't even glance at what she offers, and I love him more for it.

  Ronda plunks a cup down in front of him and stomps away to flirt with a couple truckers at a table across the room. Her laughter is louder than usual and she doesn’t hide the fact that her eyes are glued to the mountain of a man sipping coffee at the counter.

  My man…

  She’d better knock that shit off before I scratch her eyes out.

  “So he found you?” Ana asks, smiling as she motions toward Travis.

  ”Obviously,” I snark, rolling my eyes at her.

  “You okay with being found?” she asks, a small crease of worry between her eyebrows.

  “Oh yes,” I reply. “I have been waiting for him to find me for ages.”

  She smiles at me and I can tell she is truly happy for me. I wish I didn't have to wipe that smile off her face, but I know I’m going to.

  “Ana, I have to ask you something, and I need you to not freak out or be scared,” I finally blurt out. Confusion knits her brow and she nods. Taking a deep breath, I rush ahead. “Do you know who the Cerelli family is? From New York?”

  Her face pales and her hand flutters to her throat, clutching the ring she always wears on a thin chain around her throat.

  “W-why?” She looks nervous, but not afraid, bolstering my confidence.

  “You know how we are both from New York?” I ask. She nods, waiting for me to continue. “My stepfather was a lawyer for the Cerelli family. When he became a liability to them, they killed him and my mom. I took a bus cross-country to get here so he could find me.” I point to Travis. Ana pays close attention to me as I tell her the rest of my story, ending with Travis finding me yesterday.

  A few long moments pass in silence before she asks, “What does all this have to do with me?” She holds a napkin in her hands and keeps folding and unfolding it nervously.

  “I wish I could say nothing, but there is still a high likelihood that the New York Cerellis want to find me since I'm a material witness to a double murder. Travis has been in touch with Xavier Cerelli, the son of the man who had been looking for me.”

  Her cheeks turn pink and she glances away anxiously at the mention of Xavier’s name. Still, no fear registers on her face so I continue.

  “Xavier and Travis have made an arrangement: my guaranteed safety from the Cerellis in return for Travis’ assistance in locating his missing wife, Analise.”

  She blinks at me, but otherwise remains still and silent.

  “Ana, I've seen the file Xavier sent to Travis. I know that you are Analise Cerelli.”

  At first I doubt that my words have any impact on her, until her chin trembles and her blue eyes fill with tears that slip down her cheeks. Finally she heaves a sigh and places a hand on her round belly.

  “I knew I was going to have to go back soon,” she says simply. “I can't do this baby thing alone anymore.”

  She buries her face in her hands, and sobs shake her slim shoulders. I slide out of my seat and into the booth beside her motioning for Travis to join us. He rises, abandoning his coffee.

  “Ana, let's go to Travis’ house so we can talk in private. Would that be okay?” I ask her, seeing Ronda staring at us from the corner of my eye.

  Pulling another napkin from the dispenser, Ana wipes her face before nodding. Together we slide out of the booth and cross the dining room on our way to the parking lot. The silence around us is heavy with secrets.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Travis

  The cab of my truck almost vibrates with unspoken words. Except for occasional sniffles from Analise, followed by murmured reassuring words from Faye, no one says anything. The further we go from the diner the more Ana stiffens until she sits ramrod straight in her seatbelt, her hands twisting in her lap.

  Faye glances at me. I can tell she wants me to say something reassuring. But
I have no words. Until I know more about why Ana left her husband, I don’t know what I can do to help her.

  The short drive ends as I pull into my driveway, and Faye sags against me, her head resting on my shoulder. I stop in front of my house and cut the engine.

  As I reach for my door Ana asks, “He isn't here, is he?” Her voice wobbles, her hands fisted against her thighs.

  I open the door and drop the short distance to the ground as Faye hurries to reassure her. “Oh no. He’s not here. Travis is supposed to find you and take you home.”

  Rounding to the other side, I help Ana down to the ground before turning and lifting Faye into my arms for a hug. She squeezes me with a little sigh before letting go.

  My dick is semi-hard from the brief contact of our bodies, and I know she feels it rubbing against her. I slide her against me until her feet hit the ground. Her eyes flash up, glittering in the dim porch light, before she ducks her head and hurries to take Ana by the hand, leading her inside.

  I thought finding Analise would take weeks, maybe even months. The odds of finding her because I found Faye are next to impossible. In fact, if it hadn’t just happened, I wouldn’t have thought such a coincidence possible.

  Now we just have to settle the issue of establishing her safety and getting her back to her husband in Vegas.

  I never promised Cerelli that she would stay with him, just that I would return her to him. If she wants to leave him after I take her back, Blake and I will help her. It’s a given. I may have liked Xavier over the phone, but Faye would never let me leave Ana somewhere she didn't want to be.

  Faye leads Ana into the kitchen and bustles around, making tea and finding a small box of cookies hidden in the back of the pantry. Holding up the package, she shakes it in my direction. “Here I thought you were Mr. Health Food.” Her eyes roam over me, lingering on my flat stomach and where the sleeves of my t-shirt stretch tight around my bulging biceps.