Dark Secret

by Avelyn Paige

  He smirks. “What’s wrong, Shel? Don’t want me to see you without a bra? I mean, it’s not like I haven’t seen them before.”

  “Just go wait in the hall,” I hiss, tossing a pillow at his head.

  Snatching it out of the air, he chuckles as he disappears through the door, closing it behind him. Asshole.

  As soon as I hear the latch click, I hop off the bed and rush to my overnight bag. I dig through it, pulling out an off-white bra and a worn pair of jeans. I use the en suite bathroom and quickly brush my teeth and wash my face.

  My purple-hued hair is short, and takes only a little effort to have it laying just right. Deciding to forgo the make-up, I slip my hand through a dozen or so silver bangles and open the bedroom door.

  Wyatt’s gaze starts down at my toes and slowly glides back up to my face. “You don’t look much different, other than all the tattoos.”

  I love tattoos. There’s something about commemorating important events in your life, or showing the world your soul through permanent art on your skin. It’s always fascinated me.

  “I own a shop,” I inform him. “That way, when I run out of places on my own skin, I can ink up other people.” I look him up and down. “I see you still don’t have any.”

  “This body is a fucking temple. No way in hell is anything important enough to make me desecrate it.”

  I scan the body he so casually referred to, and he’s right. It is a temple. It’s chiseled, hard, and broad, and easily the sexiest male body I’ve ever seen. I’d love the opportunity to mark it with my tattoo gun—amongst other things.

  “See something you like?”

  Shit. “What exactly are you doing here at…”—I check my phone. Wow, I’d definitely been tired—“…eleven o’clock in the morning?”

  Wyatt takes in my bedroom in all its early millennium charm, and frowns. “Can we talk somewhere else? Pretty sure the boy band posters are eye fucking me.”

  A snort of laughter escapes through my nose in the most unladylike fashion, making Wyatt grin. “Downstairs,” I say through my chuckle. “We can sit out on the patio.”

  As we hit the main floor, I see Lorna peering around the corner with worry creasing her wrinkled forehead. I give her a tight smile and point to the rear of the house to indicate our plans. I catch her nod just before I step outside into the late morning sun.

  The metal chairs are starting to rust around the edges, but Lorna has kept the cushions in perfect condition over the years. I plop down in one of the chairs and wait for Wyatt to sit across from me.

  “What did you find?”

  Wyatt sighs. “Not a lot, to be honest. Still no signal on her phone. I did manage to get into her computer, though.” He leans forward. “Did she ever mention a game she liked to play called Blox World?”

  I sit back and think. “Yes, she loved that game. She talked about it all the time, but she spoke about a lot of things she did online. I didn’t understand any of it.”

  “Kids build worlds,” he persists, “talk to each other. Hang out. It’s a coder kid’s wet dream.”

  My nose wrinkles. “Ew, gross. And besides, Hayden’s a girl. She has boobs, not wet dreams.”

  Wyatt’s eyes narrow at the idea of his daughter having breasts. “Anyway,” he scowls, clearly not wanting to stay on that topic any longer. “It seems Hayden’s been playing it quite a bit, and talking to one user daily for a while. The last message said, from whomever it was, that they couldn’t wait for later. It was sent yesterday morning.”

  Tears prick at my eyes. All along, I’d been telling everyone that someone had taken her, but Wyatt’s words have just confirmed it.

  “Shelby, she was on that game at all hours of the day and night. Do you not monitor her online time?”

  I gape at him. “Are you saying this is my fault?”

  “No, I’m asking a fucking question.”

  I press my hands to the arms of the chair, both to steady myself—as my world spins out of control—and to keep myself from lunging at this man for even insinuating I don’t take proper care of my daughter.

  “Shelby is a straight A student. She does her chores, follows the rules, and never talks back. I trust her. Why would I monitor her online time? I don’t know a damn thing about the internet.”

  His face softens. “And that’s exactly why she needs to be monitored. Online is the easiest place for a girl like her to fall victim to a predator.”

  A sob wracks my entire body, and the tears I’d been fighting spill over. “What are we going to do?”

  “We need a lawyer. We need the chat threads for Hayden’s account, all of them. We need to get a court order to get them from the game developer of Blox World.”

  Hashtag

  “This is the place.” Shelby pulls her car up to the curb of a large brick building near downtown. A large gold and black sign sits just outside of it with large letters reading Stratford and Goldman in block print. The sign alone screams expensive. It seems she’s got friends in high places.

  “How did you get an appointment so fast?” I question. Unless she has an attorney on retainer, she shouldn’t have been able to book a same day appointment. The longer I think about it, the more I feel on edge. Shelby opens the door and slides out from behind the wheel without answering me.

  “What the fuck?” I growl, reaching for the handle and bolting out of the passenger side, racing to catch up to her. Her heels click against the pavement as we approach the front of the building.

  “Shelby!” I call out to her. Stopping, she spins around to face me. “I asked you a question back there, and you bolt out of the car like your hair's on fire. What’s going on?”

  “The sooner we get in there, the closer we’ll be to getting Hayden back.” She chews on her bottom lip, just like she used to when she was nervous. We both want Hayden back—me more than anything—but there’s something else, lingering below the surface that she isn’t saying, and it’s bothering me. What am I about to walk in to?

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.”

  “It’s not important.”

  “If you’re gnawing on your lip, it’s important.” Shelby releases her lip, and it’s red. Redder than I’ve ever seen it before.

  “Come on, we’re going to be late.” Dismissing my hesitation, she charges forward and through the darkened glass doors. With a shake of my head, I tag along behind her until she stops at the reception desk in the center of the room.

  “Name, please?” the perky little brunette behind the desk asks, her eyes growing wide when she notices me standing behind Shelby. I’ve seen that look a dozen times before. She’s hungry for something a little more dangerous, something off her normal menu. Shelby’s body tenses ever so slightly, and had I not been paying more attention to her than the little brunette, I would have missed it. Too bad for her, she isn’t on my radar, but she’s now on Shelby’s.

  “Dawson. I’m here to see K—I mean, Mrs. Stratford. We have an appointment.”

  “One moment, please.” Her fingers click over the keyboard, but her eyes linger on me for a few seconds longer before she peers at her screen. “Ah, yes. Her assistant called earlier with instructions for you to meet Mrs. Stratford in her private conference room. She should be joining you momentarily. Just take the elevator to the top floor.” She points a finger to the elevators, left of the reception hall. “Or, if you’d like a personal escort, I’d be happy to take you up.”

  “No,” Shelby nearly growls, but quickly covers it up. “We can manage it on our own.” She turns to look at me over her shoulder before heading toward the aforementioned elevators. Her red, manicured finger presses against the button to call it at least a half a dozen times. I stifle a chuckle under my breath, but she catches me and scowls.

  The elevator dings when it arrives. Once the doors slide open, we both step inside, silence encasing the small space between us as she bounces nervously on her heels.

  “Still don’t like elevators?” I t
ake a step closer to her, decreasing the space between us. “What if I do this?” I hop into the air, and she squeals when I land.

  “You know how much I hate that, Wyatt.”

  “Just trying to lighten the mood, sweetheart.” I shrug. “After that display of yours in the lobby, I thought you could use a laugh.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Oh, yes you do. She can try to hide it all she wants, but there’s still something there, even if she doesn’t want to admit it. “I just didn’t want to be late to our meeting.”

  “You’re cute when you try to lie.” Her nostrils flare just enough to confirm it. She’s pissed that the receptionist took notice of me, and outwardly flirted right in front of her.

  The elevator dings, and the doors slide open. Taking the opportunity to end the conversation, she exits. I step out of the elevator and onto what I can only assume is the executive level of the firm. A thin woman is greeting Shelby near the entrance of a large room when I approach, her face lighting up with fear when she sees me. Apparently, it’s not every day a biker walks into the penthouse suite of a firm like this.

  Shelby turns to me with a serious look on her beautiful face. “Promise me, you won’t ruin this.”

  I arch my brow, the uneasiness I felt earlier returning as I process her request. “Ruin what? All this lawyer friend of yours needs to do is their job, and everything will be fine.”

  “Please, Wyatt.” Her voice wavers ever so slightly.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  Just over Shelby’s shoulder, the door to the conference room opens, and on the other side is someone I never wanted to see again—Kasey.

  “No fucking way. We’re leaving.” I reach for Shelby’s arm, but she jerks away from me, digging in her heels on her decision to consult with the bane of my existence about my daughter.

  Kasey smiles. “I see nothing has changed with you, Wyatt. All these years, and you’re still playing a biker in your little biker gang. How are you not in prison?”

  She eyes me up and down, just like she used to do when we were in high school. No matter how successful I could have been, I would never have measured up in Kasey’s eyes. Not that I’ve ever cared one fucking wink about what she thinks of me.

  “Let’s move this conversation into the conference room. I don’t want to disturb my high-profile clients with this kind of unpleasantness.” Kasey moves farther into the room, leaving Shelby and I alone.

  “Wyatt,” Shelby begs, a tear rolling down her face. “Please. We need her help.”

  “Shelby, she’s the last person on earth I would ever ask a favor of, even for Hayden.” If Kasey is my only law-abiding option, I’ll find another way, with or without a court order.

  “We need to try, Wyatt. You said it yourself that developers like this one don’t open their user list to anyone. We need that court order to get the records, and Kasey can do that for us.”

  “Then why did you come to me if Kasey can help you? Why did you drag me into this?”

  “Because you’re Hayden’s father, and the only person who could have gotten us to this point. Kasey can help us move that needle ahead. Please, you just have to talk to her and see what she can do.”

  “I don’t like this. I don’t like that you lied to my face about just who this attorney friend of yours is, and I don’t like that you hid my daughter from me until you needed my help. In fact, I fucking hate all of this.”

  “I know, but if we want to get this information, Kasey is the only attorney who can do it without waiting weeks for an appointment. She’s our only option.”

  The only legal option she means. Before I even went to see her this morning, I’d considered sending a couple of the guys over to the developer’s office for a “friendly” meeting, but it was a risk. They could give us nothing in return. But with a court order, they’d have to hand over the information.

  “Fine,” I growl. “But I need you to understand that if she opens that mouth of hers and spits out shit at me like she just did, I will walk and do this my way.”

  With my reluctant agreement, I step inside the room with Shelby following behind me, closing the door. Kasey sits at the head of a large table with chairs tucked underneath each side. Just breathing the same air as this woman sends a course of rage sliding up my spine.

  “Take a seat.” Kasey outstretches her hand to the empty seats next to her. Shelby settles into one, but I park my ass several more down, away from her. Taking notice of my placement, she rolls her eyes. “You don’t have to sit so far away, Wyatt.” Her voice is slick with contentment. She knows she got to me out there with her comment, playing right into her intent to piss me off.

  “I’m close enough.”

  Kasey turns her attention to Shelby and grips her hand tightly, her eyes softening as she looks at her. “Everything okay? You sounded upset when you called earlier, but I didn’t expect to hear you say you needed to see me, and that you’d be bringing him along.”

  “It’s Hayden, Kase.”

  Kasey’s eyes grow wide at the mention of my daughter’s name. “Does he…?”

  “Yes, he knows. She was taken, Kase. Wyatt thinks she was chatting with someone on this game she likes to play, but we need a court order to get access to the user’s information to track him down.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me first? You didn’t need to involve him with this, not after all these years.”

  That’s when it hits me that Kasey knows about Hayden. How is that possible, unless… No. Shelby wouldn’t have done that to me.

  “How does she know about Hayden, Shelby?” I say quietly, slowly pushing away from the table. Guilt is clear on her face. “Tell me. You owe me that much.”

  “Wyatt, please. Now isn’t the time.”

  “When would’ve been a good time to know that I had a kid? You’ve had twelve years to tell me, yet she knew before I did. I’m her fucking father, Shelby!”

  “And where were you when she was born, Wyatt? Riding with your biker gang? What kind of life is that to raise a baby in? I gave Shelby and Hayden what you couldn’t—safety.”

  Pointing in Kasey’s direction, I growl, “She was fucking there when Hayden was born and not me?”

  “Wyatt…” She trails off, lowering her head.

  “Who do you think rescued her from you?” Kasey spits out. “Someone had to be there for her.”

  As soon as the words leave her mouth, the thin grip I had on my self-control slips and cracks. I could have forgiven Shelby for a lot of things, but not this. There’s no coming back from this lie.

  “It’s one thing that you hid my daughter from me until she vanished under your lack of parental control, but this? Her? I can’t.” I pivot on my heels and start for the door, stopping just short of ripping it off its hinges.

  “Where are you going?” Shelby cries out.

  “To find my daughter.”

  I walk out the door without bothering to look back. There’s nothing left for me in that room now.

  Shelby

  “I see he hasn’t changed much,” Kasey huffs, plopping down into the nearest seat, crossing her feet atop the mahogany conference table. “Honestly, though,” she continues. “Why would you go to him instead of me?”

  I can’t take it anymore. “Damnit, Kasey! Did you not hear what I said?” Reaching out, I shove her feet off the table, feeling only slightly better when they hit the floor with a thunk that makes Kasey wince. “Hayden is missing. Gone. Kidnapped. Very likely being trafficked as we speak. Why the hell does it matter who I went to? Just do what you can to help me find my baby girl, okay?”

  Kasey’s brown eyes are grave as she leans forward and takes my hand. “I’m sorry, Shel. Of course, you’re right. You mentioned a game. What game, and what do you need?”

  Relief washes over me as she pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. The feud between Wyatt and Kasey had always been hard on me, and for them to continue that now while my daughter’s in danger is
n’t going to fly. Everyone has a reason to be angry in this scenario, but this is simply not the time to let that play out.

  I take a seat beside her, and for the next few minutes, I tell her everything that Wyatt had found. I tell her about Blox World, and give her Hayden’s username. It takes her all of three minutes to do an internet search on the game developers to link it to a company she can subpoena for the activity records.

  “You leave this with me, Shel. I know a judge who will take care of this for me right away. He owes me a favor.”

  “I’m so fucking scared, Kasey.” A fat, hot tear escapes the corner of my eye and slides slowly down my cheek. “What if she’s hurt? Or what if we don’t find her? What if—”

  “Shh, we’ll find her,” she assures me. “Hayden’s a smart kid. And as much as I hate to admit it, Wyatt’s a smart guy. He won’t let that happen. Whoever has her doesn’t know what they’re in for.”

  Sniffing, I manage a small smile and push out of my chair. “I’d better go. We need that information, Kasey, and we need it fast.”

  Wrapping her arms around my shoulders, she holds me tight. “I’m on it, Shel. You know I love that not-so-little girl. We’ll get her back.”

  “Thank you,” I whisper, giving a small wave as I slip out the door and down the long, formal corridor.

  Knowing that Kasey is on the job brings me a small sense of relief, but that feeling is far outweighed by the anger I feel at Wyatt right now. And the worst part is, I don’t know if I even have the right to be angry with him.

  He, however, has a right to be angry with me, seeing as how I kept his daughter a secret from him all this time. But he promised me we would deal with that later. He promised that finding Hayden would be our main priority.

  So why did he have such a fit over Kasey? Why would he let his anger and pride get in the way of help to bring Hayden home? To me, that had been a truly selfish act, proving I’d been right about his ability to parent all along. A parent can’t let pride dictate how they raise their child. A parent needs to swallow down those feelings and do whatever it takes to be the best they can be for their kids.