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Chapter 2
“Small towns. Urgh,” Lacey muttered as she pulled her car, an old, once-blue ’89 Dodge Aries Coupe that had more rust than actual miles into the parking lot across from the local convenience store.
Lacey hated small towns. Growing up in one had been nothing but a bitch when all she wanted to do was explore the rest of the world. Goldsworth Hollows in the northern part of Washington had been a one-horse town for more than a century and no doubt that it would still be a one-horse town a hundred years from now.
Switching off the engine, a bitter wave of memories flashed in her mind. The town sat in a valley, surrounded by mountains and forests. Only a hundred years earlier and it had attracted miners with their hearts and backs set on discovering gold.
The same gold mines owned by Sam’s family, and the ones her own family worked within.
Flashbacks of her father erupted in Lacey’s mind, quickly followed by the scent of sweat and hard physical work. He’d come home every night, stinking to high heaven, but always wearing a smile for his wife and young daughter. Even now, she could feel the dust assaulting her nostrils. Every man came home covered in a thick layer of it.
Except Nathan.
Nathan had been the exception to the rule. Grime didn’t seem to stick to him. Sweat, yes. Blood, yes. Dust from the mines, never. Nathan had been pure.
Warmth flowed through Lacey at just the thought of him. That shoulder-length black hair, mesmerising cornflower blue eyes, and full lips flashed in front of her eyes. His grin could light up the woods whenever they met and sent blazing infernos through her veins whenever he touched her, kissed her.
“You’re mine, Lace.”
His voice rang in her ears, sending a ripple of bitter emotion through her chest and stabbing her heart. She’d never forgotten it, never would be able to forget. Nathan remained etched onto her soul.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Lacey angrily wiped away a hot tear that burned its way out of the corner of her eye. Nine years. Nine years and just a simple thought of him still caused the scars on her heart to tear apart.
“Don’t think about him,” she ordered on a low whisper, hoping her brain would listen. Not that it would work.
It never did.
It hadn’t when she left that grimy little town at sixteen and headed straight for the brighter lights of Seattle.
It didn’t work in the arms of John, of Clayton, or any of the others since then.
Or when she delved into work so hard, she feared she’d never come up for air.
If it hadn’t been for work, she doubted she’d never have managed to get over him. For five years she had busted her ass setting up her own PI business, learning everything she could. She was good. Damn good. But most clients wanted someone with more experience, or more balls.
It wasn’t her fault her balls were on her chest instead of inside her pants, but some people remained stupid and ignorant no matter what. Still, she persevered. She’d make the business a success, even if everyone else doubted her.
But she had skills. She’d managed to follow the whispers, searching records and databases for any snippet of information on Mace and Kari Gibson. She’d finally found DMV records, with the last known address to another small town, Hiamot, six months ago. That had led her a hundred miles east, to Whiteridge, when new car records came up, under the name of Belle.
Sam had got the name right, but not the spelling.
Like all small towns in North Dakota, Whiteridge had a population of less than two thousand, which had been a thousand more compared to her own hometown. The heart of it appeared to be a single long road with a few shops, a police station, a greasy diner, a run-down bar with one light broken as it continued to flash even during the middle of the day, and a school at the far end. Only a few people were on the streets. A car lazily drove past her. Lacey wondered if she could walk the entire place in less than five minutes.
But despite the relatively small size of the place, she knew from experience that many of the homes the residents lived in would be scattered for miles in all directions. Some wouldn’t even have proper street addresses. She needed to find out the general area where the siblings were hiding out.
“Time to get to work,” she muttered, reaching for her bag and sliding out of the car. Standing to her full height of five foot six, she stretched out her arms, the simple pink V-neck t-shirt exposing her flat midriff. Black jeans encased her slim thighs, covering the tops of her plain black leather boots.
A warm breeze caressed her cheeks as she crossed the road. The convenience store was always the best place to start in places like these. Everyone had to stock up on supplies at some point, even if they were hiding out.
And those who worked at them were always the biggest gossips.
Sunlight bounced off the polished glass windows, almost making it hard to see inside. Lacey pushed the door open, sending a small brass bell ringing through her ears. Wooden rows spanned the shop, filled with a wide range of essential items, food, drink, magazines, a few DVDs and other bits and pieces. To the right stood a long counter, dressed with snacks and cigarettes.
A middle-aged woman sat on a chair behind it. Black hair was rapidly giving way to silver, her thin face almost skeletal. A blue long-sleeved shirt draped off her equally slim frame, doing nothing for her.
Lacey stepped towards the counter, plastering a warm smile over her place. The older woman glanced up, her green eyes sparkling in the light. “Hi there. I was wondering if you could help me. Do you know of anyone named Mace or Kari in these parts?”
A line etched in the woman’s brow as she shook her head. “Sorry, doll, I don’t.”
