AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I changed into shorts to sleep in and crawled into bed, my mind still spinning with ideas for the club. Even then, River was constantly present at the edge of my thoughts. I reached for the remote, turned on the TV, and flipped through the channels, searching for a distraction from the brutal realization that River wasn’t next to me.
Sitting up, I punched my pillow a few times in order to soften it up. I definitely needed to buy some of my own. I might actually wake up without a serious crick in my neck.
The Spokane news ribbon flashed across the screen, and I bolted upright. The female anchor spoke as images popped up behind her.
“Early this morning the FBI raided a house located in Deer Park along with fifteen acres of wooded property in search of several missing women. Laura Hansen, a local investor in the world-renowned club, 4 Play, that was destroyed in a fire this week, was arrested for kidnapping. Although the women weren’t located, Laura is in police custody. If you’ve seen any of these women, please call the 800 number you see on the screen.”
“Shit,” I muttered as I stared at the photos. One girl looked to be about ten, another in her early twenties. Yet another looked like she was a teenager … the pictures continued to appear, then my attention landed on River. It was the recent photo I’d provided the police. But it didn’t stop with her. The images kept scrolling by, revealing the enormity of the sex ring.
My cell vibrated on the nightstand, and I answered it without checking the caller I.D. It was after eleven, but everyone knew that I stayed up until the early morning hours.
“This is Holden.” My focus remained on the television.
“Hi, Holden. It’s Shirley. I hope it’s not too late to call.”
I grabbed the remote and paused the news. “No, it’s fine. I’m typically up late. How are you?”
“Pissed,” she said. “That’s probably not the best way to open up a conversation but it’s the truth.”
“No worries.” I waited while the flicking of a lighter filled the line.
“Well, I’ve literally been stalking Josie. She came back to town a few days ago, so I figured I’d catch her at her place, you know? I had today off and figured this would be a great time to find out why she’d turned on River. Didn’t want to scare her off though, so I parked a little way up the road, but close enough where I could still spot anyone coming and going from her place. Weird thing is, I didn’t see any activity at all. Her car was parked there, but no one came or went.” Shirley paused, inhaling deeply. “I mean, what young kid stays inside all day?”
I wanted to tell her plenty of them, if they were bingeing a Netflix show or playing video games, but I kept my mouth shut and let her talk.
“Anyway, I finally got tired of waiting and walked up to her porch. Then I noticed that her front door was cracked open a bit. I tried knocking but didn’t get an answer. I mean, I get it. I normally don’t answer if I don’t know who it is either. I waited a bit before I opened it and yelled for Josie. That’s when it hit me. The worst rank and pungent smell that’s ever assaulted my nostrils. I covered my nose and called for her again. Something was horribly wrong, and I knew it. As much as I wanted to go in, I didn’t. I called the police instead and reported my concerns, then I called Ed. Within the hour, Josie was rolled out in a body bag.”
“Oh shit.” I massaged my throbbing forehead with the news. “Do you think it was Logan or his men?”
“Hon, who the hell knows for sure? People in this town tend to get mixed up in some bad shit. Next thing you know they turn up dead. I just wish I’d been able to talk to her first. I was prepared to give her some money for whatever information she could share with me.”
“Maybe this is best. I don’t want you to get sucked into a dangerous situation.” I stared blankly at the frozen television screen, wishing the nightmare would end.
Shirley chuckled. “You sound like Ed. Don’t you go worrying about me. I grew up in rough towns where people would rather shoot you than to say good morning.”
“Tough crowd.”
Shirley laughed. “I can see why River fell for you.”
“Oh?” I wasn’t sure how Shirley could have figured that out in a few conversations, but I was curious.
“You’re caring, protective, and funny.”
A sad smile eased across my face. “Thanks. I’m definitely protective of the people I love. This time … this time I failed. I even hired a bodyguard for River, but she ditched him.”
“No, sir. You can’t blame yourself for River running off and dodging her bodyguard. The fact that she had a bodyguard tells me how much you love her. That girl is strong-willed and used to figuring out life on her own.”
I blew out a sigh. Talking to Shirley was helping. “I think what happened was that she … she’d taken a pregnancy test. It was positive. She hauled ass out of the office and down the hall to the elevator. River wanted to ditch her bodyguard. I figure the test results scared her pretty badly.”
“Jesus,” Shirley whispered. “So ... whoever took her kidnapped two people.”
I already understood, but hearing Shirley say it out loud sent a new jolt of fear through my veins. “Yeah. I didn’t have a clue about the pregnancy until her purse was found. The test was in her handbag.”
Even though I’d never met Shirley before, I imagined her eyes were wide with the new information.
“Listen to me, Holden. River has lost a lot in her young life, but she’d do everything to protect a baby. Everything.”
My chest tightened, and I held my breath. “I know.” And deep inside myself, I did, but that didn’t mean that she was safe. I suspected the amount of stress she and the baby were under was enough to cause a miscarriage. I shoved the cloud of darkness from my mind and refused to focus on it.
