Hold Me Tight(7)

I leave the engine running as I hop out of the cab, moving cautiously onto the porch. The wood creaks beneath my work boots, but I manage to avoid the gaping hole in the top step. From the looks of it, this place has been vacant for quite a while. There are a bunch of rolled-up newspapers and weather-beaten phone books strewn around, their smudged pages flapping in the breeze. I knock gently on the storm door, hoping Ivy will hear me and look out. Not wanting to alarm her, I yank the ski mask off my face and shove it under my arm.

I’m startled when I hear tires squeal as Lauren’s Mercedes rounds the side of the house. She pulls up next to Ben’s truck, rolling down her window with an exuberant look on her face. “Nice try, Eric. Maybe we’ll give it another go tomorrow night. What do you say?” She laughs, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “I’m enjoying these nightly excursions of ours. I can almost feel your hot breath on my neck as you creep up behind me. Knowing you’re in hot pursuit really turns me on.”

I take a step forward, but she floors it, careening recklessly down the lane, swerving to stay on the path. I don’t care if she ends up in a heap at the bottom. It’d serve her right. Ivy isn’t here. It was all a setup. She knew I was following her the whole time.

I kick the steel door, leaving a dent in its battered frame. Lauren is going to have to tip her hand at some point. No one’s that good. I’ll just have to get more eyes on her. Have Will, Ben, Jack, and even my dad join me on round-the-clock surveillance and possibly look into monitoring Ryan’s movements as well.

Because other than that, I have no idea how I’m going to find Ivy, and time may be running out.





Chapter Four

Will

All I remember Eric saying is, “Lauren has Ivy.”

When he came back in that snowstorm without her, the guy was shell-shocked, past the breaking point. That’s when I knew I had to do something. I’ve never seen him like that before, even when we were both standing in his kitchen covered in Ivy’s blood as she moaned on the table.

I yank my phone out of my pocket to send Ben a quick text.

It’s a go.

I’m glad when he responds soon after I hit the send button.

Whoop-de-do.

I smirk over his lack of enthusiasm as I type hastily with my thumbs.

Don’t sound so excited.

But his reply quickly sobers me up.

Trust me. I’m not. Just don’t get busted, or we’re all gonna regret this.

Ben came around when he saw what Ivy’s disappearance has been doing to Eric. The man is clearly in agony. Anyone with half a brain can see that.

The first day she went missing, Ben pulled me aside. He agreed that he could no longer stand back and do nothing. He’d help as long as he could stay in the background and not get directly involved. So he let Eric borrow his truck and gave me tips on surveillance.

But he’s still not keen on putting himself in danger. He’d rather let us shoulder the risk. And for now, I’m okay with that, because without him, I never would have known where the security cameras are placed in the Gazette’s parking lot. The only reason Ben can pinpoint their locations is because it’s where Ryan used to bring him after hours before they got caught. The two of them were constantly looking for places to get it on, and the couch in Lauren’s office came in pretty handy. Not that I necessarily want a mental image of that.

Lauren opens the door to the office and steps out. She sashays over to her car, quickly getting in. I watch her fluff her hair behind the wheel as she examines her reflection in the mirror. I don’t know if she’s playing with me or not as she fires up her engine and squeals away.

The Dragon Lady is ready to play. Okay, now I’m a tad freaked out. I’m not ashamed to admit that I need some encouragement to bolster my confidence. She eviscerated Eric last night, so I hold back a moment, deciding to text Ben again.

She’s on the move.

Great. I thought she left a half hour ago.

No, I had to wait until she got her diva on.

I’m startled when headlights flood the lot, and I quickly douse the screen of my phone. No fucking way. Lauren’s back? I don’t dare look out and confirm that it’s her, but a car does a complete sweep around Eric’s dad’s old truck. I hear the crackle of a walkie unit. Shit. It’s the cops. Are they running the license plate? Did Lauren report it as a suspicious vehicle?

I rest my forehead against the seat and pray for deliverance. Ben wasn’t kidding when he said this could get dangerous. The Prices have every influential palm in the town well greased. It wouldn’t take much to have me thrown in jail for trespassing. And if Lauren starts harping on those male prostitution charges she threatened me with back in L.A., I could be looking at some serious time.