Losing Her (Lost and Found Book 1) Read online

  “Well you’re going to have to start now. Somehow, she disappeared.”

  “What do you mean she disappeared?” I leaned forward, interested in this turn of events.

  Jason leaned back in his chair, arms lifted and his hands behind his head, “She’s gone. Slipped her security detail a few nights ago and we haven’t been able to find her.” Everything about his demeanor was nonchalant, but I knew he was distressed.

  I chuckled, “Damn. Okay then. So now what?”

  He sat up abruptly, “Now we have to find her. This is where we really need you right now. You’re the PI…find her.”

  I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes at his statement. I was used to clients making demands such as this. Find this information.

  Look for this person. Find out who’s stalking me. Find out if my husband has a mistress. Mostly everyone who hired me seemed desperate to find answers and when that desperation hit, the way they spoke was often clipped and tactless.

  “No problem. Any idea where she might go?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket, clicking around to find my note taking app.

  “Honestly, no. She doesn’t have any real friends, from what I’ve ever seen.”

  I nodded wordlessly, typing on the phone, “When did she disappear? Or when did you notice she was gone?”

  “The night of the announcement banquet. It was about a week ago. Her security guy, Joe, last saw her using the bathroom and that was it.”

  Something about his voice made me look up at him. Our eyes connected and I saw just a hint of something he was leaving out of the conversation. “Hmm.” I made a note of it, “Does she drive? How would she leave the party?”

  “She doesn’t drive. She has a license and plenty of cars to choose from, but none of them are missing.”

  “Credit cards? Bank accounts? Where would she get money?”

  “I’m sure she’s using her family’s money.” he sneered.

  Another note worth typing on the screen.

  “Okay, all of that sounds good. I’ll start looking for her.” I stood, ready to get to work, “Do I report to you on this?”

  “Yes. Anything related to this Alina situation comes directly to me.”

  THREE | Derrick

  I walked through the doors of the cafe, my senses assaulted by the smell of freshly ground espresso, decadent pastries and the sounds of the baristas carefully building their drinks with smooth jazz playing over the loudspeaker. The cafe was dimly lit and only a few people were sitting at tables and on couches. Each one lost in their own private matter. Some were staring into laptops, others listened to music staring off in the distance. In the far right corner, a young couple was tucked away and seated close talking in hushed tones, blissfully unaware of the love scene they were creating.

  And then there was her.

  She looked different from the photos I’d gathered and stored on my phone. Gone was the mass of black curls and in its place was stick straight locks, that flowed over her shoulders, colored chocolate brown with caramel highlights painted through. Her head was tilted down, all of her attention focused on the book in her lap, so I couldn’t see her face.

  Her bare arms showed her honey caramel colored skin, also darker than in the picture, indicative of her recent sun exposure.

  I noticed how she was sitting. Cross-legged in an armchair.

  Clearly she felt comfortable in this place. But most notable about her seating choice was where she had chosen to sit. She had planted herself in a far corner with her back against the wall, facing the front door. At first glance it seemed like a secluded, quiet place, and not much more. But I had a sense she chose that spot so she could see anyone who advanced in her direction. It was a defensive position. One she had chosen to maintain control. She knew her family wouldn’t just let her leave, so it seemed she was preparing herself to run at a moments notice. At least that’s what I would do.

  I moved to the growing line winding its way through the cafe. I had a part to play. One I was being well compensated for. Finding her had been easy. She hadn’t gone far. Just along the Hudson to the small town of Cold Spring. She was using an alias similar to her real name and, as I figured, a kept girl like her with no real life experience wouldn’t venture too far from what she knew. Like most girls, this was rebellion.

  I’d bet money on it.

  As Jason had predicted, she had chosen to use her bank account and credit cards. That’s how I was able to find her. A quick search of her spending records had revealed she was withdrawing money at a bank in this part of town. After just a few days of waiting, I’d been able to lay eyes on her. Her morning routine included a stop at this cafe, so my morning stop included it too.

  Coincidentally, there was a large armchair near her. Not too close, just perfect for observing without being too obvious. The last thing I wanted was to spook her into leaving. The barista handed me a large cup and saucer full off bold coffee. Black, just how I’d asked. I walked softly toward her and her secluded corner.

  She didn’t notice me coming in her direction, which struck me as odd considering her runaway status, so I stopped in front of her and leaned down, motioning for her attention, “Excuse me, miss,” I said softly.

  She lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting mine, “Yes?”

  “Do you mind if I sit next to you?” I indicated the chair three feet to her left.

  Her mouth twisted upward into a welcoming smile, “Oh of course not. It’s all yours.”

  I dipped my head, indicating my gratitude, “Thank you.” She smiled warmly again before turning back to her book.

  Easy. So she wasn’t too wary of strangers. That would make everything so much easier. I settled into my chair, setting my iPad and truck keys on the side table next to me. Blowing my coffee, I pulled up the device and busied myself pressing buttons, breaking out the electronic pen I used with it. Thanks to cloud sharing, I was able to seamlessly transition across different devices depending on where I was located. I wrote out a few words on the notepad app and minimized it, bringing up a book in case she glanced over.

  I picked up my coffee and sipped it, whilst appearing to read the literature on my tablet. The reality was, I was watching this girl sitting near me. This stunning and mysterious girl who had run away from home for some reason. It was my job to find out why. Jason would be expecting some kind of information by the end of the day.

  I nearly jumped out of my chair when she let out a shrill cry and stood to her feet. Her cut off shorts were splattered with the light brown concoction she had been drinking. The remnants of it running down her legs.

  “Oh my gosh,” she exclaimed, setting her book down before muttering incoherently to herself, turning her back to me.

  I took full stock of her. Even covered in drink, she was alluring.

  Hell, maybe that made her more attractive. The liquid swirled down her smooth, toned legs looping around the delicate bones of her ankles and feet before dripping to the ground. Tucked deep inside my slacks, my balls tightened. That familiar sense of arousal stirring to life. I stood to distract myself.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, gingerly.

  She whirled around, her hair fanning out around her before our eyes met. In that instant, it seemed as if the dark orbs staring back at me held all of the gravity in the world and they were pulling me to her.

  Whoa.

  I took a step closer, invading her space as if I was meant to be there. She blinked a few times, processing what I had said, “Um, yeah I’m ok. Just clumsy,” she laughed.

  Then my chest constricted. The sound of her laugh, sweet and easy like honey, melted some long lost frozen part of my soul. I felt a smile begin to spread its way across my face, “I can see that.” My eyes scanned her body, still covered in the caffeinated liquid, “Let me get you some napkins.”

  I tore away from her. How, I wasn’t sure. She was magnetic and I’d only been in her presence all of five minutes. My legs carried me to the condiment bar where I hast
ily grabbed a handful of napkins before walking back to her. She ran her fingers through her hair, an embarrassed grin on her face as she took the stack of napkins.

  “Thank you so much. I swear I’m the clumsiest person ever,” she groaned.

  I stood there, helplessly, as she dabbed the front of her pants and swiped the napkin squares up and down her lap. My cock expanded as I watched her movements. She was five feet tall, her legs

  were perfectly sculpted and I wanted to be that napkin. Dragging my mouth along her stems and cleaning her up.

  Holy shit D. Calm down. She’s the mark, I reminded myself.

  She wasn’t the first woman to bring out these desires. But I hadn’t acted on them in a long time and I didn’t plan on doing so anytime soon. Not until this mess of my life was taken care of. Alina, like every other woman, would be off limits because of my own personal demons, but all the more so because she was the subject of an investigation.

  “Fantastic,” she sighed, pulling her hair back from her face.

  “Looks like you’ve got most of it cleaned up,” I added.

  “Yeah, but my clothes are ruined. I’m going to have to go all the way home to change.”

  Something about her defeated face pulled on my heartstrings. I had always prided myself on being able to separate emotions from my job, but Alina was making me question everything in just a matter of minutes. Against all rational thought, I wanted to help her, “Do you live far?”

  She nodded solemnly, “Definitely not within walking distance. I just moved here, so I don’t have a car yet. And I’m not too keen on walking around town with blended coffee all over my shorts,” a wistful smile peeking out of the corner of her mouth.

  “I can drive you,” I blurted out without thinking.

  Clearly I was fucking this assignment up. Offering my mark a ride was asking for her to figure out who I really was. Though, I reasoned, it would be a prime opportunity to figure out where she lived.

  So maybe it was a good idea.

  Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. Fuck. Her stranger danger sense must be going off. In several years as a private investigator, I had never felt more confused and been more at risk of

  being discovered than I was in this moment. Her wide eyed stare made my pulse quicken. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

  “You’d do that?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

  I scratched my eyebrow, avoiding her eyes, “Well, uh…yeah. I would,” I stammered.

  “You don’t even know me.”

  I shrugged, unsure of where she was going with it, “True. But you seem like a decent person. You’re new here. And,” I looked past her to her chair where she’d set down her book, “you’re reading one of my favorite books so I’m going to assume we have some things in common.

  Plus, your clumsiness makes me less inclined to believe you’re a serial killer.”

  I was in full flirting mode, complete with licking my bottom lip and smiling like a damn fool. Who the hell was this woman bringing all of this out of me?

  She laughed again. This time hearty and full, garnering more stares in our direction. The warmth of her pleasure spread over me bringing about the sensation of unthawing yet again. “You never know,”

  she said, a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.

  “I’ll take my chances,” I replied, with a serious undertone dropping the grin from both of our faces. She knew I meant it, but I was surprised that I did.

  She fidgeted where she stood, running her fingers through her hair again, “Are you sure? I can call a cab or something…” she trailed off.

  “I’m positive,” I grabbed my iPad and keys, and waited expectantly, “Ready when you are.”

  She grinned again before grabbing her belongings, “Lead the way, sir.”

  Driving to her place took no time at all. We cruised in easy silence, listening to the music and her occasional directions. We got lost a few times and she apologized profusely whenever the GPS would re-route us back to where we needed to be. But I didn’t mind. I had almost forgotten I was still working. When we arrived to the large brick row house she identified as hers, neither of us made a move to get out of the car right away.

  “I can’t just let you drive me home without repaying you somehow,” she replied a sincere look of appreciation in her eyes. Those black eyes of hers had me transfixed.

  “I don’t need anything in return. I’m just glad to help.”

  Her bottom lip curled inward, her teeth holding it in place while she contemplated something. I waited patiently, using the time to savor her up close a little while longer. She was breathtaking. More beautiful in person than the photos I had gathered in the last few days. Up close I could see the dusting of light brown freckles across her nose and on her shoulders. I could see where her black roots were growing in, revealing her true hair color. I also noticed she bit her fingernails. Flecks of teal polish were missing at the uneven tips of each finger. All of these little nuances that made her who she was only made me want to know more.

  Genuinely, not because I was hired to do so.

  But I needed to focus.

  She released her lip and looked up at me with a grin, “What if I buy you dinner sometime?”

  I mulled it over. Getting closer to her might help the case a little bit. But I had to be careful not to get too distracted. She’d already distracted me enough for the day. “Dinner sounds great.”

  The way she lit up at my answer made me want to kiss her full, round lips right then and there. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t allow myself to do that, no matter how much I wanted to.

  “When works for you?” Her tone was affectionately warm and bubbly. Her excitement palpable.

  “Anytime. I work for myself, so I set my own schedule.” I had to fight to maintain a modicum of self control. Something about her made me want to mirror every expression on her face. It was hard not to be just as excited as she was.

  “Oh that’s good. Hmmm.” her fingers wove into her hair, fingering the ends while she thought. I pictured her hair falling in my face while she rode my cock until she orgasmed.

  Holy shit. My imagination was going crazy being this close to her.

  “Would tonight be too forward?” she asked, sheepishly.

  I chuckled, shaking my head, “Tonight would be great.”

  Her cheeks flushed as her grin spread all the way across her face, wrinkling her eyes. “Great. Okay, well I’m going to let you go. Um…

  shall we meet here around 7 or 8?” she opened the door, waiting for my answer.

  “I’ll see you then.”

  “Okay.” She exited the car, a wide toothy grin plastered on her face. I watched fondly as she sauntered up the steps, still covered in her spilled drink, and disappeared behind her door. Tonight would be interesting.

  FOUR | Alina

  The door clicked shut behind me and I fell against it, letting out the air that’d been building up in my lungs. Holy hell. Replaying the events of the morning, my belly fluttered lightly. What started out as a regular day had turned interesting rather quickly all thanks to my clumsiness. The staff back home was all too aware of how slippery my grip had been over the years. I wasn’t even allowed to use certain heirloom pieces of china.

  I giggled remembering some of the many times my clumsy ways had caused trouble for me. But the laugh died out almost as soon as it started when I remembered that that wasn’t my life anymore. I’d been able to leave and start over and no one was looking for me to take me back. As far as I knew. I closed my eyes, relishing in that fact. I finally had freedom.

  It had been a few weeks since I ran out of the party and convinced a driver to take me home and to the train station. Thankfully the entire house had been empty. With everyone at the banquet, no one

  needed to mind the property. I was able to pack up a few belongings and catch the last train of the night into the town. I found a charming one bedroom apartment in the heart of everything. The landlord was hesitant to rent it to me wi
thout seeing proper documentation but when I handed him the first six months worth of rent in cash, his hesitation went out the window.

  The place was furnished, none of my own belongings outside of what I had brought with me, but it was mine and I loved it. It was a simple one bedroom on two levels with a large balcony patio combo right off the living room. I tossed my sandals near the front door and headed upstairs for the master bathroom. I needed to shower off this sticky mess on my legs.

  In no time, my body and hair were scrubbed clean. My legs free of the sticky syrup and my hair back to its natural curly state. I studied my reflection in the mirror. Changing my look had just been about needing a fresh start, not so much about hiding. Though that was a concern of mine at first. Especially with Jason and his relentless pursuit of perfection. I was surprised he hadn’t somehow found me.