Hold Me Tight Read online

  I narrow my eyes at him, and he glances at me quickly before looking away. “Ivy, there’s so much you’re not aware of. Eric, Cassidy, and myself—we’ve lived here all our lives. There’s a lot of history between us. Things happened in the past that you weren’t around to witness. For the time being, just know that I’m not out to hurt you. I’ve already lost someone dear to me in a similar situation. All I want to do is help you…if you’ll let me.”

  “Tim, you already destroyed the man I love once,” I respond heatedly. “How do I know you’re not out to do it again? I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”

  Tim exhales before getting to his feet. His thermal shirt is clinging to the dips and curves of his chest, while his sweatpants hang loosely on his hips. Lauren has definitely placed temptation in the guise of a friend.

  He sets the plate next to the lamp, his hair catching the light. The chlorine has bleached the ends, but his dark roots are coming through—no doubt a reflection of the time he’s spent away from the pool.

  How can he be doing this for Lauren if her stepfather is the one who got him fired? What does she have on him? Tim’s sense of loyalty is misplaced, but the thing is—I think he knows it. So why is he going along with her scheme and letting me stay here?

  “Get some rest, Ivy,” Tim says, his back turned, the breadth of his shoulders filling the doorway. “If you need anything, I’ll be downstairs.”

  He leaves, closing the door behind him, and I feel more alone than ever. I don’t know what to make of Tim. Is he an ally or a threat? The longer I stay with him, the more it’s going to hurt Eric. I should be waking up next to the father of my child, not shacking up with the guy who slept with his dead fiancée.

  That’s when I realize…Eric’s never going to forgive me for this.

  I pull down the comforter and climb between the crisp sheets, trying to block out the last twenty-four hours. I bury my face against the pillow, shivering as my arms instinctively cradle my baby bump.

  This is why I’m doing this—for the sake of our baby. I’m going to protect it, no matter what. Even if it costs me the man I love, the man I’ll always love. Because I know what it feels like to have a mother who doesn’t care, and there’s no way I’m following in her footsteps.

  Because I am nothing like her—my child will always come first.

  Chapter Three

  Eric

  Jesus, would she just leave already?

  I’m spying on Lauren through the binoculars I found in the woodshed, trying not to think about how they were hidden under Will’s freakin’ kimono. I squint my eyes. Nope, she’s still at her desk. Her Mercedes is the only car left in the Gazette’s lot. Everyone else has gone home for the night. But the Wicked Witch is still at it, putting her nose to the grindstone.

  I sit back and rub my temples. It’s been two days since Ivy ran away and I’m no closer to finding her. I’ve barely slept. I’ve hardly eaten. All I’ve been doing is tailing Lauren. She’s going to have to visit Ivy eventually, and when she does, I’m going to be right behind her. There’s no way I can sit back and do nothing—not when I haven’t heard a single word from Ivy. Lauren claimed she didn’t confiscate her phone, but God only knows if she’s telling the truth. Maybe she said it just to unsettle me, making me believe that Ivy could contact me but is choosing not to.

  My indecisiveness vanishes when Lauren comes to the window and peers out. Shit. I can’t let her see me. I scrunch down in the seat of Ben’s F-150 as far as I can go. I watch her hold a key fob against the glass before the engine in her car roars to life. I can’t believe it. She’s finally calling it a day.

  Lauren’s Mercedes must have one hell of a heating system, because the windows are already starting to defrost, the condensation running down in rivulets. But then again, Lauren would never lift a finger to scrape her own windows. She might break a nail.

  The light in her office goes out, and I take a deep breath. This is it. If she sees me, it’s all over.

  I slide into the passenger’s seat and drop down out of sight. I’ve got to play it cool. I won’t be able to keep my eyes on her the whole time. I’ll have to depend on my ears to tell me what’s going on.

  A minute goes by. Then five. Then ten. Where is she? Please don’t tell me she decided to spend the night on that stupid pullout couch. But her car’s still running. She has to come out eventually.

  My legs are cramping up. Warily, I raise my head above the dash, just as the front door flies open. Shit. I crouch back into position, hoping that she didn’t notice me moving around. It’s pretty dark out here, so I don’t think I blew my cover.

  I hear a muffled thud as she shuts the door then the crunch of her footsteps as she makes her way through the snow. Wow, I’m shocked she’s not wearing heels. Lauren Price in snow boots? What is the world coming to? Then there’s a beep as she unlocks her car. All she needs to do is get in and start driving so we can get this show on the road.

  But her footsteps sound like they’re getting closer. She’s probably wondering whose truck this is. She doesn’t recognize it, and she knows it shouldn’t be here. I jump when she pounds on the driver’s side window with her gloved hand, trying to look inside. But I’ve been out here a while, and a thick coating of ice is frozen to the glass, limiting her vision. Her efforts to scope out the situation are getting her nowhere, so she clambers up onto the running board to get a better look. Frustrated, she loses her footing and slips off. I breathe a sigh of relief as she smacks the side of the truck with her hand, cursing under her breath. She kicks the tire for good measure before trudging away. That was close—too close.

  I listen to her car door slam, but she doesn’t shift out of park. She just sits there. Christ, she’s more paranoid than I thought. I don’t know if she’s on the phone with someone or if she’s waiting to see if anyone is going to get in Ben’s truck from the bar across the street since it’s the only place open at this hour.

  Her car idles, and a bead of sweat forms on my upper lip. It takes all the willpower I possess to remain still. There’s nothing I’d like better than to get out of the truck, get up in Lauren’s face, and demand that she take me to Ivy. I ball my fists as she revs the engine. She’s playing a game of cat and mouse, trying to see if I’ll blink first. But she’s not going to draw me out. I’ll stay wedged in this truck all night if I have to. I’m not going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that I’m here.

  After stalling for as long as she can, I hear the tires of her car slowly start to move. She’s pulling away. Her headlights skim the top of my head as she exits the lot. I count to ten before I make a move. She knows something’s up. I don’t have much time. I better hurry.

  Somehow I angle my body back behind the wheel, even though it’s going to take a while to get the circulation flowing in my legs. My hands shake as I start the truck. I can’t let her get too far ahead of me. It’s nearly midnight, and even though there’s no one on the road at this hour, I can’t afford to lose her. It’ll be a dead giveaway if she peers in the rearview mirror and sees me following her. She’s already suspicious. She’ll never lead me to Ivy if she thinks it’s me.

  Last night, I was dumb enough to take my own truck. After going a mile or so out of her way, she made a sudden U-turn then drove home. I refuse to make the same mistake again. Yeah, scheming and plotting don’t come natural to me, but I’m a quick learner. She may have outsmarted me so far, but she’s bound to trip up eventually. I know it’s killing her to have to stay away from Ivy when all she wants to do is sink her claws into her. If nothing else, I’m keeping Lauren away from her, at least for now.

  I finger the engagement ring I have tied in the bandana in my pocket. I need it to be my lucky talisman that guides me to Ivy. The cabin is so quiet without her. It feels empty inside. Her presence is what makes it home. God, I’d do anything to hear her laugh again. I hate not waking up to her smile and feeling her next to me. Shep is beside himself, wandering around in circles, realiz
ing something’s not right.

  I’ve missed her so much these past two days. I just want our life back. I’ll do anything she wants—anything. If she’s determined to have this baby, I’m not going to stand in her way anymore. I don’t even want to think about it, but if these do turn out to be her final days here on earth, there’s no way we’re spending them apart. I’ll never be able to live with myself if that stupid fight of ours turns out to be the last time I ever talk to her, the last time I ever see her.

  I love her too damn much. That can’t be it. It can’t be.

  The full weight of what I stand to lose hits me dead-on. I take a few short breaths as my chest starts to tighten. I have to pull myself together. The taillights of Lauren’s car are already fading in the distance. She’s not going the same way as last night. This might be my chance.

  I coast through the stop signs one by one. There’s no one out on a frigid night like this. Everyone’s already hunkered down into hibernation mode, thanks to the early snowstorm. The thermometer on the gas station indicates that it’s well below freezing. I pull the ski mask sitting on top of my head securely over my face. I feel like a Navy SEAL deployed on a special-ops mission. I’m a lover, not a fighter, but kidnap the woman I love and I swear there’ll be hell to pay.

  I don’t care if Lauren said that it was consensual. Once she took Ivy to whatever safe house she’s holding her at, where else could Ivy go? She’s a captive, no matter how Lauren tries to gloss it over. Ivy’s only there because she doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t make her someone’s houseguest. It makes her a prisoner.

  Lauren’s turn signal is blinking as she brakes to make a left. That’s weird. She’s heading onto Route 275. There’s nothing out there except abandoned farmland. I don’t even think anyone lives in the boondocks anymore. After the last recession, the majority of the farmers on this stretch went belly-up. They had already been in debt thanks to three consecutive years of drought, and they’d had no choice but to call it quits, getting next to nothing per acre in order to settle their affairs with the bank.

  I’ve heard of a few holdouts still trying to make a go of it, but not many. Why would Lauren be coming all the way out here? Fear clenches my stomach when I think about the possibilities. What if she has Ivy in one of the vacant homesteads? There’s no heat, no water, no electricity, probably no cell phone reception. Maybe Ivy’s been trying to call me but hasn’t been able to.

  My heart starts to pound. Where did Lauren take her? Despite my better judgment, I turn off my headlights and start to accelerate, gaining on Lauren’s Mercedes. The road is narrow with snow piled high on either side. It’s been plowed, but forget about it being two lanes. The dividing line is running smack between my tires. If someone’s driving in the opposite direction, there’s simply no room from them to pass.

  But it also means Lauren’s trapped. She can’t turn around and get away. I’m blocking her means of escape. She’ll have to run me off the road in order to get by me. And Ben’s F-150 packs a lot of muscle. She doesn’t stand a chance.

  I run my gloved hand nervously up and down my thigh. This could be it. It might all be over soon. I could be bringing Ivy home tonight.

  I’m a car length behind Lauren as she starts to slow down. There’s a house up ahead. Jackpot. I try to suppress a grin as Lauren makes her approach. I haven't smiled in days. I'd almost forgotten what it feels like. I hold back a little and watch as Lauren makes the ascent leading up to the house without any hesitation, her tires not even slipping on the densely packed snow.

  But here’s the dilemma. Do I follow her up there? Does she know I’ve been tailing her the whole way? This has to be where she’s keeping Ivy. It’s isolated. It’s dilapidated. It’s the last place on earth I’d ever think to look. Quite simply, it’s the perfect hiding spot.

  Screw it. I’m cold. I’m tired. I have to see Ivy. This ends tonight. I swing onto the snow-covered lane, making the turn too fast and nearly losing control. I let the steering wheel skim through my hands as I take my foot off the accelerator. I swerve, coming within inches of ramming into a snowdrift. Ben was already nervous about lending me his truck. Damn it. I can’t get stuck out here. I need to get Ivy home and out of this shack. Christ, it looks like some of the windows are even boarded up.

  I take it nice and easy, scanning the property for any signs of life. I don’t see Lauren’s car. She must have driven around the back. I don’t know if I should get out and try the front door or confront Lauren now and get it over with.

  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 wat
ch 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.

  Maybe it wasn’t such a brilliant idea to come down here tonight. I’m no hero. Eric should be the one doing this, not me. But Eric would never break the law, and I would. That’s the difference. I’m willing to run Lauren off the road if she doesn’t cooperate. Bottom line, if we’re going to get Ivy back, we’re going to have to start playing dirty.

  I think about how Ivy clung to me when Lauren threatened her on Eric’s porch and the look of panic in her big green eyes when she doubled over in that restaurant in L.A. And it gives me the strength I need to endure the sticky situation I find myself in now. I can do this. I’m going to find Ivy. No one’s going to intimidate me.

  I roll down the creaky window and know I have this in the bag. The cop is hot…for a woman. She’s young, fresh-faced, but most importantly, alone. Ivy did say that I never lacked for charm. This is going to be child’s play.