Forever Alexa Part 15

"Of course, but I thought you and Livy were staying close to the home front for the next little while."

"Mmm." She walked back to the table. "Livy, have some milk and fruit with your roll, sweetie."

Alexa ran the hem under the needle one final time and snipped the bobbin thread as she freed her new skirt from the sewing machine's arm. She nibbled her lip and eyed the denim, scrutinized the length before she pulled it on, snapped the b.u.t.ton, and zipped.

She hurried over to the three-sided mirror in Carol's beautiful sewing s.p.a.ce, which had a view of the bay, and swallowed as she studied her appearance. Abby was the designer in the family but she hadn't done half bad. The clinging white tank top with a plunging neckline left nothing to the imagination. Her tight jean skirt stopped three inches below her a.s.s cheeks. She'd used a heavy hand with the eyeliner and mascara, giving her lake-blue eyes a large, sooty look to play up the dark blond wig and add to the party-girl effect.

"Hopefully this works," she muttered. While Olivia had taken her afternoon nap, Alexa studied pictures on Google Images, trying to determine what women wore out for a night of bar hopping and clubbing. She'd never done either. While her college roommates had partied, she'd busted her b.u.t.t to keep her scholars.h.i.+ps and worked at the library to send what money she could home for Gran's constant stream of medical bills.

She slid on her sandal-heels and scrutinized her face. There was no way she could be mistaken for Abby looking like this. She opened the door, peeked in the hall, and made a dash for the room she and Livy shared, closing herself in. She smiled down at her exhausted daughter and smoothed the sheet over her sprawled, sleeping form.

Bedtime had never been easier after the excitement of the day. Livy was typically a night owl, but not this evening. The afternoon boat ride had been a thrill for both of them. Alexa forgot how much she missed the wind in her face as the powerboat glided along the choppy water. Watching Olivia help Grampy steer the sweet watercraft had been such a special moment.

And the soft sh.e.l.l crab... Livy had her first taste when they docked at a local dining spot a few miles from the house. Alexa chuckled as she remembered how Livy's nose had wrinkled with her dislike, but the grilled hot dog and chocolate ice cream had gone down just fine.

Although their lives had been turned upside down, Alexa couldn't be sorry Livy was getting the opportunity to get to know the rest of her family. The Matthews were such good people.

A light knock sounded at the door. Alexa kissed Livy on the forehead and tucked her daughter's beloved stuffed frog back under her arm, then she grabbed her purse and turned. She took a deep breath as she smoothed down her skintight clothing and walked to the door. "Here goes nothing," she muttered and twisted the k.n.o.b.

"I'm going to head..." Jack's eyes went huge as he looked her up and down. "What the h.e.l.l are you wearing?"

If she wasn't in for the fight of her life, she would've laughed at his shocked expression. "My clubbing outfit."

"Your-your what?"

"Shh." She glanced over her shoulder, afraid they were going to wake Livy. She opened the bedroom door fully so George and Carol would hear Olivia if she called. Then she grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him down the hall as she continued. "My clubbing outfit. I'm coming with you."

He stopped short. "No, you're not. We've talked about this."

"You told me I wasn't going because Abby and I look too much alike. We don't anymore. I'm coming to help find my sister."

"I also said this was too d.a.m.n dangerous. It's not happening."

Her brows winged high. It was time for the big guns. "You take me or I go myself."

He smirked at the challenge. "You don't know where I'm going."

d.a.m.n. She hadn't thought of that. The argument was supposed to have ended with her threat. Now what? She shrugged, then began to rifle through her purse, searching for her phone. "Where's my phone?"

He pulled her cell from his back pocket. "I took it with me today-had the lab boys see if they could get a trace on the call from yesterday."

"Did they?"

"No. Abby must've called from another burn phone."

She swallowed the familiar taste of disappointment as she reached for her cell, more determined than ever to tag along.

Jack held it out of reach. "Why do you want this?"

"Because I pay the bill." She made another grab, but Jack moved again. "Give me my phone, Jack."

"Why?"

She steamed out a breath and glared. This was not going the way she planned. "Because I'm calling a cab."

Eyes hot, he shoved the cell in his back pocket and leaned close to her face. "No f.u.c.king way." He s.p.a.ced out each word on a dangerous whisper.

"Don't talk to me like that." She shoved him. "Get out of my way." She stormed down the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll use one of the landlines. I'm sure if I ask a cabbie to take me to a strip club in Baltimore, I'll end up where I want to be." Her stomach fluttered with unease. She didn't want to go without Jack, but pride pushed her on.

"d.a.m.n it, Alex. Why do you have to be so stubborn?" He followed behind.

A smug smile spread across her lips as she continued down the steps. Maybe all wasn't lost. She hurried in the den, and her smile disappeared when Carol gasped. Alexa wrinkled her nose as she looked at Jack's stunned and staring parents snuggled on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, a movie playing on the TV.

"Honey, what on earth?"

"Alex, wait a minute." Jack hurried in after her. "Excuse us," he said as he pulled her into the living room. "I want you to stay here."

She shook her head and brushed at the strands of dark blond that stuck to her glossy lips. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Go change into...clothes. Watch a movie with my parents."

"I want to help, Jack. I need to."

"I get that, but this is nowhere near safe. I've been straight with you from day one, and I'm telling you this is dangerous."

"No more dangerous for me than you."

Brow raised, he looked her up and down. "You're playing with fire going anywhere dressed like that."

"I'll fit right in. I researched my outfit online."

"You-" His eyes softened as he smiled. "You researched?"

She saw her opening and took his hand. "Please, Jack. Please. I have to help Abby. I'm going crazy sitting here waiting for someone else to rescue my sister. I need to be able to tell myself each and every day that I've done something to try to bring her home. Would you be able to sit patiently by if someone had Will? Wouldn't you do anything for your brother?"

He closed his eyes and sighed. "Low blow."

"Whatever it takes, Jack. Please take me with you tonight."

He stared at her, jaw clenched, breath steaming from his nose. "You have to stay with me."

Detecting a glimmer of hope, she yanked him into a hug. "Thank you."

He eased her back and ran his hands down her arms. "I'm serious, Alex, right with me."

"I'll be stuck like glue." She hugged him again, her relief huge as she stared at him, eyes level in her heels. "See? Like Elmer's."

He grinned. "I'm thinking more like Krazy Glue."

She wrapped her arms tighter and hooked a leg around his jean-clad hip. "This would probably draw too much attention." She grinned back as he chuckled.

"Probably." He clutched his hand on her thigh, keeping her in place. Heat replaced the humor in his gaze. "You're bound to cause a riot dressed the way you are."

Her heart kicked into high gear as his thumb stroked lazy circles against her sensitive skin, making her s.h.i.+ver. His hungry stare held her captive. How many times had he looked at her in just that way while they made love? "Whatever it takes," she murmured.

He fingered the golden strands of her chin-length wig, and his palm brushed her jaw. "I'm going to miss running my fingers through your hair tonight."

Need tugged and pulled at her center. His mouth was an inch from hers. She was desperate to taste him. "I..."

"We need to go." He let go of her leg and stepped away.

"I-Yes." Her brain had turned to mush as her hormones raged. "Okay."

He took her hand and walked with her back to the den where his parents sat, once again tuned into their movie. "Mom, Dad, we're going to head into Baltimore."

"Can you still watch Livy?" Alexa struggled not to squirm as George and Carol stared.

"Of course, but sweetie, why in the world are you dressed like-like that?"

"I'm...immersing myself in my role."

"Dougie Masterson gave me a couple of places to check out in the city-Abby's case."

"Honey, I don't think it's safe to be going out like that."

Alexa pressed her lips together. "Typically I would agree one hundred percent, but tonight I'll blend in."

"It seems dangerous."

Carol sounded just like her son. "I need to find my sister, Mom. I have to try. I'll have Jack close by to keep me safe. Abby has no one. We might find her."

"We could," Jack squeezed her hand. "But more than likely not, Alex. I don't want you getting your hopes up."

She met his gaze. "I stopped getting my hopes up several days ago."

Jack pulled her against his side and kissed her forehead. "Let's go see what we can dig up."

She closed her eyes, trying to block out the comfort his habitual gesture brought, but not before noting George and Carol's quick glance at each other. She eased herself away from Jack. "I'll have my phone on me." She plucked her cellphone from Jack's back pocket and tossed it in her purse. "If you need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate."

"Livy will be fine. You two be careful."

Jackson drove north toward the bright lights of Baltimore and glanced at Alex's smooth, toned legs-again. How the h.e.l.l was he supposed to concentrate on anything with that killer body of hers distracting him?

"You know, I'm actually feeling pretty good about tonight." She smiled.

He loved seeing her bright eyes and warm smile without the strain, but she was getting her hopes up. "I want you to keep in mind that this is a first step. Surveillance takes time."

"But it's a step, right? You even said so last night."

"Yeah, but-"

"Shh." She pressed her finger to his lips. "I'm not getting my hopes up. I know how you think. It just feels good to be doing something that might help."

He swallowed as a swift punch of desire clutched his stomach. Those eyes-so big, so dark and s.e.xy. He could stare into them for days. He wanted to yank off that horrible wig and run his fingers through her hair. And her smooth, silky skin; he needed to touch her everywhere. She was hardly wearing anything. He could pull over and have her naked before he took his next breath.

She'd churned him up, and her barely-there clothes didn't have a d.a.m.n thing to do with it. When she'd held him close with her leg wrapped around him, he'd seen glimpses of the past. She'd grinned at him, for him, while they joked. He wanted that back, craving the fun and lightness they used to share so long ago. Alex was twisting him up.

Clenching his jaw, he stared ahead and took the exit for downtown. They were minutes from their first stop, Club Jerhico-a strictly nightclub atmosphere. He planned to ease Alex in to the night slowly. She had no idea what she was in for. Some of the spots they would visit were little more than skeezy pits of naked, strung-out women. For that alone he'd wanted her to stay home. Alex had done thorough research on the h.e.l.lish conditions her sister was more than likely living in, but pictures on a computer and printed police doc.u.ments were a far cry from actually experiencing it firsthand. After tonight, there would be no way to protect her from Abby's grim reality. "Did Abby ever go clubbing?"

"Uh, I don't think so. That's not really her scene. Why?"

He shrugged. "Just playing with the pieces, trying to make them fit."

"Which pieces exactly? There are a million."

He pulled into the parking garage and rolled down the window, grabbing the ticket the machine spit out, then driving forward. "The police still can't find the tie that connects Abby to the other victims."

She unbuckled as he turned into a parking s.p.a.ce. "What if there isn't a connection between the girls and Abby? What if the cases are unrelated? The police could be chasing down leads to nowhere."

He killed the engine and looked at her. "My gut tells me they're on the right track. The abductions are too similar. There has to be something to it."

"But what? I just don't see it."

"Well, let's break it down, starting with the first three victims."

She turned in her seat, facing him. "I've read everything I can get my hands on about the girls. Even their cases aren't necessarily similar. The first two girls have the most in common: broken homes, a lack of supervision, mothers with substance abuse issues, absentee fathers, etcetera, etcetera, but not Kristen Moore."

Alex had done her homework. He didn't expect anything less. "She had a different home life, but there are definitely parallels," Jack said. "Kristen's parents are loving, quality individuals, but divorcing. She was taking the separation hard and getting herself into trouble as a result. All of the girls' friends reported sneaking into nightclubs on more than one occasion, so that's a connection right there. You add that up and we get three troubled young women, fractured home lives, and the Baltimore club scene. That's the dot connecting three identical abductions."

Alex frowned as her busy brain worked. "Okay, I can see your point, but once again, how does that bring us around to Abby? Other than the actual kidnapping-the vans and the two men grabbing her-the cases don't sound even remotely the same to my sister's. Abby isn't into the club scene. She has a great head on her shoulders. She's confident, driven, and successful in her own right. She has a degree in fas.h.i.+on and a minor in business. She doesn't need a man to make her feel good about herself. We had a terrible home life-no doubt about it. The mother with serious mental health and addiction issues...and eventually suicide; the non-existent father. But that was so long ago. Money was always hard to come by, but somehow Gran pulled it off with her meager social security checks. Our first few years with my mother left little impact, especially after the counseling. Gran raised us to be strong, independent women."

"I loved your Gran. She was amazing. She did a h.e.l.l of a job."

Alex smiled. "Yes she did." Her smile dimmed "And that's what makes this so much worse. We've all worked too hard for this to be it for Abby."

"This isn't the end of her story, Alex. That's why we're out here tonight."

She blew out a breath, fluttering her fake blond bangs. "You're right."

"One of the most important things we can do for Abby is keep an open mind. After my conversation with Detective Canon today, I know the authorities are seriously considering a lure."

"A lure?"

"Yeah, someone who seeks out the ideal 'candidate'-tells them what they want to hear, promises them love, fame, drugs-whatever it takes-before they bag 'em."