SEIZED Part 1: New Adult Romantic Suspense (Seize Me Romance Fiction Series) by JC Coulton Page B

was a relief to hang out with her when I was a teen. I’m cursing that I never took the chance to tell her that.
    Truth is, I didn’t know what the fuck to think or do back then. Living in Cedar Rapids was hands down the hardest time of my life. Brenda and I were trying to do the best we could, dodging the daily debris of an alcoholic family. My mom was driving herself and the neighbors crazy trying to keep Dad in line. For years, she went at his disease like it was something she could control, but he just kept up the same old shit. Drinking to black-out then stumbling home late or not at all.
    We lived day to day, doing what we could, and stayed out of his way as much as possible. I wanted to floor him some nights. It was easier just to leave.
    Carrie is looking at me intently. She’s going to ask a question but it comes out as a demand. “I want to get out of here—now.”
    It’s getting late, and she’s surely not had much to eat, but I’m not giving in so quickly.
    “Well, I can’t take you back to the hotel. It’s not safe. If the guys who took April find out where you were staying, that’s the first place they’ll look.”
    She looks at me, exhausted. “So, where am I supposed to go? All my stuff is there, I’ve got nothing.”
    Department protocol and common sense won’t let me leave an unsecured witness alone with this type of threat, but I see the look on her face and try to ease the blow. “Look, it won’t be forever, just until this is over. For now, you’ll get a bed at one of the department safe houses.”
    She still doesn’t look happy, and the resistance in her eyes starts to annoy me. It’s as if she thinks she could get past those guys a second time. She’s mad. What sort of woman chooses to purposely put herself in that type of danger? I do know the type, they’re normally the ones with nothing to lose. But Carrie seems the opposite; she’s got so much going for her. Her pleading continues.
    “Look can’t I just go back to the hotel and keep you on speed dial?”
    “No Carrie!” I don’t realize how loud I am when I cut her off until she startles in her chair. For a second, there is real fear in her eyes. This woman has suffered at the hands of somebody. I can see it. She’s trying to hold herself together, but her hands are shaking.
    I’m itching to reach across and comfort her but I continue firmly. “You need to look at this, now.”
    I pull out my iPad, type in my password, and tap up a photo file of a kidnapping victim who was found downtown last month. The pictures are gory. It’s not something I should be showing anyone, but she needs to see what happens to the women who don’t have Judo training, the ones who didn’t get away, the ones who stupidly put themselves in more danger for no reason.
    Carrie looks doubtful now. Seeing Janey lose it in the hall may not have bugged her, but there’s a sharp intake of breath when I turn the screen toward her. Not much is comparable to seeing what happens when a group of savages are let loose on a young woman’s body. The tragedy of it makes me cold with anger. I want Carrie to realize that this is a serious business, and it looks like shocking her out of her denial might have been just the ticket.
    She looks at the images for a while, and her shoulders drop.
    “Who will stay with me at the safe house?” I can hear the worry in her voice, and I tell her that she’ll be alone at the house, but it’s in an undisclosed location far from town.
    “Most of the staff here don’t even know where the safe houses are, so don’t worry. A female officer will get you set up with a change of clothes, and you’ll be fine.
    I pause to see if she has more questions, and when she doesn’t, I try to reassure her further.
    “Carrie, we need to watch the hotel to see if anyone tries to track you down. You saw their faces during the attack. You’re a prime target.” I let it sink in a little further. “Just know this, if they do come