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“I’m a daddy. Let me help you.”

  The girl scooted away, shaking her head. “Daddies are bad people.”

  Nick hesitated. What had that woman taught the kids? “No. Daddies love and help kids. Let me help you.”

  She moved farther away, squeezing the bear harder.

  Another crash sounded upstairs.

  Nick scooped her up, and headed for the door. “Is there anyone else down here with you?”

  The girl kicked and screamed.

  He ran outside, choking in the fresh air.

  A fire engine pulled up and an aid car followed behind.

  The little girl continued struggling against Nick. “Mommy!” She reached for the car where her kidnapper smirked at Nick.

  He handed the child off to a paramedic and told one of the firefighters what he knew of the situation inside. Two or three more kids and an officer. He didn’t know where the fire was, other than upstairs.

  Two more fire units arrived. Firefighters flooded into the house.

  Alex ran outside with a girl in one arm and a toddler in the other. He gave them to the medics and struggled to breathe.

  “You okay?” Nick guided him to the ambulance and instructed someone to check him out for smoke inhalation. Then he marched back over to the cruiser and faced the kidnapper. “We rescued three kids. Are there any more?”

  She looked away.

  “Are there any more?” Nick shouted. “You took at least four kids! People have accused you of killing one. Are there more children in the house?”

  She glared at him. “I didn’t kill Connor!”

  “Is he alive?”

  Her mouth formed a straight line. “No. It’s just those three. I want a lawyer.”

  “You’re going to need one.” He slammed the door and called in the information, then told the head firefighter on the scene.

  Alex came over. “Are all the kids out?”

  “If she’s telling the truth.” He glared at their suspect.

  “What’d she say?” Alex’s expression tightened.

  “She says one of the kids is dead.”

  “Connor?”

  Nick nodded.

  “How?”

  “All she said was that she didn’t kill him. She’s not saying another word until she has an attorney.”

  “Of course not.” Alex jutted his jaw. “You got Daisy out?”

  “Little girl, about three.”

  “Good.” He glared at the blogger. “At least we know she’s never getting out after everything she’s done.”

  “Let’s hope her attorney isn’t that good.”

  “Speaking of. Let’s get her to the station and book her.”

  “Nothing would make me happier.”

  “What about some shut-eye?” Nick arched a brow.

  Alex nodded. “After all this, I could sleep for a week.”

  “Take tomorrow off, my friend.”

  Decision

  Alex tapped his glass against Nick’s. They’d just received word that all three kids had been returned to their families. As glad as he was for the kids and their families, there was one family devastated. They had closure, a body to bury properly, but no child to embrace.

  That was where Connor—Lucas—should’ve gone. His parents’ arms. Not the county morgue. Not a cemetery. His heart ached for those parents.

  He glanced over at Ariana building a sandcastle for Laney and Zander. She played peekaboo with them as she built, and they both burst into fits of laughter each time, nearly falling onto the blanket they sat on underneath the huge colorful umbrella.

  Nick glanced at his phone. “Shouldn’t Zoey and Genevieve be back by now?”

  Alex sipped his cherry soda. “I’d be surprised if they don’t end up meeting us at the restaurant. They’re looking at wedding dresses, remember?”

  Nick grinned. “That’s true. Genevieve’s really enjoying the whole planning process.” He glanced at the time again. “We should have the kids reapply sunscreen.”

  They called everyone over and lathered everyone up again. Ari smeared the lotion on the babies while Alex got her back. Hanna and Tinsley helped each other out while Parker insisted on doing his himself. Ava and Braylon slathered one another, laughing.

  “Wait before going into the water!” Nick called as the kids scattered.

  Alex opened a new pop. “Ava seems to be doing well after her ordeal.”

  Nick nodded. “She insists she wasn’t abducted. Says it was nothing like before. She’s upset with me for making her go back to counseling.”

  “She’ll thank you later.”

  “That’s what I keep telling myself.”

  They sat in silence watching the kids for a few moments before Nick turned to Alex and took a deep breath. His expression was serious, pensive.

  “Uh, oh.” Alex dug his pop bottle into the sand. “What’s up?”

  Nick drew in a deep breath and glanced over at Parker. “I decided to do the paternity test. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since we went to the prison and spoke with Dave. I need to know for myself. And Parker deserves the truth, either way. If he has a completely different set of genetics, it’s his right to know.” Nick played with a loose string on his shirt. “If mental illness runs in his gene pool, he should know that, too. And if there’s anything in Dave’s medical history, we need that information. It’s only fair to him.”

  Alex nodded. Unfortunately, he knew all that too well. He glanced over at Zander, who carried Dave’s genetics.

  “It won’t change anything,” Nick said. “Parker’s still my son, regardless. Doesn’t matter who supplied half his DNA. He’s mine. I’d give my life for him in a heartbeat.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir.”

  “So, you think I’m making the right choice?”

  “Yeah. It’s the hard one, but the right one.”

  “Good. Because I already had it done.”

  Alex gave him a double-take. “When do you find out?”

  Nick looked over at Parker. “I already have the results. I haven’t looked at them yet. The question is, do I check before telling him? Or do I tell him, then we check together?”

  “That’s a tough one. If he’s yours—you know, genetically—then there’s no point in even bringing it up. He doesn’t need to know that it was ever a question.”

  “Corrine could still tell him one day.”

  “Then you’d be able to show him proof that he’s yours.”

  Nick scrunched his face. “I suppose.”

  “If you want us to watch the other kids while you talk to Parker, we will. Just say the word. It’s going to be a big conversation.”

  “That it will. I’ll let you know if I need to take you up on the offer.”

  “Hopefully you won’t.” Alex looked at Zander, dreading the day he would have to have a similar conversation.

  * * *

  When Alex hears about a mysterious girl in the hospital, he’s shocked that she claims to know him. Can he help her recover her missing memories, or will he only make things worse? READ TAKE ON ME TODAY.

  Take On Me

  What’s up next for Alex, Nick, and the others? Find out in Take On Me, the seventh Alex Mercer Thriller:

  * * *

  A traumatized girl wakes in the hospital with no memory of how she got there. Or of anything else. Her only thought is to find the one person she remembers—her Uncle Alex.

  When the authorities contact Alex Mercer, he rushes to the hospital. He’s surprised to find it’s his cousin Ayla. Shocked to see the condition she’s in. Stunned to learn her parents are missing.

  Alex welcomes her into his home, and the family rallies around her as she tries to recover. But progress is slow, and for every step forward, she backslides. Compounding the problem is the mounting evidence that none of this was an accident. And the ans
wers to the mystery are locked in her fragile mind.

  Ayla is scared she’ll never remember. Even more frightened she will—and she won’t like what she recalls. But when she comes face to face with the worst memory of all, she realizes so much more than her history is at stake. And it might be too late to do anything about it.

  * * *

  Excerpt

  Everything had been quiet so long. Too long. Something wasn’t right. It had to be a trick. But even if it was, Ayla needed to try and make an escape. She tugged on both sides of the blindfold. It was not only super tight, but it wouldn’t even budge. It had been glued to her hair and scalp.

  She’d have to get away with it on.

  Ayla tried to pull the fabric up and then down, but it was so tight. Scratchy. It hurt, but she’d gotten used to it. Kind of. She definitely wanted it off. But that would have to wait. Especially if she could leave.

  She felt around the shag carpet. Her finger bumped the dinner plate and the fork on it made a really loud noise. Ayla held her breath and froze in place. Waited.

  Nobody came.

  She released her breath and felt around again—this time, not so rushed. Part of the carpet was soggy. She didn’t want to think about why. He’d made her stay in the room for so long and hadn’t let her leave for anything.

  Fresh air would be so nice. She held on to that thought as she felt around some more. Just carpet. The shaggy kind like her grandparents had had when she and her parents had traveled on a plane to visit their house, back when Grams and PopPop were still alive.

  Ayla pushed aside thoughts of them. It usually made her heart hurt thinking about never seeing them again, and now it was so much worse. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away as best she could with the tight fabric.

  She crawled on her hands and knees, breathing heavily. Her left knee ached, but it was nothing compared to her throbbing cheekbone and mouth. Or her arms from when she’d been shoved into the small trunk of that car.

  The thought sent a shiver down her spine. Goosebumps formed, hurting where she had cuts and bruises.

  Was her mom okay? The last time she’d seen her had been in that trunk. Well, not seen. They’d already been blindfolded. But she’d been there. Mom had held her close and whispered for her to stay strong. Said not to give up—if she didn’t give up, she’d survive.

  The words were supposed to have helped, but they only scared her. Could she be strong? How long would she have to keep going without giving up?

  Mom kept saying that over and over during the bumpy ride. That and how much she loved Ayla.

  She bumped into a wall and pulled herself from her thoughts. No, it wasn’t a wall. She pressed her palm on it. It felt like a door. Her heart pounded as she reached up. Higher…

  A knob, cold metal. And it jiggled.

  Her pulse pounded in her ears. Ayla waited for it to stop. She needed her ears more than ever because of the blindfold. Once she could hear again, she twisted the knob. Slowly. Once it went as far as it would go, she paused.

  Would the door open? If it did, would she find freedom? Or something worse than her current situation? That wasn’t likely. Before, she’d thought Shana telling everyone she still played with dolls was the most horrifying experience. But she’d been wrong—so very wrong.

  She hesitated. Didn’t want to get beat up again. But it was a risk she had to take.

  Mom’s words ran through her mind.

  Ayla needed to be brave for both of them. What if her mom needed help? Who was she kidding? Of course Mom needed help, wherever she was. They both did. They’d been separated since being yanked out of the trunk.

  She shuddered at the thought, then took a deep breath. They would escape.

  Ayla would make sure of that.

  Holding her breath, she pulled on the knob.

  * * *

  More information: https://stacyclaflin.com/books/take-on-me/

  Author’s Note

  Thanks so much for reading Tainted Love. I know it’s been a little bit of a wait since the last book. (Unless you’re new to the series, then you didn’t have to wait!) I’m excited to be back in this story world and am looking forward to writing more Alex Mercer novels this year than I did last year. So, keep your eyes open for a new one soon!

  * * *

  I’d love to hear from you. The easiest way to do that is to join my mailing list (link below) and reply to any of the emails.

  * * *

  If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review wherever you purchased it. Not only will your review help me to better understand what you like—so I can give you more of it!—but it will also help other readers find my work. Reviews can be short—just share your honest thoughts. That’s it.

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  Thank you for your support! I really appreciate it—and you guys!

  About the Author

  Stacy Claflin is a USA Today bestselling author who writes about complex women overcoming incredible odds. Whether it's her Gone saga of psychological thrillers, her various paranormal romance tales, or her sweet romance series, Stacy's three-dimensional characters shine through.

  Decades after she wrote her first stories on construction paper and years after typing on an inherited green screen computer that weighed half a ton, Stacy realized her dream of becoming a full-time bestselling author.

  When she's not busy writing or educating her kids from home, Stacy enjoys watching a wide variety of shows like Reign, Supernatural, Walking Dead, The Originals, Designated Survivor, Pretty Little Liars, Stranger Things, Haven, and Once Upon a Time.

  For more information:

  stacyclaflin.com/about

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  Connecting independent readers to independent writers.

  Did you love Tainted Love? Then you should read Dean's List by Stacy Claflin!

  Every marriage has secrets. Some are deadly.

  Lydia Harris knows her marriage to Dean has problems, but when she finds a box of news clippings he took great pains to conceal, the problems go from disappointing to dangerous. Nation-wide murders... in cities where he has traveled. She doesn't want to believe him capable of such violence, so she searches for clues to explain the hidden clippings.

  As the evidence begins to mount, Lydia is torn. Dean seems to be trying to rekindle their lost spark, and she yearns for what they'd once had. But can she look past her own feelings to uncover the truth, or will she be next on his list?

  Dean's List is a USA Today bestselling novel and a nail-biting psychological thriller. Pick up your copy today!

  Read more at Stacy Claflin’s site.

  Also by Stacy Claflin

  An Alex Mercer Thriller

  Girl in Trouble

  Turn Back Time

  Little Lies

  Against All Odds

  Don't Forget me

  Tainted Love

  Take On Me

  Curse of the Moon

  Lost Wolf

  Chosen Wolf

  Hunted Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Cursed Wolf

  Fall Into Romance

  Lost in Romance

  Gone

  Gone

  Held

  Over

  The Gone Trilogy

  Dean's List

  Indigo Bay Second Chance Romances

  Sweet Complications

  Indigo Bay Sweet Romance Series

&n
bsp; Sweet Dreams

  Sweet Reunion

  The Hunters

  Seaside Surprises

  Seaside Heartbeats

  Seaside Dances

  Seaside Kisses

  Seaside Christmas

  Bayside Wishes

  Bayside Evenings

  Bayside Promises

  The Hunters: A Collection

  The Transformed

  Deception

  Betrayal

  Forgotten

  Ascension

  Duplicity

  Sacrifice

  Destroyed

  Transcend

  Entangled

  Dauntless

  Obscured

  Partition

  Fallen (The Transformed Prequel)

  Silent Bite: A Transformed Christmas

  Hidden Intentions

  Saved by a Vampire

  Sweet Desire

  Valhalla's Curse

  Renegade Valkyrie

  Pursued Valkyrie

  Silenced Valkyrie

  Vengeful Valkyrie

  Unleashed Valkyrie

  Standalone

  The Transformed Series - Four Books

  The Transformed Box Set

  No Return

  Tiny Bites

  Haunted

  Dex

  When Tomorrow Starts Without me

  The Only Things You Can Take

  Lies Never Sleep

  Watch for more at Stacy Claflin’s site.