I looked at the time. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to visit the apartment tonight, especially not with both of them there. I needed to give them time to talk, to try to figure things out. But I needed to see them too. I had a brief internal debate and then went into the bedroom to grab a shirt and my car keys. Twenty minutes later, I was parked outside the apartment. I'd texted them both to let them know that I was coming so they could prepare, but I wasn't going to walk away without having the opportunity to say my peace to them both.
If only I knew what I wanted to say.
I looked up at the window as I got out of my car and paused. The curtains were drawn, but I couldn't see any light behind them. That was strange.
I hadn't gotten a response yet from either Livie or Katka, but I went inside anyway. Ten minutes later, I was back at the car. No one had answered when I'd knocked. The trip had been entirely pointless. Either neither was home or they were purposefully ignoring me. While I supposed the second was a possibility, I doubted it. It wasn't like I was some abusive asshole they had to hide from. All they had to do was tell me they didn't want to talk and I'd go away.
I didn't sleep that night. I didn't even try. I paced and muttered to myself. I wracked my brains trying to figure out what to do next. About three in the morning, I had the brilliant idea to ask the bank for the address of the studio Livie was in the process of buying. I knew the general area where it was located, but that wouldn’t do me any good unless I wanted to walk all around several blocks, knocking on doors and looking like a total idiot. If the bank wouldn't have been open tomorrow at eight, I might've considered the idiot option, but since I could go in for the address first thing, I decided to wait, as much as I hated it.
Unfortunately, when I got to the studio around nine-thirty the next morning, no one was there. If Livie had stayed there last night, she wasn't there now. I was at a loss. I could call hotels in the area, but I had no way of knowing if the people I talked to would report back to my father that I seemed to have misplaced my wife. I could visit in person and try to pay off people to give me information without reporting back to my father, but that was risking it too.
By late afternoon, I'd visited the bar where I'd first met Livie, a couple of restaurants and stores near the girls' apartment and a few places near the penthouse. Nothing. It didn't help that I couldn't be specific and I was almost to the point where I didn't care if word got back to my father, if only I could find either of the Dusek women.
Then a thought came to me. There was one thing I could do. There was a private investigator my father used sometimes, very discreet. He could do things I couldn't. I didn't overthink it. There was nothing to overthink. I had to find them.
Chapter 8
Blayne
The next three days were hell. I had to force myself to shower and eat. Even then, I didn't shave and my clothes were wrinkled because I didn't bother to hang them up or anything like that. I could barely function at work and it took everything I had to keep Samuel from figuring out what was wrong.
I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to last like this, but then, just as I was getting ready to leave for work Wednesday morning, I got a call.
“Max, what's up?” I tried to keep my voice light even though the sight of his name on my phone had made every part of me tense.
“I've found something.” The words were flat, not giving anything away. “You need to come see me.”
“You can tell me over the phone,” I said, confusion and concern dancing as one.
“No, you need to see this.”
That didn't sound very good.
“I'm on my way.” I wasn't about to wait until after work. I'd never be able to concentrate, not when I'd be constantly trying to figure out what was going on. As I headed down to my car, I called my brother and quickly told him that I was taking a personal day. To my relief, he didn't argue or ask for details.
Thanks to morning traffic, it took me a half an hour to get to the PI's office, every one of those thirty minutes a torture. By the time I stepped into the office, my nerves were strung so tight, I was sure they were going to snap.
“Mr. Westmore.” Max stood and held out his hand.
I shook it, repressing the urge to snap at him just to tell me what the hell he had. Instead, I took the seat he pointed to and waited.
“I did some digging into your girls' past,” he started.
“I hired you to find where they were now, not where they came from. I already know all about that.”
Max held up a hand and I stopped.
“When I started the investigation, some questions started coming up pretty quickly. Questions I needed to look into before I could go any further.”
He slid something across the desk towards me. I took it and looked down. It was a newspaper clipping, or more accurately, a copy of one. The language wasn't English, but I didn't need to read it to know what it was about. The picture said enough. Two adults, young and smiling, and two identical little girls with curls.
“That's Livie and Katka,” I said. I smiled as I gently touched each of the faces. I couldn't tell which one was which due to the poor quality, but I didn't need to. They were both special. I looked up at Max. “I'm guessing this is the article about how their parents were murdered, right? Livie told me all about it. What does it have to do with where they are now?”
“Blayne.” A strange expression crossed Max's face, which was weird since he had the best blank face I'd ever seen. “There was only one survivor that night. Katka Dusek died with her parents.”
– End of Vol. 4 –
Twisted Affair concludes in the final Vol. 5, release March 26th. To receive an email reminder on release date, click here: M.S. Parker Newsletter
Connect with me on Facebook: http://Facebook.com/MsParkerAuthor
FREE BOOKS: Don’t forget to check out my other book series, Chasing Perfection and Club Prive, featuring Carrie and Krissy from when they lived in New York City. Right now book 1 of both books is free at most vendors online.
Release Schedule
Twisted Affair Vol. 1 – February 26th
Twisted Affair Vol. 2 – March 5th
Twisted Affair Vol. 3 – March 12th
Twisted Affair Vol. 4 – March 19th
Twisted Affair Vol. 5 – March 26th
Other book series from M. S. Parker
Casual Encounter Vol. 1 to 5
Sinful Desires Vol. 1 to 5
Club Prive Vol. 1 to 5
French Connection (Club Prive) Vol. 1 to 3
Chasing Perfection Vol. 1 to 4
Broken Pleasures
Forbidden Pleasures
His Pleasures
Dark Pleasures – release April 7th
More Pleasures – release April 24th
Pure Pleasures – release May 12th
Acknowledgement
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big “thanks” goes out to all my Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of my series.
I have to thank my PA, Shannon Hunt. Without you my life would be a complete and utter mess. Also a big thank you goes out to my editor Lynette and my wonderful cover designer, Sinisa. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
About The Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privè and Chasing Perfection.
Living in Southern California, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing on her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor or author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing. ☺
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M. S. Parker, Twisted Affair Vol. 4
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