Read SEIZED Part 1: New Adult Romantic Suspense (Seize Me Romance Fiction Series) for Free Online

much easier when I’m alone.
    Stopping at the cage, I ditch my gym bag at my desk and pick up my files and recorder. It’s five forty-five. I head down the hall, nodding at people and saying hi, but I hope my stance makes it clear I’m too busy to chat. It seems to work as people clear the pathway toward interview room two. I look through the window before I head in and see a huddled figure sitting at the center of the table. She’s been given a blanket and a coffee, but she’s still shaking, so I switch off the air conditioning that’s blasting the room before I open the door.
    I’m still waiting for her file from the receiving officer, but I’m tired, so I decide to jump right in. “Hi, how are you feeling, ma’am?”
    She looks up at me and I get my first glimpse of her swollen face. There’s a gash on her forehead covered by a patch. Big, pale blue eyes look out at me from under the white gauze, and I’m taken aback by the severity of the beating she has received.
    “I know you’ve already done this once, but I need you to tell me the story again, okay?”
    She looks back at me and I see she wants to say something, but doesn’t.
    “Are you warm enough? Can I get someone to bring you more coffee?”
    She stays silent, so I launch into my spiel. “I’m Detective Anderson. I’ll be taking care of your case. Can you tell me exactly what happened last night?”
    “I’m Carrie,” she says, holding her neck, her voice throaty. “It hurts to talk, ’cause he strangled me.” I see the purple marks on her face and jaw, and I almost wince but remain professional.
    “Have you had some pain relief?”
    She nods in answer, and in a shaky voice begins to tell me about how the night began. Listening to her, I note that her accent sounds familiar, and I realize she’s from Iowa, not a New Yorker after all.
    “We went to a bunch of places. We’re on vacation, we needed a night out.”
    She looks defensively at me as if I’m going to tell her off for having fun. Instead, I keep my gaze steady and nod, waiting for her to continue.
    “We were dressed up and having the best time. By two in the morning, April was done, but I wanted to go to Caliber so I dragged her along.” At this, Carrie looks down at the recorder between us.
    “It’s not that she didn’t want to go,” Carrie says. “April just didn’t want to see anyone she knew. There’s some family thing going on there. Her uncle owns it, and I think she doesn’t want to seem like she’s angling for free drinks.”
    Making note of the family connection, I prompt her to continue. She tells me about the dancing and the guys who were hitting on them. She speaks quietly, holding her neck the whole time, and I start to regret my earlier assumptions. This woman really is a victim. Her face is pale, the white of the dressing and the angry bruises a contrast with the sweep of dark hair that falls around her shoulders.
    She looks strong despite the injuries, and I wonder what she does for a living back in Iowa. The story continues, but when she gets to the abduction my chest starts to tighten. She talks me through it in a lifeless voice, each event unfolding between her lips and making me wince. There are no dramatics. She’s not playing ‘poor me,’ just telling me what happened step by step. That’s what’s making me react to this woman.
    I ask her to show me the grazes on her hands. They need to be cleaned properly or she’ll get an infection. I look more closely at the marks on her neck and see the pressure he applied was more than significant. These guys weren’t messing around. Her collarbones are so delicate underneath the blanket. The hollow at the base of her neck shines with a small gold chain. As she continues to talk, I’m thankful for the recorder because I can’t seem to keep my stare from returning to that spot at the base of her neck.
    Carrie may be beaten and scared, but she’s totally beautiful, and I’m willing to bet that no man