A Glimpse of the Dark Side: Adult Paranormal Erotic Romance Collection by Eden Laroux Read Free Book Online Page B

of beauty. She was smiling coyly over her shoulder. The
imaginary breeze ruffling her green dress revealed a stunning
derriere in lacy white underpants. Her glossy hair was pinned back
by a pink bloom.
    Next to her, in a beautiful cursive script,
coiled the word 'Eglantine.'
    "Ash," January whispered. He was across the
room, but appeared at her side immediately. "She's here," January
said. "She saw this picture."
    Ash looked around quickly. On the wall opposite
the photograph was an electrical closet. Ash called Mr. Armitage
over to unlock it. Inside was a mass of unidentifiable machinery,
piles of equipment and a large storage box with lift-up lid and an
old-fashioned lock.
    Ash looked at the floor. "Has anyone been in
here recently?"
    Armitage shrugged. "Well, yeah. Brian needs to
get in here all the time."
    "Can we get into this storage box?"
    Armitage fumbled with his cartoonish ring of
keys. He tried one, then another.
    "Hm..." he said. "I don't think I have a key for
this. I'm not even sure I've seen it here before. Brian might have
brought it in."
    Ash looked around. He picked up a heavy steel
bar and began to smash at the lock. January winced at the sound. If
Lianna was in there, she would be terrified.
    After the third clang, there was a low moan from
inside the box.
    "Lianna," Ash called. "Is that you?"
    There was another moan. "Help me..."
    "We're going to get you out. Hang on," Ash
said.
    Three more clangs and the lock smashed into
pieces. Ash and Armitage pried the top of the box open.
    And then Ash reached inside and lifted out a
small teenage girl in a ripped dress. January recognized the mop of
blonde hair from the photographs in Lianna's room but nothing else
because the girl's face was pitifully covered with dirt and
bruises. She was barely conscious.
    When she saw Ash, she started to weep.
    January looked inside the storage box,
horrified. There was barely any room to move... and Lianna had been
in there for over a week! It was a wonder she was even still
alive.
    She felt her face get red and flushed. She knelt
down next to the girl.
    "You're safe, Lianna" she said to her. "We're
going to get you home."
    Lianna looked up and through her haze, she
seemed to recognize January. "It's you," she said. "I know you,
don't I?"
    January smiled "Yes. We've met. Just... not
here."
    Lianna's eyes rolled back and she lost
consciousness.
    Ash was on the phone calling for an ambulance.
January walked over to the window. A green Ford with a rusty door
was pulling into the small parking lot.
    "I think Brian's here," she said to the
others.
    A man of about thirty got out of the Ford. There
was something familiar about his face, but she didn't have time to
think about it, because as she watched, the man looked at the other
cars parked around him, then backed slowly toward his car and got
back inside.
    "Oh," she said. "Ash, I think he's..." January
started to say, but Ash was already gone. She watched him appear in
the parking lot just as Brian's green Ford was screeching away,
pulling out onto the main road.
    Ash stopped, pulled out his gun and leveled it
at the car.
    Just then another car, its engines suddenly
roaring to life, shot out of nowhere, barreling head-on toward the
Ford. The Ford swerved wildly into the oncoming lane, lurched
across the road and smashed into a telephone pole.
    Agent Talbot leapt out of the other car and ran
toward the pole. She and Ash converged on the Ford, guns drawn.
January saw Ash shout at the car, something short and harsh.
    Brian appeared, his hands in the air.
    A soon as January got a good look at his face,
she felt her stomach clench.
    "That's... that's Brian Dayne," she said.
    "Yeah, that's his name," Armitage said, "Do you
know him?"
    January nodded, feeling very faint as she
involuntarily touched one very cold cheek. "I went to high school
with him."

Chapter Eleven
    "HE CONFESSED TO everything," Agent Talbot said.
"He saw her at the mall a few weeks ago, and liked the way she
looked.