Different
Sides
Phantom Security Book 1
By Marissa Dobson
Genre: Romantic
Suspense/Contemporary Romance
Release Date:
June 13, 2017
Murder? One call
is all it takes to shatter Elise Dalton’s heart. Her father’s been murdered and
the accused is none other than the man she had given her heart to. Though he’d
cut himself out of her life years earlier, being the daughter to the chief of police,
she has heard enough gossip to let her know that the choices he’s made have
lead him down a path of self-destruction. He isn’t the same man she’d fallen in
love with but a part of her doesn’t want to believe he could kill her father in
cold blood.
Gun carrying,
motorcycle riding, bad boy Flash Arquette has done some terrible shit in his
life. He’s even taken the fall for someone, and every time he’s done the time
for his crimes. This time, though, he’s innocent and no one’s listening to him.
He doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him except Elise. She had to know the
truth. He’s hurt her enough in the past, but he would never have done this to
her. The only problem is the convincing evidence against him and his inability
to give them proof of his innocence without breaking the contract he signed.
Their lives have
taken opposing paths, but as the steel bars close around Flash, Elise realizes
she’s lost him for good. The small ray of hope that he could change dies and
the grief doubles. When those around Flash come forth with information that
he’s been set up, she’s not sure she believes them, but she has to find out the
truth. Nothing will bring her father back but she might be able to save Flash
from death row.
Chapter One
Law and order had been
drilled into Elise Dalton’s head since she was old enough to understand what it
was. According to her father, being the daughter of the chief of police left
her with a bigger responsibility. She was supposed to set an example. Live her
life on the straight and narrow—and for the most part, she did. The only time
she took the detour road was for the man she thought she’d spend her life
with—Flash Arquette.
During the freshman
year of high school, the Arquettes had moved down the block from her and shook
up the once quiet, small town. Mr. Arquette was a drunk who thrived on trouble
and violence. If he wasn’t causing a disturbance at the town’s only bar, he was
at home beating his sons, Rocco and Flash. How many times had her father locked
Mr. Arquette up? Each time, his sister, who lived a couple of towns over, would
come and take care of the boys until he was released, only to have the cycle
repeat itself within a few weeks.
Now, standing in the
front yard of the house she grew up in, she glanced toward the old Arquette
place. Twilight was quickly turning to dark, making it hard to see anything
except the outline of the house. No one had lived there in years and in the
day, the neglect was clear. Tall grass, weeds growing through the cement
driveway and around the walkway, the broken window, and missing siding made it
clear to anyone that it had been abandoned for years. Just glancing at it made
her wonder why her father hadn’t done something all those years ago. Maybe if
he could have locked Mr. Arquette up for longer than a few days, the boys would
have had a fighting chance. Maybe their aunt would have taken them in and
raised them right. If only her father had acted more on the situation, maybe
he’d still be alive.
Silent tears rolled
down her cheeks while inside, her temper raged. She wanted revenge but she
could almost hear her father’s words in her ear. Let the justice system do
what it’s intended to do. It takes time but it works. Did it really? If so,
it would have saved the Arquette boys. It would have given Mrs. Arquette
justice. And Flash…
“Ms. Dalton?”
Hearing her name
spoken brought her out of the past. She glanced in the direction of the sound.
A sleek black town car was parked at the end of the driveway but it was the man
getting out who caught her attention. His sun-kissed skin and black wavy hair
reminded her of someone she couldn’t place—though the perfectly tailored suit,
and the fact he was being driven by a chauffeur, told her he didn’t belong
there.
“Ms. Elise Dalton?”
“It’s a bad time.
You’ll need to come back…” She wanted to say ‘never’ but she doubted that was
an option. Whatever this man wanted, she didn’t have time for it. She had just
come from the funeral home where she’d made plans for her father’s funeral.
Right now, all she wanted was to be alone, not to deal with people. She took a
step back toward the house, quickly finding her key.
“I only need a moment
of your time.” His voice sounded closer, nearly right behind her, but she
didn’t turn back to look.
“I don’t know who you
are, but right now I don’t care. I’ve asked you to leave once and if you’re
persistent I’ll have to call my fa…” Tears sprang to her eyes as she slid the
key into the lock. Silently, she fought back the tears, refusing to cry in
front of him.
“Elise—”
“I told you, now’s not
a good time.” The door opened and she stepped into the doorframe, forcing
herself to look at him. His brown gaze caught her attention and for a moment
she thought she was looking into someone else’s eyes.
“Five minutes, that’s
all I need.” Stepping closer, he placed his hand on the door, crowding her
space.
“Fuck, man! Don’t you
get it? I can’t do this now. I just…he’s…”
“I get it, but I have
a message that can’t wait.”
The anger over this
man’s persistence was quickly being replaced by fear. Something about a message
made her want to reach into her bag for her gun. She wasn’t on duty so she
hadn’t put her gun on her belt. Instead, she’d left it in her bag.
“Are you listening to
me?”
She swallowed the lump
in her throat. “I don’t want any trouble.” Her father was dead; why would
anyone be after her? She had nothing to do with whatever he was investigating.
They might have been in similar career fields but they didn’t discuss their
work. They were both committed to their jobs, often bringing their work home
with them, but it didn’t impact their time together. Hell, she hadn’t even been
in town in over a week. I missed the last days of his life…
She watched the man’s
lips move but her brain refused to focus until the last word. El. “What
did you say? What did you call me?” Her knees went weak, forcing her to wobble
and take a step back to regain her footing.
“You need to sit down.
Let me help you inside.” He grabbed hold of her arm and she went stiff under
his touch. “You don’t recognize me, do you? Shit, Elise, I thought you said you
didn’t want any problems because you knew who I am.”
“Sir.” A bulky man in
a dark suit came up the sidewalk toward the porch.
“Everything’s fine.
Watch the house. I’m taking her inside.” Before she could argue, he swooped her
into his arms and strolled into her house. He kicked the door shut behind him
as he carried her toward the living room.
“Put me down,” she
demanded, even though she wasn’t sure if she could stand. Her body felt as if
it was liquid—nothing felt right.
He sat her down on the
sofa and grabbed the patchwork quilt off the back, draping it around her
shoulders. “I’m not surprised you still have this, but I am surprised
you have it out. It must have driven your old man insane.”
“You know…” Her words
faded as he leaned over and flicked the light on. For the first time, she was
able to completely take in the man before her and her gaze fell on the jagged
scar across his cheek. “No…it can’t be. Rocco?” Terrible thoughts crossed her
mind as she realized Flash’s brother was in her house. She quickly wondered if
he was there to kill her before she realized she hadn’t done anything wrong.
She hadn’t been in town when her father was killed, so they couldn’t be
concerned she’d been a witness to any of it.
“The one and only.” He
squatted down in front of her. “Flash called me.”
“Flash…” She wasn’t
sure if she wanted to cry or scream at the mention of him; either way she
wanted to do it alone. “I think you should leave.”
“I’m innocent, El,
I swear. That’s the message I came here to deliver. That’s what I tried to
tell you earlier but I don’t think you were listening to me. You just stared
past me.” He placed his hand over hers. “Elise, I’m truly sorry. This is one of
those situations that all the money in the world doesn’t fix. You have to know,
I would if I could.”
“Really? Because if
you’re in town, I’m betting you’ve hired a lawyer for him. A high-powered
lawyer…someone who could get him off or at least procure a lighter sentence.
You don’t care about me or my father. You’re only here to lighten the load on
your conscience.” She pulled her hand out from under his.
“You’re damn right; I
hired him a lawyer because—”
“I don’t need to hear
your excuses. He murdered a police officer and could be looking at the death
penalty.” Her chest tightened at the very thought but she forced herself to
continue. “He’s your family. I understand you want to save him, but I don’t
need to hear it.”
He rose to his feet,
grabbing hold of her wrist and pulling her up with him. “Didn’t you hear me
when I gave you his message? He didn’t do it.”
“Bullshit.” She tried
to pull her wrist from his grasp but he held tighter.
“When have you ever
known Flash to fight against the charges? Even the computer fraud charges, when
we both know he didn’t do that. A newborn baby has more computer sense than my
brother.”
“The evidence—”
“Is manufactured,” he
supplied before she could finish. “Flash would give his life to protect you. He
wouldn’t want to see you like this. Your old man could be an asshole, but he
was your family. Flash respected that. Your father would have never approved of
him and for that reason he took himself out of the equation so you wouldn’t be
hurt.”
He broke my heart. Yet, she refused to admit that aloud. “It
doesn’t change anything.”
“It changes
everything.”
“The evidence they
have could put him away for life, if not land him on death row.” She didn’t
want to admit it but if Rocco was telling her the truth, then her father might
never see justice for his murder. He believed in the system. Now, if she
believed the man standing in front of her, the wrong person was going to get
convicted and her father’s real killer would go free. She didn’t know what to
think.
“Elise, I know you’re
upset right now but before you allow this to erase the good times you’ve shared
with Flash, give us time to prove his innocence.”
“That’s not how this
works.” She dropped down onto the sofa, forcing him to let go of her wrist,
because her energy was gone. “You’re not supposed to have to prove you’re
innocent. They’re supposed to prove you’re guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
“Your father stood for
the law and he taught you to believe in the system. Now that you’re older,
you’ve had to realize it doesn’t always work that way. The police here have
been gunning for Flash for years. They’ve picked him up for little things,
never the bust they want. Flash is far from innocent in many things, but
murdering your father…no.” He stepped back from the sofa.
“How can you be so
sure?”
“Can’t you trust me on
this for now? I’ll get you the proof. I just need some time.”
She sat there in
silence for a moment debating what he said before finally shaking her head.
“No, Rocco, I’m sorry. I can’t. My father was murdered; if not by him, then by
someone else. If it really was someone else, he could be getting farther away
as we speak. If you want me to believe you, then give me something—anything.”
With every word, she
could feel the desperation getting heavier. She wanted to believe him, she
wanted Flash to be innocent, but she couldn’t believe any of this on Rocco’s
word. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he was lying. If Flash had
been standing before her, she might believe it, maybe because she wanted him to
be innocent—but more than that she’d know if he was lying to her. Years
earlier, she realized he had a tell, allowing her to know whenever he was
lying.
“Twenty minutes before
the…” He paused, as if he didn’t know what he wanted to call the murder of her
father. “He was with me. A confidential business meeting. Shit, Elise, that’s
all I can give you. I’m in violation of my contract by telling you that much. I
need a few hours and I’ll have the red tape cleared enough that he’ll be
alibied.”
“Twenty minutes
before? Are you serious? That’s not a strong enough alibi.”
“It is when the
meeting happened in New York. There was no way Flash could have gotten back
into town in twenty minutes.” He dragged his hand through his hair. “I pulled
Flash into this because I needed his skills. It’s going to save his life;
otherwise they’d send him up the river until they could shove a needle in his
arm, ending his life. Trust me when I tell you he’s not just in this mess
because of the life he’s chosen to live. I’ve made enemies in my business and
they can’t come after me personally—I’m too well protected—so they go after the
only one left to them.”
“What kind of
meeting?” she pressed, needing more.
He slipped his hand
into his jacket pocket and ignored her question. “I’ve got someone working on
the traffic cameras. They’ll find further proof he wasn’t anywhere near
Pinewood when this happened.”
“Roc—”
“Twelve hours.” From
his pocket, he pulled out a business card. “I need you to trust me for twelve
hours and I’ll have Flash out of jail. Once that’s taken care of, I’ll help you
find the person responsible. My cell number’s on the back; call me if you need
anything. I’m staying in town until this matter is resolved.” He started to
walk away from her.
“You never answered my
question.”
“I can’t.” He glanced
back at her. “Elise, you mean a great deal to my brother, and if I could tell
you I would, but I can’t. The information I’ve already told you puts us both at
risk. Anything further would be disastrous. I can tell you this: the same
organization that signs your check also signs the ones for me and Flash.”
Without another word,
he was gone, leaving her more confused than she had been. Leaning back against
the sofa, she let the first tears fall. Her gaze scanned the pictures displayed
above the fireplace but her mind couldn’t focus on what she was seeing. She was
too full of grief and unanswered questions to appreciate the memories called by
the images before her. What the hell did Rocco mean? The same organization?
That wasn’t possible. Was it?
More confused than
before, she pulled the quilt into her lap and stared down at it. The worn quilt
had been her favorite since that rainy afternoon she’d spent making it with her
mother. Dad had always thought it was precious to her because of the time she’d
spent with Mom. Little did he know it was because of the small cloth squares.
Each one represented a memory she’d made with Flash. Their first date, first
kiss…she even had pieces of the shirt she’d worn as they were moving in to the
house down the street. It was so full of memories and on every visit home, she
used it. She always figured she chose to leave it there because it was where
she could use it the most. After all, she spent more time in Pinewood than at
her own condo, but now, she realized, it was a small jab at her father. To have
this as a centerpiece of the living room and their time together was a reminder
she never stopped loving Flash. He had always been there with her, even once he
took himself out of the picture. She ran her fingers over the soft material. How
did things get so fucked up?
* * *
It wasn’t the first
time Flash Arquette had found himself behind bars. Still, he flinched as the
bars slammed shut behind him. With the life he lived, he’d expected to be back
after his last stint in prison, but he never would have dreamed it would happen
with a murder charge hanging over his head.
Most people in
Pinewood considered him a good for nothing criminal but they didn’t know him.
Every decision he made seemed to be the right one at the time. If a woman was
getting the shit beat out of her by some asshole, he couldn’t stand around and
do nothing. He’d seen it too many times when he was a child—when his father had
beat his mother and he’d been too young to stop it. Now, he wasn’t. It had cost
him a few years in prison for attempted murder, but those years proved worth it
when he found out the woman had managed to get out of the situation and was now
living her life in Florida. If only someone could have helped his mother like
that, maybe she wouldn’t be dead.
“This place is a
second home to you, isn’t it, Arquette?” The guard chuckled as he removed the
cuffs. “Get used to it. You’re not going to slither away this time.”
Glaring at the guard,
he refused to comment. Anything he could say would make the bastard think he
was getting under his skin. Everyone at Pinewood Police Department was pretty
happy with themselves for taking him down, but soon they’d be put in their
place. He had to trust Rocco and his people to get this taken care of.
The guard retreated,
leaving him alone in his cell to think on his sins. He rubbed the red marks
from the handcuffs. The metal cuffs were tight enough to dig into his skin but
he refused to give them the satisfaction. “Fucking bastards.”
The police force had
fixed eyes on him for more than a year now, determined to lock him up before
his crew had a chance to do any further damage to their peaceful town. Even the
town residents had decided he was guilty, no matter the charges. Now they’d
want his head. It seemed they weren’t satisfied with him behind bars; they
wanted him dead.
Prison was no easy
ride, but it was part of his life. Before this mess, he would do his time
without a fight. Not this time. This time, he was innocent—and this wasn’t the
kind of fake, meaningless claim half the people in prison made. No, this time
he hadn’t even been in town when the crime happened.
This wasn’t just a
small crime that maybe he’d do a few months or even years for. This was murder
and they were already talking about the death penalty. Chief Dalton had been
murdered in cold blood and they were pinning it on him.
“Fuck!” Anger
overwhelming him, he slammed his fist into the cement wall. “El…” He sank down
onto the small metallic frame with a worn-out mattress on top and allowed his
thoughts to turn to Elise Dalton. His El, the only woman he’d ever
loved.
Did she believe he was
capable of the pending charges? They both knew he was capable of murder but did
she believe he’d kill her father? No matter the cost to himself, he would have
never done that to her. El meant more to him than his own life.
He wasn’t sure if he
was angrier about the police department trying to pin the murder on him so they
could get him out of the picture, or whether the system both her and her father
stood for was failing her when she needed it the most. She believed in the
system and fought for justice, but now it was robbing her by arresting the
wrong person. With him in jail, they weren’t out there searching for the actual
murderer. “I’m sorry, El.”
Her father had never
liked him. Flash had never been good enough for his daughter. He knew he didn’t
deserve El, but he loved her, and even though Chief Dalton had been determined
to keep them apart, he couldn’t stop them. In the end, it was Flash’s own
actions that caused him to lose her. She was his everything. The one soft spot
he had. To this day—if she called him, he’d be there.
She needed him now
more than ever, but where was he? Behind bars accused of killing her father. I’m
coming, El. Don’t give up on me, sweetie.
Born and raised
in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour
from Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy
doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you are never
done learning.
Being the first
daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at
a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It
wasn’t until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she
came up with.
Marissa is
blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and
allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks
and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.
Her writing
buddy Pup Cameron, a cocker spaniel, is always around to listen to her bounce
ideas off him. He might not be able to answer, but he’s helpful in his own
ways.
She loves to
hear from readers so send her an email at marissa@marissadobson.com or visit
her online at http://www.marissadobson.com.
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