If Only (Captured) Read online

  If Only

  Book 1 in the Captured Series

  By Louise J

  Copyright © 2012 by Louise J

  First Edition

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without written permission of the author and publisher, Louise J, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes only.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real people, historical events, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, persons living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design and photo by SyMobius at www.symobius.com

  For questions or comments about this book, please contact the author at [email protected]

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you! Two words I owe several people, though, they only say what I feel and can’t possibly express the depth of my gratitude. First and foremost, they go to the man who is everything I need him to be when I need him to be it, my source of constant encouragement and support. None of this would have been possible without you, not only because you’ve tolerated a barely there wife and accepted me spending most of my time with these other ‘people,’ but because of you I know what true love feels like. What better experience is there for writing a romance novel?

  Nicola, you little package of dynamite, and Tanya, thank you for being the first ever readers of the first ever draft of my first ever completed story. It was quite a mess, but it’s come a long way since then – you both played a role in that. (And you took on the second draft) Your time, feedback and your enthusiasm for the story meant/means more than I can ever tell you.

  Sarah and Heather, thank you so very much for taking the time to proofread for me, and for your valuable feedback. Your positivity for the story was the icing on the cake.

  Committing to a novel isn’t a nine-to-five; it’s never ending and incredibly demanding – especially starting out with zero experience and having to learn along the way. To my mother and those of you close to me, apologies if you’ve felt neglected, and thank you for your patience and understanding.

  And, finally, to those of you who offered a genuine smile and true words of encouragement – thank you. You have no idea how much of a positive impact these had on me. Seriously.

  Dedication

  Dedicated to Mary Kate and John Pender (minus the sexy bits)

  Table of Contents

  One: Joe

  June 2001

  Two: Callie

  Three: Joe

  Four: Callie

  Five: Joe

  Six: Callie

  Seven: Joe

  Eight: Callie

  Nine: Joe

  Ten: Callie

  Eleven: Joe

  Twelve: Callie

  Thirteen: Joe

  Fourteen: Callie

  Fifteen: Joe

  Sixteen: Callie

  Seventeen: Joe

  Eighteen: Callie

  Nineteen: Callie

  Twenty: Joe

  Twenty One: Callie

  Twenty Two: Joe

  Seven years later: August 2008

  Twenty Three: Callie

  Twenty Four: Joe

  Twenty Five: Callie

  Twenty Six: Joe

  Twenty Seven: Callie

  Twenty Eight: Joe

  Twenty Nine: Callie

  Thirty: Joe

  Thirty One: Callie

  Thirty Two: Joe

  Thirty Three: Callie

  Thirty Four: Joe

  Thirty Five: Callie

  Thirty Six: Joe

  Thirty Seven: Callie

  Thirty Eight: Joe

  Thirty Nine: Callie

  Forty: Joe

  Forty One: Callie

  Forty Two: Joe

  Forty Three: Callie

  Forty Four: Joe

  Forty Five: Callie

  Forty Six: Joe

  Forty Seven: Callie

  Forty Eight: Scottsdale, Arizona

  Forty Nine

  Fifty

  Fifty One

  Fifty Two

  Fifty Three

  Fifty Four

  Fifty Five

  Fifty Six

  Fifty Seven

  Fifty Eight

  Fifty Nine: Callie

  San Francisco: October 2011

  Sixty: Joe

  Sixty One: Callie

  Sixty Two: Callie

  Sixty Three: Joe

  Sixty Four: Callie

  Sixty Five: Joe

  Sixty Six: Callie

  One: Joe

  June 2001

  Shit, I’m dead.

  “Hello?”

  I’m dead … and I’m in …. I can’t be.

  “Hello, can you hear me?” a girl says, the words rushed and laced with alarm.

  Beautiful, beautiful angel … how did I–

  “If you can hear me, don’t move. I’m going to call for help, okay?”

  What? Wait? In a panic, I reach out and grasp her arm as she goes to leave. I realize now that I’m lying flat on my back on the sidewalk. “Stay, angel,” I say, my voice muffled from my helmet. Lifting my head, to look at her, brings on a fierce pounding. Slowly, I lower my throbbing scull back down onto the hard surface beneath me.

  “I just wanna get my cell from the car. We need to get you to the hospital.” She tugs against my hold, and I release her. Now I hear running footsteps approaching.

  “Ah, shit, what happened to him?”

  Why is my brother here, too?

  “What–”

  “I’m so sorry,” the girl cuts in on him. “Another motorcyclist tried to pass me and it was too close, so I swerved and … oh, God, this guy was trying to avoid me and skidded onto the sidewalk. It all happened so fast, it wasn’t even his fault. I’m gonna go get my phone.”

  I raise my tinted visor, gritting my teeth through the burning pain in my right shoulder. “No, just give me a minute.” I’m aware of other voices around me now. All I want is to get the hell out of here.

  “Bro, man, you look all spaced out.” His concerned face hovers over mine.

  “I’m fine, I don’t need help.” I start to lift my head again, ignoring the slight, sudden blur to my vision.

  He sighs. “All right, let’s get you up.” Holding me under my armpits, Adam helps me to sit up and then kneels behind me with his knee against my back. If I suffer in silence, I’ll get the fuck out of here a lot sooner.

  As I take off my helmet, the cool San Francisco air licks at my face. Oh, yeah, that’s better. Where is she? I survey the area around me, spotting a couple of bystanders at the edge of the road, light traffic passing behind them, but I can’t find the girl. Where is she?

  Appearing before me, mesmerizing toffee-brown eyes and … pink hair. Like cotton candy; straight, silky strands all the way down to her shoulders.

  A funky angel sent especially for me.

  “I could ask the guy over there to dial nine-one-one,” she says to Adam. She scans my face and jacket-covered torso, and swiftly returns her attention to my brother. “He doesn’t seem to have a scratch on him, from what I can see, maybe it’s just a concussion. I … I’m so sorry, it all happened so fast, and the jerk who caused it rode off. I’m really sorry.”

  “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. You’re right, though, he doesn’t look too bad. Bro, talk to me, you cool?” he asks, clasping my uninjured arm.

  “Yeah, don’t call anyone, I’m good,” I say to him, with my gaze fixed on her, crouching in front of me. The tiny frown between her eyebrows softens and her striking, full lips curve up at the corners.

&n
bsp; It’s the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen.

  “I’m not dead?” I ask her. I’m not so sure what’s real right about now, but I hope to God she is.

  “No, you’re definitely not dead. If you’re dead, then we’re both dead,” she says pointing at herself, then my brother. “I’m pretty sure we’re not dead, though.” She giggles.

  She even laughs like an angel.

  I start to get up, and Adam rises with me, shadowing me. Help isn’t necessary; my head and shoulder hurt, but I feel all right, considering. I can’t say much about my appearance, but inebriated conditions have left me feeling a shitload worse than this, and I survived those.

  As I straighten myself out, I can truly see her. She’s a cute, little bundle of hotness, barely reaching the height of my shoulders. And damn that’s an adorable nose, with a tiny stud matching the color of her hair.

  She’s incredible.

  “Shall I give you my insurance information, just in case? He seems fine, but I don’t know about the bike,” she says to Adam.

  “Nah, don’t worry about it. We’ll deal with things,” he says.

  “If you’re sure.” Her uncertain gaze flicks my way. “I really hope you’re okay.” She turns and starts walking to her car. I want to stop her, say something to her, but other people are now approaching me with concern.

  Once more, she looks at me, before getting into her white vintage VW Beetle Cabriolet.

  And just like that … gone.

  My angel with no name.

  The small cluster of alarm dissipates, leaving only my brother and me.

  “Dude?” I say, with my arms stretched out either side of me.

  His brows pull tight. “What?”

  “Why didn’t you get her information?”

  “We can afford new wheels, she’s probably still in school.”

  “No, I don’t mean for that.”

  “What then?”

  “Fuck it!” I fiercely rub my face with both hands. Arrggh! Not a good move, pain surges through my shoulder. Damn it.

  “What’s your problem? Why would I … oh,” he finishes in a small voice.

  “Fuck, man.”

  “Seriously, bro, how should I have known? I could go after her?” he suggests, thumbing in the direction she drove off in.

  “Forget it.” I walk over to check the damage done to my motorcycle.

  Who was she?

  Two: Callie

  “Su, you will not believe what just happened,” I say, rushing past her the moment she opens the front door.

  “What? What’s up? You look seriously freaked out.”

  I sit on a chair at the kitchen table, the first one I can get to. My head cupped in my hands and my elbows propped on my knees, I take a deep breath. All of a sudden, it’s fully sunk in. I draw in some more air.

  “Take your time and tell me about it,” she says, sitting on a chair beside me, softly stroking up and down my spine.

  After a few long moments, I sit up on a hard exhale and start to shrug out of my jacket. “Some guy on a motorcycle almost collided with me on my way here. An impatient asshole was passing me and nearly went into the side of my bug. I had to swerve, but then I almost hit another man who was heading my way. He tried to get out of the way and skidded onto the sidewalk, finished up flat on his back. He was confused for a bit, maybe he even passed out, I don’t know. By the time I pulled myself together and got out of my car, he was alert. He was standing when I left. The jackass who caused it didn’t even stop.”

  “You’re not hurt, right?”

  “No, I’m just a little shaken. His brother was there with him, thank God. They didn’t take my insurance information, or anything, so I think that’ll be the end of it.” Standing up, I walk over to the sink and fill a glass with water. I gulp it all down. Damn, I needed that. Lolling my head back, I close my eyes and take another long, slow breath. Exhaling, some tension leaves me, I feel calmer…

  I see his face.

  My eyelids snap open. Laughing as I recall the stranger’s words, I turn to Su. “He thought I was an angel, at first.” I smile, slumping back against the counter.

  “Obviously he thought he’d died and gone to heaven.”

  “He did ask me if he was dead. Su, he was beautiful. I almost lost my mind when he took off his helmet – I thought I was gonna pass out. Then, I stood there, like an idiot, just staring at him. Thankfully, he didn’t notice, he was looking in the opposite direction to where I was. I forced myself to move and went over to him, to see if he was okay. He could have been seriously hurt, my heart was still racing from panic, and all I could think was shit, he’s hot!”

  She chuckles. “Priorities, huh? Maybe it was him that had your heart racing, not the near collision.”

  “It’s a possibility, I’ve never been stunned by a guy’s appearance before. He had the most amazing eyes, so warm and dark, like coffee beans. His features and bone structure were perfectly masculine, you know, defined, but there was softness to the lines of his face. Clean shaven with shortly cropped ink-black hair, he was pretty unbelievable.”

  “You should’ve gotten his number,” she says, with a slender brow quirking up over a humored mahogany-brown eye.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m sure Nick would love that. I’m sure he would’ve loved that. “I’m sorry we almost killed each other, but can I get your number anyway?”” She giggles, shaking her head. “His brother was so nice about it all, they both were.”

  “Was the other one cute?” Leaning back in her chair, she crosses one leg over the other at the thighs, eager to hear more.

  “Priorities, huh?”

  “These are essential details. We never know when we might need them.”

  “Of course, silly me, how could I not think of that? They looked similar in their features, actually, but he was a couple inches shorter with slightly lighter eyes, stubble and straight brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He had a tattoo on his neck, too. Maybe I should’ve given my cell phone number, to be polite. Or even stayed longer to make sure everything really was okay. Shit, that’s what I should’ve done.”

  “Do ya think they live nearby?”

  “I’ve never seen them before. I’d definitely remember the tall, hot one if I had. It was on Gough Street, but they could’ve just been passing through. I don’t even know where his brother came from all of a sudden, maybe they live there. I could’ve avoided it all together; it was only at the last minute I decided not to make a left onto Broadway. I wish I had now.” I walk over to the table and pick up the paper bag I dropped on it when I sat down. “Well, that’s that, I guess, there’s nothing more I can do. These pancakes will need re-heating.” Dammit, I should’ve stayed. Made certain he was okay. Why didn’t I do that?

  “Right, clear your mind, I’m sure he’s fine. You said he was standing when you left.”

  “Yeah, but you never know, he could have, I don’t know, internal bleeding or something.”

  “If he seemed fine, Callie, then he probably is. C’mon, distraction time, let’s talk vacation clothes.”

  After an afternoon of girlie chatter, I leave Su’s to head over to my boyfriend’s place. When I first get in my car, I feel tense for a moment. It’s the closest I’ve come to anything like that happening to me, but I guess I should be grateful it was an almost collision, and nobody was seriously hurt. I’ll take a short detour, anyway.

  As I drive down Gough Street, I go by the spot on the sidewalk where I saw the guy. Now I recall his black, red and gray Honda Fireblade. I know motorcycles quite well, since Nick’s a fanatic. I’m not sure what I expected to get out of coming this way, but it hasn’t made any difference; I still don’t know more than I did when I left Su’s. It’s time to put it out of my head. I wonder if he does live close by.

  Speeding up, I continue my journey. Nick and his best friend recently moved into an old warehouse building, which has been converted into apartments, and I’m going to see the finishing touches to the artwork o
n his bedroom wall.

  When I arrive, Dylan answers the door. “Hey, what’s up?” I ask him, as he passes me.

  “I’m just going to pick up Tara, but I’ll be back to get your verdict.” He beams with pride.

  “Okay, cool, see you soon.”

  I walk into the large open living area, and Nick calls out to me, “Hey, C, I’m in here.” I head up the stairs and into his bedroom. The moment I enter, I’m engulfed by the familiar smell of fresh paint. Something not so familiar has me frozen at the doorway.

  Dylan’s been working on the wall for two weeks around his job, and every time I’ve visited something new has been added. He started with graffiti and then went on to pictures. My favorite so far has been the image of Jack Nicolson, menacingly sticking his head through a broken door, from the movie The Shining. It’s freaky to look at, because it’s so well done, but I like it nonetheless.

  Today, there’s an unexpected addition.

  “I’m up there,” I say, hardly able to believe my own eyes. I take a couple of steps closer.

  “Yeah, it’s hot, huh?” he says, a smile evident in his voice.

  “Omigod, I can’t believe it.” It’s me with my pink hair, in my favorite white mini dress, and I’m even striking a hand-on-hip sexy pose.

  Coming up behind me, Nick snakes his hands around my waist and pulls me back against him. “It’s the perfect finishing touch.”

  I can’t seem to lose the enormous grin on my face. “It sure beats the photos I have up of you.”

  He chuckles as he leans down and places a light kiss on the side of my neck. “The paint smells a little strong now, but it’ll ease soon enough. Let’s go hang down stairs.”

  This is the biggest compliment anyone has ever paid me in my life. A realistic image of me is on my boyfriend’s bedroom wall. How freakin’ cool is that?

  Nick pours us some cold sodas and sits on a chair at the kitchen table. I plant myself on his lap. “I almost had an accident on my way to Su’s.” My joy over the artwork temporarily cleared my head of what happened earlier, but now it’s returned. Nick’s deep-frown of concern has me quickly recapping the story for him.

  By the time I’m finished, Dylan’s here with his girlfriend, and the conversation switches back to the animated version of me, he completed today. I did wonder why my fabulous man was too busy to see me over the past two days. Still sitting on his lap, I give Nick the tightest, longest hug, ever.