Lost (Captive Heart #1) Read online

  I choke out a sob and Tucker rushes to my side, trying to protect me from the horrible words my mother is spitting out.

  “Tucker Lynch. Look who crawled out of the gutter and decided to kidnap my daughter, steal her from the world. I can’t wait to see you behind bars.”

  We both know it’s all over, there is nowhere for us to run now. My head spins from the agony of what is happening before my eyes.

  “He held a gun to your head, Charlotte Ann. Why you’re allowing him to touch you now … well, we will get you into therapy for that soon enough. Take your hands off of my daughter.”

  Tucker doesn’t let me go, but turns my face to make me look at him. There are tears in his eyes too.

  “You know I love you, right, baby? Everything is going to be okay. As long as I have you, it’s all going to be okay.”

  He holds my face, and I start to hyperventilate. This could be the last time he ever holds me.

  “Get your hands off of my daughter!” My mother’s voice is more forceful now.

  Tucker begins to back away, but I grab his wrists, pulling him to me.

  “No, please, no!” I’m hysterical now.

  I want it to be three days ago. I would have rather died out there on the campgrounds than be here right now.

  Two burly looking men in jeans and sweatshirts come into the room, and I recognize them from the hallways of the hospital. They’ve been here for days. The undercover cops.

  We never had a chance of making it out.

  They stomp toward us and wrench Tucker away from me.

  Suddenly everything is too loud. Too fast. Too much.

  My mother is screaming at the hospital staff, and at me for crying. The armed men are struggling with Tucker, telling him not to resist. Patients and doctors crowd the hall, watching as it all goes down.

  I’m only watching Tucker. Our eyes latch onto each other in what we know will be our last seconds together. My entire body screams in pain at the thought of him being taken from me.

  Then they take him out. He’s gone.

  And so is my heart.

  Afterword

  Do you want the conclusion of Tucker and Charlotte’s story?

  Get FOUND, Captive Heart Book Two, now!

  We found each other where no else could.

  Found a purpose. Found ourselves. Found love.

  Again.

  But then life got in the way.

  Three years later and the people that we once were are nowhere to be found.

  Can our love survive everything we've put it through?

  Can we find a way back to each other...

  Again?

  Available for Kindle and in paperback on June 9, 2016.

  About the Author

  Author of romance novels such as Red Card and the Captive Heart Duet, Carrie Aarons writes sexy, swoony and sarcastic characters who won't get out of her head until she puts them down on a page.

  Carrie has wanted to be an author since the first time she opened a book. She loves spinning tales that include dapper men, women with attitude, and the occasional hunky athlete.

  When she isn't in what her husband calls a "writing coma", Carrie is freeing up her jam-packed DVR, starting her latest DIY project, or planning her next travel adventure. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, who is more than happy to watch sports while his wife plots love stories.

  For more information:

  @authorcarriea

  Author Carrie Aarons

  www.carrieaarons.com

  [email protected]

  Also by Carrie Aarons

  Kissed by Reality

  Falling in love is hard. Falling in love on national television is impossible. Right?

  Leighton Aldridge did not sign up to meet her soulmate. She signed up for the lights, camera and action. So when the Hollywood-native ends up with the wounded war veteran and a ring on her finger, it's a surprise to everyone. What isn't a surprise is the way she breaks Finn Wyatt's heart, or the massively public breakup that follows. But a year later she's back, ready for another round on the reality TV show that brought them together. She knows he was the real thing, and she's ready to fight for him.

  Finn is the new Mr. Right. The country's favorite single guy, and the object of 25 women's affections. But when his ex-fiance steps onto set and back into the limelight, he wishes he never agreed to another season. Leighton shattered his heart for the world to see, and he's not ready to face that reality. Can Leighton convince him, and America, that she's the one? Or will her future with Finn only consist of 15 more minutes of fame?

  Red Card

  She spent five years planning a future that will never exist. He spent five years trying to erase a past he can’t forget.

  London is Leah Watson’s fresh start. When she secures the perfect internship during her study abroad semester, with an infamous celebrity public relations firm, she is determined to forge her own path - one that is nothing like her life back in Oklahoma. That plan is tested when British football’s bad boy, Killian Ramsey, decides that she's the one he wants and he's playing for keeps.

  Will she put her future on hold — again — for the type of man she swore she'd stay away from?

  Killian is one bloody good football player. After a tragedy shattered his entire world, the cocky and arrogant face he puts on for the media is a complete lie. When he meets Leah, his heart starts to beat for the first time in years. But when the feelings get too real, his perfectly constructed facade starts to slip.

  Will he risk it all to be with her — taking whatever penalties are thrown his way — or will he play it safe?

  Pitching to Win (Over the Fence, Book 1)

  What do you do when the town golden boy, who never noticed you in high school, decides to make a play for your heart?

  For Minka Braxton, high school has been anything but easy. After a humiliating scandal sophomore year, she's avoided the social scene and anything having to do with boys, especially of the popular variety. But with senior year approaching, Minka decides its time to take life back into her own hands. That is, until Owen Axel, the type of guy she's always avoided, decides he wants her in his hands.

  Owen Axel is the definition of popular. Good looks, all-star worthy pitching arm and a former pro-athlete father make him Mitchum's town God. Returning from college for the summer, his plan is simple. Beach, booze, and beautiful girls. But one look at Minka Braxton and he knows what he wants. He just doesn't count on her not wanting him.

  As the summer unfolds, both must decide how much to reveal, how deep they should fall, and what might happen if they strike out.

  Hitting to Win (Over the Fence, Book 2)

  After a lifetime of neglect and sorrow, Miles Farriston has hit rock bottom after his lying ex-girlfriend proves that no one in his life sticks around. On the outs with his friends, in jeopardy of losing his baseball career and this close to getting kicked out of Kappa Eta Sigma, Miles is forced to compete in the Greek Life dance competition. What he didn't bank on was getting bright, cheery Chloe Trabucco as a partner.

  Ballet, friends and her sorority. The only three things Chloe Trabucco wants to focus on and excel at. So when she is asked to compete, as a freshman, in the popular Greek dance competition, she couldn't be happier. That is, until she learns Miles is her partner. The same Miles she's had a huge crush on for half of her life, and the same guy who made it clear months ago that he wants nothing to do with her.

  Her positivity and patience annoy him. His attitude and anger finally drive her to the breaking point. Can they hit a home run, both on and off the dance floor, or will they go down swinging?

  Catching to Win (Over the Fence, Book 3)

  Kelsey O'Brien is the definition of a free spirit. She goes where she wants, when she wants, and takes to bed who she wants. And when she arrives back at Grover University after eight months on an African animal preserve, it’s her newly hunky best friend that has caught her eye. As their friendship turns physical, Ke
lsey begins to form feelings she swore she'd never have for anyone. But when the past she's not ready to face finds her, she must make a decision whether to stop running, or confront the truth.

  The first time Clint Bellows laid eyes on Kelsey, he fell hard. Too bad she looked right through him. A year and countless hours in the gym later, she's back and hardly recognizes him and his new body. After a drunken encounter takes them over the line of friendship, Clint agrees to Kelsey's proposal of a benefits-added relationship. Only he's playing for keeps, and is willing to round all of the bases trying to score the self-proclaimed gypsy.

  She's running from her demons. He's committed to winning her over. Can he catch her in time, or will she be out of his grasp before he can blink?

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