Captured: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 1) Read online

  Captured

  The Rule of Lawes series.

  Book One.

  By

  Felicity Brandon

  Copyright © 2019 by Felicity Brandon

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review. For more information, address: [email protected]

  This book is entirely a work of fiction. The author does not condone, nor endorse any of the acts in this book.

  First edition December 2019

  Cover design by Jayelle Morgan

  Download your FREE Felicity book link.

  https://felicitybrandonwrites.com/

  Prologue

  Anxious about dental treatment?

  Has fear held you back and made it impossible to keep your beautiful smile?

  Fuller & Lawes’ revolutionary treatment is transforming dental treatment for those with the most incapacitating phobias. Contact us today, {insert name}, to see if you’re eligible to enroll.

  We accept new patients based on need. If you need us, then we want to help you, so get in touch now to change your smile—and your life—forever!

  Lawes’ gaze scanned the letter, his lips curling as his focus shifted back to his partner, Fuller. “It’s perfect,” he concluded, saving the document on his laptop with one click. “We just need to ensure each name is picked up and pasted in correctly.”

  “It will be,” Fuller assured him. “The software will take care of that.”

  Lawes’ smile morphed into a wide grin.

  “And all the equipment is ready?”

  He turned at Fuller’s question, his brows knitting. “Of course,” he said flatly. “Take a look around for yourself. This place is state-of-the-art.”

  Fuller laughed, the sound echoing around the wood-paneled office. “I was rather thinking about the other equipment…”

  “Ah.” Lawes closed the laptop and met his friend’s smile. “Well, we can look for ourselves, can’t we, but yes, I’m pretty sure we have everything we need, and we have Zander and Matthew to help with anything else that’s required.”

  Fuller nodded, his brow rising as he blew out a breath. “So, this is it, then?” His tone was contemplative. “It’s really happening. We’re really doing this.”

  Lawes leaned back in his large black recliner, his fingers linking behind his head as he considered the empire they had built, the things they were about to achieve, the lives they would change.

  “Yes.” His voice was emphatic, conveying the absolute belief he had in what he and Fuller had created here. They would make a difference, and they were going to relish every single second doing it. “Yes, we’re doing this. Zander’s initial analysis has revealed at least twenty potential candidates within a ten-mile radius. If only one of those gets in touch, we’re good to go. The first letters can go out as soon as tomorrow.”

  Fuller shook his head in disbelief. “I still don’t understand how he’s achieved it,” he said with a sigh. “But if it works, that won’t matter. We’ll have all the patients we’ll ever need.”

  “Oh, it’ll work.” Lawes leaned forward in his chair. “It’s all about using people’s own information to track their preferences and dislikes. Social media, browsing history, that sort of thing.”

  Zander’s work might not be legal, but it sure worked a treat. They could collate information on every woman with a fear of dental treatment in the southeast. Hell, in the whole country, if they wanted to.

  He paused, assessing Fuller’s bewildered expression. His partner wasn’t very tech savvy, but he had plenty of other notable assets, including being one of the most dependable men Lawes had ever met—and one of his oldest friends.

  “Algorithms are our friend,” Lawes told him with a chuckle. “They’ll help us track down those we need, and the real beauty of it is, they’ll come to us.”

  “Yeah,” Fuller laughed. “I still can’t quite believe that part.”

  “Just you wait.” Lawes pressed his lips into a hard line, imagining the place filled with needy candidates. “They’ll come walking right through that front door, filled with trepidation and their desire for beautiful smiles. They’ll come to us, Mark, and they’ll never see this coming.”

  Fuller leaned back in his chair, nodding while his gaze flitted to the open fireplace. “If we can pull this off, it’ll be incredible.”

  “You need more faith, my friend.” Lawes rose from his place and turned to glance out at the day beyond his window. It was September, and the fallen leaves clung to the ground where the constant drizzle pinioned them against the grass.

  “Not only will we pull this off, but I envision the place being full within weeks.”

  “It’s one thing I’ve always loved about you so much,” Fuller sniggered. “Your absolute belief in yourself.”

  “Damn right,” Lawes replied as he spun to regard Fuller again. “I believe in myself and in you. This project—this practice—will flourish, my friend. There are people out there—women out there right now—who need us, and they don’t even know it yet.”

  Fuller’s dark laughter reverberated once again. “Quite the heroes, aren’t we?” His eyebrow rose in a sardonic gesture.

  “We never promised to be anyone’s hero,” Lawes reminded him. “That’s not what the letter says, remember? All it states is, it’ll change their life forever, and that much, Fuller, is a dead certainty.”

  One

  The Letter

  Fear. The kind of fear that paralyzed and left your belly furling, the kind that was debilitating. Like most phobias, it was based on nothing more than one negative experience as a child. That was it. Just one bad visit to the dentist at age seven and the seeds of panic had been sown into Hannah’s mind. It was all well and good to be afraid of something irrelevant, like spiders or the ocean, but fear of the dentist was turning out to be a serious issue. At thirty-four, Hannah had forced herself to attend a number of dental practices over the years, but she’d never found one where she was comfortable—and she never went back.

  The letter had arrived unexpectedly, the postmark smudged and indecipherable, but as Hannah’s eyes grazed over the lines, her heart began to race.

  Anxious about dental treatment?

  That had been enough to capture Hannah’s attention.

  Fuller & Lawes’ revolutionary treatment is transforming dental treatment for those with the most incapacitating phobias. Contact us today, Miss Bowman, to see if you’re eligible to enroll.

  She hadn’t emailed right away, musing on the letter for some time before she finally went to her laptop, but the correspondence had stayed with Hannah. Who were Fuller and Lawes, and how had they got hold of her personal details? It was bad enough in the age of social media, everyone seemed to know so much about you, but in reality, very few people knew about Hannah’s phobia. It was too embarrassing to admit that a grown adult was scared to go to a routine dental appointment.

  Still, the letter worked its magic. Hannah’s curiosity was piqued, and a few days later, she had typed out a brief message to the email address listed. She was surprised to receive a polite reply only hours later, thanking Hannah for her interest, and asked her to complete an attached form, which
she duly did over coffee that morning. Later that day, her cell had rung.

  “Miss Bowman?”

  “That’s me.” Hannah didn’t recognize the male voice at the other end.

  “Good afternoon, this is Matthew from Lawes’ dental practice.”

  She nearly spat out her afternoon latte. The dental surgery was calling her already? Hannah wished the other professionals in her life were as damn efficient.

  “Oh h-hi,” she’d stammered. “Thanks for getting in touch.”

  “You’re welcome.” It sounded like he was smiling. “Thank you for your application.”

  Hannah blinked at that. Her application? That seemed like a strange way of describing enrolment in a new medical practice.

  “Mr. Lawes would like to invite you for an interview. Are you available tomorrow?”

  She put her cup down. “An interview?” she repeated.

  “Yes, Miss Bowman.” Matthew was professional, but Hannah wondered if there wasn’t a trace of amusement in his tone. “It’s standard procedure for us to interview interested patients—to ensure they’re a good fit for our program.”

  “Right,” she replied, but her brow knitted at his words. This wasn’t what Hannah had been expecting, but she needed a dentist—one of her teeth would need filling sooner rather than later—and she needed to get over this damn phobia. Her toes curled inside her office shoes at the thought.

  “So, is tomorrow good for you?”

  She sighed. “I have work tomorrow.”

  “We’re open from nine until nine, Miss Bowman.” Matthew’s answer was immediate. “Hopefully, you’ll be about to make one of our later appointments.”

  Hannah’s brow rose. They were open twelve hours a day? That was a first in her experience. “I can do after six,” she told him, glancing out of the window next to her desk.

  “How about seven thirty? Mr. Lawes has a slot open then.”

  “Yes,” she decided, turning back to her computer screen. “That works.”

  “Excellent.” Matthew sounded pleased. “You have our address from our email, I assume?”

  “I do, thanks.” The practice was on the other side of town and a total pain in the ass to get to. She hoped it would be worth all the hassle.

  “Is there anything I should bring with me?” She wasn’t sure why she asked, but all of a sudden, it felt as though this was a test—as though she should be prepared somehow—but that was stupid. This was just a meeting about getting a new dentist.

  It was nothing at all.

  Not significant—unless this Lawes was magic and could truly cast off her fear of dental treatment.

  “Just yourself, Miss Bowman,” said Matthew with a chuckle. “We look forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

  The call ended just as abruptly as it had begun, leaving Hannah bemused. So, now she had to be interviewed to get a damn dentist? She snorted with indignation. She’d never known a dental surgery like it before. As she took a deep breath, one thing was clear in Hannah’s mind.

  This had better be the best freaking dentist she’d ever visited.

  ***

  The next day flew past, and Hannah gave little thought to her dental interview until she left the office at just gone six o’clock. It would likely take her the best part of an hour to drive to the place, so she opted to leave straight away and fought her way through the evening traffic until she reached the right part of town. As she scoured the street for somewhere to park, Hannah was surprised by how nice the neighborhood looked. Her gaze landed over the property that matched the address she’d been given.

  It appeared to be an old-fashioned detached house of some sort, set on its own estate, though as Hannah turned from the main road, she couldn’t even see the property. She pulled into the long driveway, crawling her way past the immaculate lawns and the ancient looking oak trees before her gaze finally fell over the building. It was enormous, with large bay windows at the front—nothing at all like the other surgeries she’d attended. Hannah was pleased to see the practice had a parking lot of its own at the side of the house, so she pulled in, leaving her car in the shade. Today was one of the first dry days for weeks, and the autumn sunshine was fast slipping below the horizon.

  Climbing from the car, Hannah checked her watch. It was almost twenty past seven, so she was a little early, but there didn’t seem any point in waiting around. If she went in now, maybe they would see her sooner, and she could be back home on the couch with a bottle of wine within the hour. The thought had her lips curling as she locked the car and wandered around the side of the property. It looked as though it had been built in the 1850s or earlier, the brickwork well weathered. The size of the place was reminiscent of another time before multiple new builds had to be squeezed onto the same site. She rounded the side wall, passing what looked like a huge sunroom on the other side of the boundary as she walked toward the grandiose entrance way. There wasn’t much to give away the fact it was a dental practice—no sign from the main road and nothing else visible until she reached the massive, teak double doors. At that point, her eyes fell upon a small, bronze plaque nailed to the wall.

  Fuller & Lawes Dental Reform

  Mr. Brandon Lawes

  Mr. Mark Fuller

  Hannah’s feet halted at the plaque, examining the names carefully. It was strange, in this day and age, there were no female dentists on the register, but it appeared it was a small practice, despite the size of the building. Perhaps that went some way to explaining the discrepancy in gender? Not that it mattered to Hannah. She wasn’t here to pick up men. She’d had quite enough of men after Daniel had ripped her heart into tatters, and anyway, even if Hannah had been ready to date again, the dentist was literally the last place she would have looked.

  Her pulse quickened as the reality of where she was washed over.

  The dentist.

  She loathed the fucking dentist. Just the smell of the places had her belly churning with apprehension, and recently, she’d had to be forced into the damn chair. Everything about it agitated her.

  For a moment, she considered turning around and leaving.

  She could say work overran, and she couldn’t make the appointment. Hell, Hannah could say anything she wanted. She was the patient, after all—she didn’t answer to either of the men on the plaque’s list. Her gaze flitted back to the side of the building, and she turned toward it just as a gust of wind picked up around her.

  “Miss Bowman?”

  Hannah started at the sound of her name, spinning on her heel to find a young guy standing in the entrance way.

  “Hi.” It was all she could think to say as she clutched her purse toward her body as though it would defend her. The guy’s right eyebrow arched at her performance, and something about the gesture captured Hannah.

  “Are you okay?” He gazed behind her as though he expected to find someone else—something that had ensnared her attention.

  Hannah forced a smile to her face, ignoring the heat of embarrassment, threatening to rush there. What a ridiculous first impression she’d managed to make. What the hell must he be thinking?

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, taking a step in his direction and thrusting her palm out to him. “I’m a little early.”

  His smile widened. “We welcome punctuality here, Miss Bowman. I’m Matthew Larson—we spoke on the phone.”

  Hannah nodded. Matthew was much better looking than she’d given him credit for, his chestnut brown hair falling into smiling brown eyes while he appraised her. He took her hand, shaking it warmly before pushing the door open behind him.

  “Do come in, Miss Bowman.”

  She squeezed past Matthew’s body, taking in the spicy aroma of his cologne as she stepped inside the enclosed porch. If he’d been a less attractive man, Hannah might have balked at the way he hadn’t moved aside for her, but as it was, she only smiled. It had been a while since she’d been that close to a guy, and despite her earlier reservations, she’d rather enjoyed the proximity.<
br />
  The door closed behind her as she stepped onto the hard-bristled door mat, and she glanced over her shoulder to find Matthew grinning.

  “Take a seat in the waiting room,” he told her, signaling in the direction she should go.

  “Thank you.”

  Hannah peered around the wall to find a large, open plan room with black chairs situated around the space. There wasn’t anyone else to be seen, and the massive teak reception desk to the left was also unmanned. She hurried to the nearest seat, her heels clicking on the hard floor as she went. Sitting down, Hannah looked up to find Matthew watching.

  “I’ll let Mr. Lawes know you’re here.”

  For a fraction of a second, there was something ominous in Matthew’s expression, but it disappeared as fast as it had arrived, and Hannah assumed she’d merely invented the glint in his eyes, her heart was pounding, and her palms were growing sweaty just being here. Her body was responding to being at the dentists with its usual list of symptoms.

  “Thank you.” Hannah hoped her response sounded confident, but she doubted it.

  “Will you be alright on your own?” His expression softened. “I realize this is a stressful experience for you.”

  Hannah swallowed back on the rising anxiety bubbling at her core. “It is,” she admitted. “But it’s not like there’s any treatment today, is there?” She flashed him a nervous smile. “I’ll be fine.”

  Matthew nodded. “I’ll be back in a few moments to collect you.”

  And with three long strides, he was gone.

  Two

  The Interview

  The waiting room was like something out of one of the magazines that usually littered these kinds of places, except this one was flawless. The floor and walls were so clean, they practically sparkled, the furniture all looked brand new, and as she shifted in her chair, Hannah noticed there wasn’t even a newspaper out of place. She inhaled as she looked around, her attention drawn to the large ticking clock on the wall behind her. It had just turned half past seven, and her focus was temporarily fixated on the long, moving hands.