31. Ashford
THIRTY-ONE
Ashford
The last of the reporters followed Emma and Judson, just as we had hoped. Which left me and Ayla in a dark apartment. After all the life and excitement here just a few hours ago, it was depressing as hell.
Or maybe that was just me.
I hated that Maisie and Emma weren’t with me. Even if that was irrational, I still felt it. And that wouldn’t go away until I’d met up with them again.
A text came in from Teller, letting me know they’d arrived with Maisie at Elias’s place. About half an hour later, Emma texted that Judson had dropped her off. I tried calling her just to hear her voice, but the call didn’t go through. Reception outside town could be spotty though. I figured she was busy with Maisie.
Grace and Callum had arrived at Judson’s a while ago. Judson himself had gotten held up for some reason and hadn’t gotten to the ranch, but aside from him, everyone was in place.
Something irked me. A feeling that not everything was right. Yet I couldn’t put my finger on it, and I didn’t have time to spend pondering it.
I went to the living room, where Ayla was resting, and said, “We should go.”
We left the building as quietly as possible, not daring to turn on any lights. My truck was parked about a block away. Ayla kept her head down and her arms wrapped around herself. She was wearing some of Emma’s clothes, as well as a baseball cap. No big sunglasses or scarves to make it look like she was hiding.
We didn’t see a single person on our way. Once we were in the truck, I pulled away from the curb. Her car was still here in town, but she’d said she would deal with it later.
A few minutes later, we passed the boundary of Silver Ridge and drove along the deserted highway.
The moon was bright tonight. Just like the night Lori had died, which was a morbid thought. Especially when we drove past the white cross marking the scene of the accident.
Emma had driven this way over an hour ago with Judson.
“That’s it?” Ayla asked softly. She’d noticed the cross too.
“Yep.”
“I really miss her.”
“I do too. I’m…” I pushed out an exhale. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for her the way she needed.” If only Lori had trusted me. If she’d come home and talked to me instead of going out that night. Same thoughts I’d had so many times.
“I wasn’t here either. But when I showed up in Silver Ridge the other night, you let me in. You let me meet Maisie. It means so much to me. I’m not going to forget that.”
“You’re Lori’s sister. It’s what she would’ve wanted. I’m glad you came.”
Ayla glanced over at me. It was dark in my truck cab, but I caught the curve of her smile.
This isn’t like the night Lori died , I reminded myself.
Everyone I loved was safe right now. Surrounded by friends. And soon, Ayla would be in a safe place as well. Hopefully getting the space and time she needed to deal with what she’d been going through. If it had been feasible, I would’ve invited her to stay with us in Silver Ridge for longer. Because that was what family did.
Maybe we’d get that chance at some point, when her fame wasn’t such an obstacle.
“I wondered about something,” I said. “You mentioned there might be some way you could help Emma.”
Ayla looked over again. “Sure. Got any ideas?”
“I do, actually. She’s trying to get into a new music school. Any chance you could pull strings? You are the Ayla Maxwell, after all.”
“I do know people. And those people know people. But the best schools aren’t anywhere near here. Are you sure you want that?”
I wasn’t sure at all. I didn’t want Emma to go. I selfishly wanted her to stay in Silver Ridge with me and Maisie. I wanted to change that sign downstairs to O’Neal Music and Martial Arts , and how ridiculous was that?
But even more, I wanted Emma to reach her goals. Get her fancy graduate degree.
“I want all of Emma’s dreams to come true. Even if that takes her away from me.”
Ayla huffed a small laugh. “You’re a good guy, Ashford.”
“I guess I am.” Even if that sucked sometimes.
Good guys didn’t always get their happy endings.
We drove through the night, following my GPS to the coordinates Aiden had given me. A quiet stretch of road where no other drivers might spot us. An SUV with dark windows was already there.
When I pulled toward it, the SUV’s door opened, and Aiden stepped out. My headlights washed over him. Then another man emerged, Trace Novo.
Aiden had introduced his buddies to me at Last Refuge. When I hadn’t been creating a ruckus in their lobby, they’d been extremely nice guys.
I put my truck in park. Ayla grabbed my wrist. “Which one is Emma’s uncle?”
“That’s Aiden. Beard, short hair. The one with the longer hair is Trace, Aiden’s brother-in-law.” Then, to my surprise, a tall woman got out of their vehicle. “I don’t know her,” I said, “but if she’s here, that means Aiden trusts her.”
“But you didn’t tell me they’d have guns.” Ayla’s hand tightened on my arm.
“It’s just a precaution. They have military training.” And from the stories they’d shared with me earlier, they’d been through some dicey situations. Even in a sleepy place like Hart County.
“And my dad was a colonel,” Ayla reminded me. “I know most soldiers were nothing like him, but it still makes me nervous.”
Shit. I hadn’t anticipated this. Ayla’s father was the whole reason she had run away as a teenager and broken ties with Lori. “You remember how you and Lori met me, right? I was one of those soldiers on the base too.”
“I know. It doesn’t bother me when it’s you. But…” She exhaled. “I’m okay. I can do this.”
“You don’t have to. We can figure something else out.”
Instead of answering me, she opened the passenger door and jumped down. Keeping her chin high, Ayla marched over to the SUV.
I got out, grabbed Ayla’s bag where I’d stowed it in the backseat, and followed.
“This is Brynn Somerton,” Aiden said, nodding at the woman who’d come with them. “She’s part of our team. When she’s in town.”
Brynn smiled and reached for Ayla’s hand. “I happened to be in Denver when Trace called. He said they had an op that might need a feminine touch. The rest of the team can be a lot of masculine energy.”
Ayla laughed. “You’re not wrong.”
“We’ll take good care of you,” Brynn said. “Doesn’t matter how many people out there in the world are searching for you. We’ll keep you hidden for as long as you need.”
That seemed to soothe the last of Ayla’s nerves.
She gave me a quick hug. “Pass on that hug to Maisie for me when you see her tonight?”
“Will do.”
I watched as she got into the SUV with the others, and they drove away. Thank goodness that was done. Now, I could get back to Emma and my daughter.
Jumping into my truck, I sped off, still buckling my seat belt. I used my Bluetooth connection to my phone to call Emma.
Her phone rang. But she didn’t answer.
It was after ten o’clock. Way past Maisie’s usual bedtime, but I expected they’d end up staying awake until I arrived.
I tried calling Elias next, and he didn’t answer either. Maybe they were doing something that had distracted them. Watching a movie, or…hell, I didn’t know.
But it bothered me.
I almost relaxed when a call came in. But it was Grace. “Hey,” I said.
“Did the drop-off go okay? You sound tense.”
“The rendezvous with Aiden went fine. Ayla’s with them, and I’m heading back. Just anxious to see Maisie and Emma.”
“There are still a few media vans waiting outside Judson’s gate. That was kinda fun, actually. But Piper says the rest of the reporters have descended on Main Street. They’re going up and down questioning every citizen they can find, hoping someone will reveal where Ayla went tonight. And some people are losing patience, yelling at them to go. Teller’s officers are responding to half a dozen different disturbances.”
Maybe our plan had worked a little too well. I tapped my fingertips on the steering wheel. “But Judson’s there at the ranch? He’s arrived?”
“Of course. Been here a while after leaving Emma at Elias’s. But there’s something else I wanted to tell you. Ayla let me and Callum know about what Lori was hiding before she died. The guy she was seeing.”
“Yeah.” I accelerated down the dark highway, my high beams on. “Ayla asked if I was okay with her telling you. I didn’t mind.”
“Well, I decided to follow up on a hunch. And I came across something weird. Remember how I thought before that Lori could’ve been seeing Danny Carmichael?”
“But his initial isn’t L.”
“That’s just it. It took some digging, but I figured out his middle name. It’s Lachlan. What if Lori called him by his middle initial?”
Was that possible? For a long time, Danny Carmichael had tripped my instincts. Yet Lori had refused to speak poorly of him. Was it really because they were having an affair?
“Maybe I’m wrong,” Grace said. “But it’s worth looking into. Ayla’s investigator might not have made the connection with his middle name. Lori would’ve had a lot of reason to keep their relationship secret. He was her boss, and he was married to Piper.”
“And Lori knew I hated him.”
“It’s a theory. I’m working on a list of other L names. First, middle, and last initials. Not Teller Landry, since he was still in Army Special Forces and didn’t live in Silver Ridge three years ago. But I put Judson on there, since his last name is Lawrence. Ridiculous as that is.”
“Totally ridiculous.” I’d had a passing recognition of the fact that his last name started with L , but had dismissed it immediately. Still, the thought gave me an odd feeling now, since Judson had driven Emma tonight.
But he was back at the ranch. He’d left Emma hours ago. Hadn’t he?
“Just being thorough,” my sister said. “How far are you from Elias’s?”
“About forty minutes.” Though from the way I was speeding, it would be less. My lungs were tight. I wouldn’t be able to relax until I’d made it there and seen that Emma and Maisie were safe and sound. Even though I had no reason to think they were otherwise.
“I still haven’t decided about that date with Elias,” Grace said.
“He’s being patient, then. Good.”
“He is. Say hi to him for me. And if El says anything about the date, which I doubt, but if he does?—”
“Spit it out, Gracie.”
“Geez, give me a minute. Just tell him I’m leaning toward yes. Maybe. Definitely maybe yes.”
A quick response was right there on my tongue. But then my brain worked through the last few things Grace had said.
“Wait. You just called Elias ‘L’.”
“E-l. The first part of his name. I wasn’t really thinking. I didn’t mean?—”
“Does anyone call him that? Did Lori ever call him that?”
Grace went quiet. “Ashford, you don’t think…”
A sick, cold feeling washed over me.
I had no clue what to think. I had known Elias since high school. He was one of my closest friends.
But he was with Emma right now. And neither of them were answering their phones.
I pressed hard on the accelerator.