Chapter 29 Tarron
TARRON
“How much longer?” Maverick groaned as he propped up in the bed and glared at me.
I held out the last of the painkillers I’d pilfered from the medicine cabinet and a cup of water.
“I’m not a psychic, Mav. Reed left an hour ago. God only knows how long it will take him to find a place with a phone.”
“Fucking shit.” He grumbled and tucked his arm across his stomach. “I hate this.”
“We all do.” I worked my way through the exercises that would keep my ribs and arm from tightening up and walked to the window.
Weeks had passed since the cabin blew up and we all nearly died.
Weeks of no contact with the outside world because we’d been too badly injured to make it any further than the first house we came across.
“Guess it’s a good thing this place was empty.” Mav set the glass on the side table and twisted to put his feet on the floor.
“Stop.” I held out a hand in a stop motion.
Mav glared at me, ignored my warning, and stood. “If we’re going to make it to Anchorage, I have to be able to walk. There’s nothing wrong with my legs.”
He’d grown angrier and more troubled with every day that passed.
I understood, but that didn’t mean I’d let him undo all my hard work.
“Do you have any idea the shit you put me through? I had to dig a bullet out of your chest, without anesthesia, while you lay unconscious in an abandoned house in the middle of the Alaska wilderness. You didn’t wake up for five days.
” I emphasized that part for his benefit and pressed a hand to my sore ribs.
“I know,” Maverick growled and eased slowly to his feet. “All while Reed performed surgery on you while you were awake because he has shit medical experience.”
He took a step and grabbed my arm when he started to wobble. “I need to get my strength back, Tarron. We have to get out of here and find Payton. I’m going insane not knowing what happened.”
“Tucker should have found us by now.” It was that single worry that kept us all up at night. Aside from the physical pain, not knowing if Payton was safe kept us all short-tempered. Reed had gone out multiple times to try and find a house with a phone but never had any luck.
“Reed won’t come back until he’s found a solution.” He’d said so when he left this morning.
The abandoned house where we’d holed up didn’t even have electricity, much less a phone.
With the SAT phone busted and no cell service, and Maverick’s injuries, we’d been forced to sit tight until he recovered enough to make the trip to Anchorage.
“You should have left me behind a week ago.” Mav released me and shuffle-walked toward the door. “I’m going to the living room. Need to see something other than these four walls.”
“Stubborn bastard.” I followed him, my own steps shaky, my legs weakening with every stride.
Mav was in worse shape, but we managed to make it into the living room.
A fire crackled in the grate, and the giant moose head over the fireplace glared down at us in judgment.
Mav sank into the corner of the couch and rubbed sweat from his forehead. “Not that hard. A few more days and we’ll be good as new.”
“Yep.” I knew better than to disagree.
Pain continued to throb in my torso.
Reed had done a great job following my instructions.
He even managed to stitch me up in a straight line.
Nothing else could be done for any of us except time to recover.
“I’m going to walk to Anchorage if I have to.” Mav’s jaw jutted in that stubborn tilt of his that told everyone to back the hell off.
I ran a hand over my head and down the side of my face.
My skin crawled with the need to see Payton, to touch her, and finally know one hundred percent that she was okay.
“I’d love to tell you to shut up and stop being dramatic, but I’m with you. I can’t stand another day here.”
Walking out would have killed him a week ago. It still might.
An engine cut through the silence, and we scrambled clumsily to our feet.
A rusted blue truck spun tires and spat snow in sheets as it rolled toward the house.
Reed stuck his arm out and waved from the driver’s seat.
A wide grin split his face, and he revved the engine.
“Thank fuck.” Mav stood. “Ready?”
I eyed the bags we’d spent days packing.
They held everything we’d salvaged from the wreckage and the house where we’d been staying.
I shouldered the heavier of the two bags and held out the other toward Maverick. “If you can carry that to the truck without falling down, we’ll go.”
“I’ll do it or die trying. I’m getting the hell out of here and finding Payton.”
He grabbed the duffel by the handles and tried to lift it.
His body gave way, and he grunted.
Grimacing, he dragged it behind him, pulling step by step.
Reed hopped out of the truck and ran our way. “Need help?”
“No.” Mav bit out the word. “Tarron needs a show of strength to make sure I’m healed enough to leave.”
“I’m trying to make sure we all make it to Anchorage.” My chest ached from the added pressure of the bag, but I muscled through.
“We will.” Mav bared his teeth in a deadly smile. “I’m not dying yet.”
Reed climbed behind the wheel and waited for us to haul our sorry asses and our gear into the truck.
Once we closed our doors, he turned around and headed away from the house, filling us in on how he’d bartered for the truck and how long it would take to reach Anchorage.
We arrived in Anchorage too late to do anything more than book a red-eye flight to New York the next morning, and for Reed to try to call his dad.
The call rolled to voicemail, and Reed left a brief message. “He probably won’t even listen to it. He forgets he has a cell half the time.”
We stayed in the airport to keep from missing our flight and made it to New York just after daylight.
None of us had slept or showered in a day and a half. And none of us cared.
Reed hailed a cab straight from the terminal and gave him Payton’s address.
We crushed ourselves into the backseat, which was hell on my ribs.
Mav’s mouth pinched into a white line, but he didn’t make a sound.
“Where you from?” The cabbie glanced back before yanking the car onto the road and heading out.
“Currently, Alaska.” Reed chatted with the man while Mav and I did our best to keep from telling the man to shut up and drive faster.
Payton’s apartment building was in an upscale area of town.
The tall white building welcomed us with clean streets and the cheerful sound of horns honking.
Reed checked his phone. “Fifth floor.”
“There better be an elevator.” I held a hand to my ribs.
Reed poked my arm and grinned. “Aw, come on. You’re tougher than that. I dug a bullet out of you while you were awake, and you didn’t make a sound. You can manage five flights of stairs.”
He grabbed our gear, paid the cabbie, and sauntered toward the front door.
Mav sagged against the nearest wall when we entered the carpeted foyer, and a blue door with the word STAIRS stood in front of us.
“Elevator this way.” Reed whistled at us. “I’ll hold it for you.”
Anticipation bubbled, and a burst of joy obliterated the pain. “Come on. We’re about to see Payton.”
Mav perked up at that and shoved away from the wall.
His breaths were short and sounded pained, but he lengthened his stride so he outpaced me.
Reed stood in the elevator, a chrome box with an old-fashioned wooden railing around the middle.
He had his hand pressed against the door opening and his finger poised over the button for Payton’s floor.
Mav and I caught our breath as we ascended.
It shouldn’t have been possible, but the closer we drew to seeing Payton, the better I felt.
It was like her absence had stunted our healing, and now that we were feet away from her, everything zoomed into super healing mode.
Reed rushed ahead of us again when the doors opened, but stopped in front of Payton’s door.
He raised his fist and knocked. We held our breath and waited.
Nothing.
Reed knocked again.
“Call her.” I’d lost my phone in the mayhem, and so had Mav.
Reed dialed Payton’s number.
Seconds later, a ringing sounded from inside the apartment. “What the hell?” Reed ended the call and dialed again with the same result. “Her phone’s inside.”
“Maybe she can’t answer. She might be in the shower or something.” The logical side of my brain told me to be patient.
Mav shook his head. “No. Something’s wrong. I feel it, just like I did when Jack showed up at the cabin.” He took a step back and slapped Reed on the shoulder. “Break it down.”
“Hell yeah.” Reed shifted his stance and slammed his heel into the door.
It burst open so hard it banged against the wall and came back.
I caught it with one hand and peered into the apartment. “Looks empty.”
“Spotless too.” Reed moved past me. “Guys, look.”
We followed him into the living room, where an open suitcase lay in the middle of the floor.
Shopping bags were scattered around, but no Payton.
“Looks like she was going somewhere.” I toed the nearest bag, and a towel fell out. “Why would she leave without her stuff?”
“Reed, I need your phone.” Mav held out his hand and Reed slapped the phone into it. He tapped out a number and put the phone to his ear.
Half a ring sounded before Frank’s voice knifed the air. “Who is this?”
“Mr. Rivers, it’s Maverick. I’m putting you on speaker.”
“What the hell.” Frank cursed. “Maverick?”
“Yes, sir. Do you know where Payton is?” Mav’s hand fisted around the phone as he held it out between us.
“Of course I do. She’s at home. She’s been home. Damn it, Maverick. She’s been grieving for weeks. We thought you were all dead.”
We winced at that.
I’d been afraid Payton would think us all goners after the explosion, but we hadn’t been able to contact her.
Mav gave Frank the shortest version of our story possible, following up with, “It was a close call, sir. Are you sure Payton’s home?”
He rattled off the address.
“Yes, that’s it. She’s supposed to be leaving for a trip in a few days, but she should be home packing.”
Reed made a low noise in the back of his throat.
I knew the feeling.
“Sir, we’re at her apartment now. She’s not here. There’s a suitcase on the floor, bags everywhere, but no Payton.”
Mav took a deep breath. “And her phone is here. Payton’s gone.”
Those last two words sucked all the air from my lungs and threatened to leave me a shriveled-up shell on the floor.
No. I couldn’t let that happen.
If Payton was missing, we had to find her, no matter the cost.