Chapter Thirty RUSSELL
Chapter Thirty
RUSSELL
“What do you mean?”
Maisie looked across her desk. “She's off,” she repeated. “You didn't know?”
Just then, Graham’s girlfriend, Madison, came walking through the front doors to the station. “Do you know for how long?” I asked.
Maisie pressed her lips together before letting out a sharp sigh. “No, I don't. I do keep on top of everything, but I didn’t catch that detail. All I know is she took the week off between switching crews.”
Madison stopped beside the desk, her eyes landing on mine. “She went to visit her family. You didn't know?”
Fuck my life. I was getting tired of not knowing what the hell was going on. “No, but how do you know?”
I felt like I knew Paisley better than Madison, at least. We had been pretty up close and personal. “She was staying at my place, but she texted me this morning and said she was going to Seattle to see her family.”
I had so many freaking questions, and I couldn't ask a single one.
Meanwhile, Maisie and Madison were staring at me avidly.
“Wow, thanks for the update,” I said before turning on my heel and shouldering through the swinging door into the back hallway.
I was looking at the floor and promptly collided with someone. “Oh, sorry.”
Glancing up, I found Rowan standing in front of me. He shrugged. “No worries.” He gave me a curious look. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I'm fine,” I muttered.
“You sure don’t seem fine. Do you need anything?” he pressed.
I sighed, leaning against the wall and bouncing one of my boot heels against it. “Paisley switched crews.”
“Yeah, I heard,” he said slowly. “You're not cool with that? You weren't thrilled with her when she started, although you seemed to change your tune.”
“Fuck,” I mumbled.
“You could just fess up to it and deal,” he commented.
I gave him a sharp look. “Fess up to what?”
“Dude, you've got it bad for her.”
Maybe I didn't know Rowan well, but I already knew him to be an honest and direct guy. He tended to be on the quiet side, but when he spoke, it was clear and to the point.
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yes, it's that obvious,” he said with a slight grin.
I leaned my head back, thumping it against the wall. “I'm a dumbass.”
“Hey, I've been stupid too,” he offered. “Sometimes, men are stupid at the worst possible times.”
I pushed away from the wall. Clapping him on the shoulder, I nodded. “You’re right on that. Catch you later.”
I missed Paisley so much it hurt, and I felt like an idiot.
I also felt like she'd been holding something back.
All of it circled back to her brother. I only hoped maybe if she was going to see him, she would finally straighten that out.
In the meantime, all I could do was wait. And fucking miss her.
That very evening, the house phone rang. I stared at it like it was a grenade about to explode. Stalking across the kitchen, I lifted the receiver quickly.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Russell, it's Ryder. Is Paisley around?”
“No. As far as I understand, she went down to visit her family.”
“You're fucking kidding me,” he muttered.
“Nope, definitely wouldn't kid about that. How come you don't know?”
“Because I'm a fucking asshole,” he said flatly.
“I appreciate the honesty. So, obviously you're not there then?”
“No, I'm not. I'm in Anchorage at the airport.”
“What? You didn't let her know you were coming to visit?”
“Obviously not,” her brother countered quickly.
“You need a ride?”
“Nah, I already have a rental. Mind if I crash in her room?”
I turned that idea over in my thoughts before replying, “Fine by me.” I planned to take advantage of this opportunity to get some answers out of him.
Approximately an hour and a half later, I was sitting in the kitchen with Ryder. He shared Paisley’s coloring, but that was all they had in common.
“What the hell is going on?” I asked when I pushed the pizza box toward him.
Ryder held my gaze for a moment that stretched before he shrugged, almost to himself. “I'm in trouble, and Paisley’s been keeping it from our parents. She feels like shit about it.”
“She texted me that if you called to ask you to call her cell.”
What I thought was guilt flitted through his eyes when he shook his head. “I know she's a much bigger person than me, and I don’t want to pull her further into my mess.”
“Dude, you came here to see her,” I pointed out, annoyed with him.
After finishing a bite of pizza, he said, “I know, but now I know she’s down there, so I don’t want to make things worse.”
“You gonna tell me what the hell is going on?”
“Probably not, but I'm going to call our parents. I'm assuming she's there. Do you know when she left?”
Fuck. This felt weird. I sure as hell didn't want to tell her brother about the tension between us. I didn’t know what he saw in my expression, but his eyes narrowed.
“Something’s going on between you two,” he stated bluntly.
“It's none of your fucking business if there is,” I countered swiftly.
“I'm her brother. Of course, it's my fucking business.”
I rolled my eyes. “I think Paisley would disagree.”
He chuckled dryly, shaking his head as he tore off a bite of pizza. “You're in love with her.”
“What?”
I knew I was in love with her, but I wasn't about to fess up to him about that. Paisley would fucking kill me. I hadn't even told her.
“I know you're not gonna talk to me about it. I'm just saying. I know the look.”
“What look?”
“I've been in love before,” he replied.
I rolled my eyes. “Somehow, I doubt that.”
“And how would you know?”
“How about we skip this topic?” I returned after a brief stare down with him. I was unsettled and angry with him about whatever mess he’d landed Paisley in. Dwelling on my feelings for her wasn’t going to solve anything. “Why don't you go ahead and call your parents?”
“Why is it so important?”
“Because I'd like to know Paisley arrived safe and sound, you asshole.”
Ryder’s brows hitched up, but he shrugged. We ate in silence, and then her brother finally called their parents. Only seconds after he greeted whoever answered the call, dread settled in a cold ball in my gut.
“What do you mean she's not there?” Her brother pressed his palm into his forehead before glancing over at me. He nodded along to something. “I gotta go. I have an idea where she is, and I'll call you once I sort it out.”
“What the fuck is going on?” I asked the second he hung up the phone.
“I think my sister probably thinks she knows where I am. Except I'm not there. I'm here instead. I need to go.”
“I'm going with you,” I stated flatly.
Ryder opened his mouth to argue, and I laid it on the line.
“You're right. I'm in love with Paisley.
And I'm fucking pissed at you. I also don't trust you to make sure she's okay. I have a friend who's a pilot. We can probably get a private flight down there faster than any commercial flight.” Her brother’s eyes widened. “I’m a hotshot firefighter. I know lots of pilots. Let me give my friend a call.”
I tried to call Paisley, but she didn't answer. I was torn between fury at her brother and fear that she wasn't safe.
“You mind telling me what the fuck is going on, for real this time?” I asked once we were in my truck, and I was hauling ass down the highway to meet Nate at the airport.
Nate wasn't going to fly us, but he'd gotten us onto a private business flight. Another friend, Alex Blake, was an airplane mechanic, and he knew this flight had room.
“Because I'm a dumbass, I started making money hand over fist in college selling high-end drugs. It’s continued to be a good source of income, but now I need to get out. I'm trying to do exactly that,” Ryder explained.
“Are you using the product?” I asked sharply.
“Fuck no,” he said. “I haven’t partied since college. I hardly even drink. I get why you might not believe me, but it’s the fucking truth.”
I didn’t know why, but I believed him. There wasn’t even an ounce of defensiveness in his tone. I moved on. “Isn't your father a district attorney or something?” I could’ve sworn Paisley had mentioned something like that.
As soon as I slid my eyes sideways to meet Ryder’s gaze, I knew I was right. “Yeah.”
I let out a low whistle. “And Paisley's been carrying the secret for you.”
“Dude, she found out by accident. I did not burden her.”
“You're her brother, and you're doing dangerous shit. She's intensely loyal, so she obviously feels like shit because she's probably keeping it from your parents.”
Her brother let out a weary sigh. “I fucking know. Dude, why do you think I'm trying to extricate myself from this situation?”
I shook my head and drove. I tried calling Paisley again before the plane took off. This time, I left her a message that I was with her brother and we were on the way to her.