Chapter 45
Gable
ME: All good your end, Gibson?
Istare at my phone as I tap the steering wheel. I sent the message close to twenty minutes ago and there’s been no response.
Maybe she’s asleep.
I text Hunter instead, and he responds quickly.
HUNTER: All fine. The girls are sleeping. You almost there?
I breathe out a sigh of relief.
ME: Just waiting for him now. When she wakes up, tell Ella I’ll be home as soon as I can.
HUNTER: I will.
HUNTER: Love you, kid.
ME: Love you, too.
From the passenger seat, Z says, “Everything okay?”
I nod and finally relax. “Ella and Monty are asleep.” We’re sitting on the darkened air strip, engine off, freezing our asses off waiting for Rick to arrive. When I spot the glare of headlights, I sit up. “Phone off and leave it in the car.”
Z pulls a face. “Why?”
“Because the guy is paranoid about listening devices. Take off your smart watch, too, otherwise he’ll bolt in the other direction.”
Z mumbles something about his steps for the day not being right but does as I ask. We get out of the car and into the cold, the wind biting across the open field.
“Let me do the talking,” I say.
Z scowls. “I’m not enjoying this power imbalance.”
“Just do as I say.”
“Fine.”
“Good boy.”
He punches my arm, and I laugh. The car comes to a stop, and Rick gets out. He takes off his flat cap and runs his gloved hand over his bald head, watery blue eyes darting around as if expecting a secret service agent to drop from the skies and arrest us all.
“Hey, Rick.”
He ignores the greeting. “Who the fuck is that? Where’s Asher?”
A sudden jolt in my chest has me realizing not everyone knows Asher is gone—least of all Rick, who doesn’t watch the news at all.
“This is Z,” I say. “We can trust him.”
“Where the fuck is Asher?” Rick demands.
I haven’t had to say the words in a while, so it takes me a while to summon them.
“Asher’s dead.”
Rick’s face drops, and he leans against the hood of his car.
Everyone liked Asher. It was impossible not to. If he wasn’t a killer, he’d have been the perfect person. A great neighbor, loving husband, attentive dad. His loss is painful for everyone who knew him.
“I’m sorry,” Rick says, and I nod in response. “But you still want out?”
“Yeah. It’ll be me and … my girlfriend.”
Z snorts a laugh. “Loser.”
I look at him over my shoulder. “You’re married.”
“Yeah, exactly. I have a wife, not a girlfriend. What are you, twelve?”
“I’m gonna punch you.”
Rick snaps his fingers. “When? Where to?”
“If it happens, tonight. We’re waiting to hear back about a meeting. The location is the same as before.”
Canada. To cold. Somewhere remote, where a house is already waiting for us. Plenty of land for Motor to stretch his legs. It’s quiet, too, so Ella can write. Maybe I’ll finally teach her how to start a fire. We can stay there a while, then move again until we find somewhere more permanent.
Maybe somewhere near a school.
I don’t know if I can be a dad. I’d have no idea what to do, but I know Hunter will help, even if it’s from a distance. And Ella will make a great mom. Clumsy as fuck and probably forgetful but loving. Attentive.
Picturing her pregnant makes me smile.
Fuck.
What is happening to me?
I iron out the last of the details with Rick, then get back into the car. Z immediately switches our phones on, and as we head home, I think about Ella.
This can work.
It has to.
Because if it doesn’t, I’m not just losing her anymore. I’m losing out on our future.
My phone rings, Guy’s name flashing on the screen.
“Where the fuck have you been!” he roars.
Panic sluices through me. “What’s happened? Did Ranger go back on the deal?”
“It was Hunter,” Guy says. “Hunter killed Asher.”
The words don’t register. They shoot by me, through me, and I shake my head as I try to calm my frantic heart.
“He’s lying. Ranger is lying.”
“He meant to kill Ella. He didn’t know it was Asher with her,” Guy says, still almost yelling. “I’ve called Ella and Monty—neither of them is answering. Get home, Gable. Get home now.”