Chapter Thirty-One
Two hours later, Kace skidded to a stop outside the Backwater Hospital. He parked in the back lot away from the reporters still hovering by the front door in hopes of seeing Drew.
He hadn’t bothered to change out of his fire suit. He was sweaty and smelled, but he had to get to Tara. If Drew had hurt her, he’d kill him with his bare hands, and he’d get his brothers to help him. No matter how many championships he had won, that tight end couldn’t take four Rykers.
A small woman with wavy brown hair and glasses sat at the front desk. She smiled as he approached.
“Could you tell me what room Tara Haden is in?”
“Are you family?”
“I’m her boyfriend.” He didn’t know what he was at the moment, but he’d say he was a tribal chief if it meant he could see her.
She tapped away at her computer and frowned. “Says she was never admitted and released from the ER hours ago. You must’ve missed her. Do you drive in the Southern November? I’m a big fan of racing.” She pointed to his suit.
“Not anymore. Was Drew Paxton released as well?”
She tapped again. “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but since you’re her boyfriend and it’s a pretty big deal the two of them were even in our little hospital, he was released around the same time.”
“Was he arrested?”
“Beats me. Did he do something wrong?”
“Not sure.” He tapped the counter. “Thanks for the info.” He didn’t wait for her to say more or ask questions.
He tried Tara’s cell again, but it went to voicemail. “Where are you? Call me. I’m back in town.”
He hitched his leg into his Mustang and dialed Jett.
“What happened? Did you get hurt in the crash? We’re all watching.” Jett rambled on without so much as a hello.
“Never mind that. Where’s Tara?”
“What do you mean, never mind racing? Why aren’t you in the car and on the track?”
“Jett, where the hell is Tara?” He kicked over the engine and gunned the gas. From the hospital to the ranch was a short ride, but he wanted to make it shorter.
“I don’t know. Gage took her to the hospital and stayed with her until she was released. After that, he was keeping the media off the ranch. Did you try her cell?”
“Of course, I tried her cell. She’s not answering. I’m heading over to her cottage.” He raced the yellow light.
“Heading over to the cottage? Where are you?”
“I’m in Backwater. I left the race right after the crash and came home.” Because what he needed most at the moment was right here. Once he was better, he could figure out his next move. He had killed his career today. That much was certain.
“You left in the middle? Holy shit.”
“Jett, shut the fuck up about the race. I need to find Tara. What if that asshole of an ex-husband has his hands on her?”
“Is that what you think is going on?”
“He left the hospital the same time she did. Now she’s missing. Do the fucking math.” He jerked the wheel to make a last-minute right-hand turn.
“Okay. I’ll call Gage, and then I’ll go take a look around. Maybe she’s at the spa or the barns or something.”
“Did Gage say if she was hurt?” If Paxton hurt her… He couldn’t even think about it.
“Sorry, man. I didn’t ask. Things went crazy here when the media got wind of the fight and the fact they were sent to the hospital. I was doing damage control. I never spoke with Gage. He told Lock about how he stayed with her and then gave her a ride home.”
At least she had made it to the cottage. Maybe she had fallen asleep and hadn’t heard the phone. “Let me know what you find out.” He ended the call and turned onto the ranch’s property.
A small crowd of media huddled at the edge of the long driveway. He blew past them and followed the driveway on autopilot. He could do this road with his eyes closed.
He did hope for a glimpse of Gage somewhere, but luck wouldn’t have that. He wanted to check Tara’s place first. If she wasn’t there, he would track his brother down for more information.
He hit the brakes hard as the cottage came into view. Her car sat in the driveway. The inside of the house appeared dark. He banged on the front door.
“Tara, it’s me. Please open up.”
No answer.
He tried the handle. Locked. “Tara, babe.” He pounded until his fist hurt.
He ran around the back to the door that led to the laundry room. Was it only a few weeks ago that he had sneaked out the back, pissed as hell? The back door was locked too. He checked the windows, but the house was too dark to tell if anyone was inside.
He grabbed a rock and threw it through the window in the living room. The glass shattered into a million pieces. Jett would kill him for this, but he didn’t care. If she was inside hurt, he had to find her. If she had been sleeping, she would be up and mad as hell. He would take the second one over and over.
He climbed through the window, careful not to rip the fire suit he would have to return. The glass crunched under his shoes.
“Tara?” He checked the two bedrooms. The closets were still filled with her and Royce’s clothes, but like the rest of the house, the bedrooms were empty. He let himself out the back and sent a text to Jett, telling him what he’d done to the window.
The sun dipped behind the mountains and washed out the sky in shades of gray. It would be dark soon, and the crisp air would whip through the best sweaters. Where had she gone?
He hopped back in his car and drove around the property to Gage’s house. If he was the last person to see her, he must have an idea where she and Royce were. Maybe she was even at Gage’s so she wouldn’t be alone.
He tried the front door, but it was locked. He knocked with a closed fist. “Gage, open up. It’s me.”
Izzi opened the door. She looked so young, standing there with her hair pulled back and wearing an oversized T-shirt and sweatpants. “Hey, Uncle Kace. Why are you dressed like that?”
“Is Tara here?” He ignored her question because he didn’t want to waste another second.
“No. I haven’t seen her since Dad took her to the hospital. Do you want to come inside?” She stepped away from the door and waved him in.
“Where’s your dad?” He didn’t move. If Tara wasn’t here, then he needed to keep looking. And if Gage wasn’t here, then he also needed to find him.
“He’s at the station. What’s going on?” She narrowed her eyes.
“I can’t find Tara. Thanks, Izzi. I’m going to call your dad.” He slipped her a quick hug and went back to the car, pulling up Gage’s number as he went.
“Hey,” Gage said. “Why are you calling?”
“Where’s Tara?” He had no time for small talk. He was determined to find the woman he loved.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? What if Paxton has her?” He ran a hand through his hair. The headache had dropped down to a dull thump, and the fog had lifted from his brain.
“Relax. Paxton is in custody. After my deputy questioned him, I handed him over to the county. I didn’t want to give him a chance to claim my small-town department did anything wrong. He’ll have a harder time making something up like that with them.”
“You never hand stuff off to the county.” Gage prided himself on being able to handle any case that came his way.
“Yeah, well, I figured let Paxton be someone else’s problem, and it gave Tara peace of mind that he wasn’t anywhere near here. I thought you might appreciate it too.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“Shut up. Why aren’t you racing?”
“I’ll tell you later. I need to find Tara.”
Wherever she was.