Chapter 9 Travis
TRAVIS
As Quentin talks to me about the meetings, my mind becomes more agitated. I don’t enjoy lying to him about Kendra. The sooner I can get out of here and buy her the ring, the better. I’m about to make my excuses when Arlo comes in from the bar.
“You guys seen Kendra?”
At the sound of her name, my head jerks up. There’s a tone to Arlo’s voice that I don’t like.
“She’s in the restaurant, isn’t she?”
Arlo shakes his head. “She went to get napkins twenty minutes ago, and I haven’t seen her since.”
I glance at Quentin, and he’s scowling at Arlo.
“What do you mean you haven’t seen her?”
“She didn’t come back to finish her shift. It’s not like her.”
Kendra’s only been working at the restaurant for a week, but she’s reliable. I push my chair back and stand up, my heart hammering in my chest.
“She might be upstairs.”
Quentin and I both bolt for the door, and I get there just ahead of him. I take the stairs two at a time and race to her room.
“Kendra.” I bang on her door, and there’s no answer. “Kendra!”
I push the door open and barge in. Her waitress apron lies on the bed, along with the branded t-shirt and black skirt that makes up her uniform.
“Shit.”
I pull open the closet, and it’s empty.
Quentin barges into the bathroom, but our search of the room reveals what my heart already knows. “She’s gone.”
I can’t keep the despair out of my voice. I thought we had something real. I thought she felt the same about me as I do about her. I don’t know why she would run.
Quentin tugs on his beard and turns his intense gaze on me.
“Why would she leave?”
I drag my gaze around the room, not wanting to meet his eye. I can’t lie to him anymore.
“Travis…” His voice has a rough edge to it. “Why would Kendra leave?”
I meet his gaze, and his eyes are dark with suspicion. I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly. I’ve got to tell him.
“Is there something I need to know, Travis?”
Quentin takes a step towards me. They don’t call him Barrels for nothing. It’s not only because he runs the brewery. The man’s thick and stocky, built like a barrel.
I put my hand up in the air in a placating gesture.
“It’s not what you think.”
That’s the wrong thing to say. Because Quentin’s expression goes from suspicion to fury in two seconds flat.
“What the fuck, man? Have you been fucking my sister?”
I wince at the harsh words. “It’s not like that.”
“So something is going on between you?”
He tugs at the side of his mouth and jostles his feet. I know what’s coming before he swings the punch. I dodge his fists, and he comes at me again.
“Fuck you, man. She’s my sister.”
He lunges at me and we go barreling into the dresser, bringing the mirror crashing to the ground.
“It’s not like that.”
We tumble to the floor, and I roll away out of his grasp.
Quentin is a big guy, and I’m faster than him so I can dodge his fists, but I won’t fight back. If he hits me, then I fucking deserve it. This is a shitty thing to do to your best friend.
I scramble to my feet and Quentin faces me, breathing hard.
“I love her, man.”
His eyes narrow.
“I don’t give a shit. You don’t touch my sister.” He comes at me again and I dodge out the way, but he clips my shoulder. A flash of pain shoots down my arm, and I stagger backwards.
“I love her.” I say it louder. And it feels damn good to say it.
Quentin swivels around and swings at me again, and I dive under his arm and skip backwards across the room.
“Listen to me, Quentin. I love Kendra. I’m going to marry her. I was waiting for you to get back to tell you.”
“You want to marry Kendra?”
The talk of marriage stops him. He’s breathing hard, bent over with his hands on his knees, and we stare at each other across the room.
He’s like a raging bull, and I don’t know if he’s going to charge. I don’t give him a chance.
“I tried to deny my feelings, man. But I love her. She’s the most amazing, smart, funny, kind, caring woman I’ve ever met. I want to make her my wife. I want to do right by her.”
He's breathing heavily as he stares at me, the words sinking in.
We’ve been through a lot of together, me and Quentin. We fought alongside each other; we’ve seen shit a man shouldn’t see. We’ve been through hell and back, and we’ve ridden together to chase the demons out of our lives.
It’s only because he knows me so well that I’m still standing right now.
“She feel the same way about you?”
My shoulders sag with relief that he’s coming around to the idea.
“I don’t know,” I say honestly. “I hope so. I was going to buy her a ring today and find out. I’m not messing around with her, Quentin. This is for keeps.”
“This is a lot take in.” He lets out a big sigh and runs his hands through his hair.
“But if she loves you, why the fuck has she gone?”
His words have me racing for the door. “I don’t know. But I’m gonna find her and find out.”
We’ve wasted time fighting and Kendra could be miles away, picked up in some stranger’s car. The thought has me bolting down the stairs.
I hear Quentin running behind me as I sprint to my bike.
“I’m coming too. I don’t know what the fuck has gone on between you two, but if she’s running away from you, it can’t be fucking good.”
His words have a grim warning to them. I wanted to get his blessing, but we’re a long way from that.
I push the thought out of my head as I gun the engine. I can’t let Kendra leave the mountain. I have to find her.