31. My Life Line
MY LIFE LINE
R owan
Aspen: Start a bath for us? I’m on my way home and I want to relax with you!
Me: It would be my pleasure, little angel!
She’d laughed and reacted to my text, and I smiled, thinking about being wrapped around the back of her in a tub full of bubbles.
I checked the app on my phone, so I’d be able to time it out perfectly.
I didn’t want it to be cold when she got here, and I knew the roads were wet, so she’d be a little longer.
It wasn’t stalking her, really; it was preparing to make my girl happy while being smart and using the resources at my disposal.
She was on course to be here in about fifteen minutes, and I was about to get up and start the bath when I noticed her location dot slowing down.
Sitting back on the couch, I watched it, trying to rationalize so I didn’t indeed seem like a stalker.
She got stuck behind someone slow. There was an animal on the road.
The roads were wetter than we anticipated.
All logical reasons. What I didn’t have a logical reason for was that her dot slowed down and wasn’t on the road anymore…
I dialed her number, but it went to voicemail, so I tried again. Same thing.
I quickly called Wyatt, putting the phone on speaker, so I could still watch her dot. He answered on the second ring, but I spoke before he could even mutter a hello.
“How accurate is this tracker? Is it like the phone ones that’s more like a radius, or is it like crystal fucking clear?” I asked.
“Crystal fucking clear. Only thing that could fuck with it is maybe a signal jammer, but even then, it’ll still give you a rough radius with that. Why? What’s wrong with stalker cowboy and his angel this evening?” Wyatt replied.
Under normal circumstances, that nickname would make me laugh. But I wasn’t laughing right now.
“She’s on her way home in my truck, and she just pulled off on the side of the road.
Before you ask, I called twice. It’s going to voicemail.
” I watched for another moment and realized her dot was moving slower back down the road, only to take off back toward town.
“I think…I think she’s in someone else’s vehicle and she’s headed back toward town…
” My voice trailed off, the confusion clear in it.
Why would she be going back to town? She left my truck on the side of the road? I didn’t?—
“Send me the location she pulled off at. I’ll grab Theo and go look and get the truck. You get Oliver and go after her location. Okay?” Wyatt said, interrupting my spiraling thoughts.
He thought it was her ex.
“You think…but we haven’t heard from him in weeks, Wyatt,” I replied, my anger starting to rise. But not at my brother, at myself. How the fuck could I be so damn stupid? I let her drive herself to work and back home, thinking nothing would happen.
“Rowan!” Wyatt yelled through the phone. “Go. Get. Oliver.” His words were clipped, and his tone stern.
“I got it,” I said as I tried to rein my temper back in. I sent him the original location, and I hung up, dialing Ivy. She answered almost immediately.
“What’s up, lover boy?” she said, her voice cheerful but tired.
“How quickly can you get to my brothers? He’s at the main house here on the ranch,” I asked her quickly.
She must’ve sensed the tone of my voice and dropped the jokes. “I can be there in ten minutes. Why? What’s going on?” She sounded worried, and I knew she would be.
“I need you to hang out with Hudson, my nephew. I need Oliver’s help. I can’t explain right now, Ivy, please just get over here.”
“He’s back isn’t he…” she said quietly. I wanted her to just stop talking and get there, but I could hear her gathering her stuff and closing her door, so I refrained from yelling at her.
I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to explain.
I wanted to be on my bike chasing down my girl as I watched her little dot get farther and farther away.
But before I could say anything, I heard her car start.
She must’ve gotten her things together and moved in under a minute. “I’m on my way, Ro. Don’t panic.”
I shook my head and hung up. I didn’t have time to panic. I grabbed my helmet and keys, not even bothering to lock the door on my way out.
I was at my brother's house in what felt like mere moments. He already had his truck started before I could even fully explain what was going on. I knew I could’ve called my mom and had her come over with Hudson, but sometimes you don’t need your mom knowing about certain situations in your life.
I had a feeling this would be one of those situations. The fewer questions, the better.
It didn’t take long before Ivy was there with Hudson, and we were on the road following the small dot on my stalker app. He was already out of Raven Creek and on his way south.
Oliver’s phone started ringing and he answered it without putting it on speakerphone, holding it close to his left ear, as far away from me as he could manage to hold it.
“Yeah?” he said.
I watched as his hand tightened on the steering wheel, and he glared out the front window.
“Okay, got it. Yeah, just tow it back to my house. Shouldn’t be long. Stay there, but don’t let Hudson out of the house. I don’t want him to see it and panic thinking his uncle is hurt,” he growled.
He hung up, and I looked away, my eyes catching on my left hand where her name was inked into my fingers. I vowed to myself and to whatever gods above wanted to listen that I would do whatever was necessary to ensure my girl was safe again.
My angel. My lifeline. I’d do whatever it took.