50. Chase
FIFTY
CHASE
The text from an unknown number telling me I look “tasty” has me snapping my head up and scanning the area.
I’m outside waiting for the private investigator to get here, and who shows up instead? My ex-girlfriend, who is proving with every fucking minute that it was a good decision to end things. Where was this other person hiding all the years we were together?
“Chase.”
Mother fucking Marissa. I hear her voice before I see her, but soon enough she’s standing right in front of me.
“Marissa, what the fuck are you doing here? How many times do I have to tell you this isn’t going to happen?” I hiss at her, trying to keep my voice low.
She smirks, stepping into me. I grip her shoulders to push her back. Before I can get a word out, she plants her glossy, sticky lips on mine. They feel wrong and I rear back, but her fingers have locked in my hair and she presses harder against me. I try again, grabbing her wrists and wrenching my head just as I hear someone yell. I break free, looking at Marissa, disgusted, and turn toward the noise.
When I lock eyes with Goldi, my heart free-falls through my body and drops on the ground at my feet. Fuck. She looks gutted.
No.
Marissa tries to pull me back, but I don’t spare her a second glance. All I care about is getting to Goldi. Determination invades my bloodstream, propelling me faster.
“Goldi, wait!” I yell. “Goldi!”
She starts running, stumbling through the doors to the rec hall, and I chase her. I don’t want to make a scene, but I will if I have to. If I let her get away, I’m not sure I’ll get her back. Fear prickles my neck at the thought, but I bat it away.
Goldi pushes her way through the crowd. The sea of people slows her down, allowing me to catch up just as she hits the doors on the other side of the room.
I grab her wrist. “Baby, damn. Hold up. That was not what it looked like. If you will just listen?—”
She shakes her head and pushes through the doors. I follow her. I’ll always follow her.
It’s dark. Just a deserted hallway lined with empty rooms. Goldi runs to one of the doors and pulls, but I come up behind her and slam it closed again.
“Goldi, baby. Please. Just fucking talk to me. Say what you need to say and then give me the same courtesy. I’m telling you, that was not what it looked like.” My tone is pleading, my desperation for her to understand obvious. I will do anything to be with her. I plan to spend the rest of my fucking life with her, but we both have to be in this, through the good and the bad. We won’t make it if we aren’t.
She spins around, tears making her cheeks glisten. “Talk then.”
I open my mouth but hesitate, trying to figure out where to start.
“Go on then, Chase. Talk!” she yells, reaching out and shoving me.
My tongue wets my lips. “That was Marissa. My ex. I ended things for-fucking-ever ago, before I even knew there was a chance with you.”
She huffs.
“It’s true. I ended things because every time I looked at her, I wished she was you.”
“Then what’s she doin’ here? And was that her the other night? On your ph-phone?” She sniffles.
“Yes.”
She turns her head, twisting her body, but I step closer, pressing her into the door and blocking her path.
“Let me explain.”
Her eyes search mine, and she must see the truth in them, or fuck, I don’t know, maybe she’s just tired of fighting me. Either way, she blows out a shaky breath and relents.
“Marissa didn’t take the breakup well. She started sending me messages, and I swear to God, Goldi, I fucking shut them down every time. I blocked her number. I didn’t know she would be here. Anna invited her when we were still together, but I never thought in a million years…” I hang my head, grabbing my hair.
“But you kissed her,” Goldi bites out.
I lift her chin with my fingertips. “She kissed me .”
Goldi shakes her head. “No?—”
“Yes. Think about what you saw. Really think about it, baby. Did you see me kiss her back? Did you see me encourage her in any way? I was out there waiting for that Mason guy. I didn’t even know she was here. I promise you, Goldi.”
Her eyes are locked on me as she chews that beautiful bottom lip. My thumb reaches out, tugging it from between her teeth. “You have to trust me. This won’t work without it.”
“So now you don’t want us to work?” she accuses, again turning her head and trying to rip from my grasp.
I bring her face back. “I want us to work more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. More than Sam’s company. More than my mom’s love. More than finding Lily.”
She gasps.
“I fucking love you, Goldi. Don’t you know that? I love you. I’m in love with you. I have been since I was thirteen years old, and I want to spend every day for the rest of my life showing you just how much. I want to make up for all the days we’ve lost. But if you don’t trust me…if we can’t move past our history, we’ll both end up miserable. I don’t want that for you or for me.”
I wait for her to say something. Anything.
She searches my eyes, sucking that lip between her teeth again and exhaling. “I love you, too.”
Relief surges through every cell in my body. Thank fucking God.
I lean in and kiss her, not giving her a chance to take back her words.
“Say it again,” I mumble into her mouth, my hands cupping her cheeks.
“I love you.” She smiles against my lips.
A door bangs open, and I groan.
“Oh, shit. My bad. I didn’t mean to… Lee? Is that you?”
We both turn toward the voice and my body stiffens as I see the guy from earlier today. What was his name?
“Logan, hi.” Goldi pushes against my chest, forcing me back a step as she straightens her dress.
Logan. That’s right. I look between them.
“So this is him, huh? Chase Adams? I never woulda guessed,” he chuckles, shaking his head slightly.
Goldi’s cheeks are flushed a beautiful shade of pink, and I don’t know if it’s from me or from Logan , who all of a sudden I can’t fucking stand.
“Yep. He’s the one.” She beams at me, gripping my hand in hers.
My chest swells with her attention.
Logan rubs the back of his neck. “Ah, hell. I’m sorry, man. If I had known I was talkin’ about your girl earlier today, I never would have brought it up.”
Talking about my… My eyebrows lift as his words hit me. “ Goldi was your ‘piece’?”
He raises his hands in front of him, his face apologetic. “She ended things, though, so don’t worry. She’s all yours.”
I laugh. Is this motherfucker serious? Of course she’s mine. She’s always been mine. I take a step forward, a smile on my face as I imagine all the ways I’ll make him realize his mistake. Goldi’s hand tugs me back.
“Chase, don’t do this. You were just talkin’ about trust . So trust me when I say I’m yours, just like I’m trustin’ you.”
I breathe sharply through my nose, leaning my forehead against hers. “Promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
I look back toward Logan. “Listen, man?—”
Yelling cuts me off—muffled but close enough to the door that the voice carries.
Fuck.
Mr. Carson.
My head swings to Goldi. I don’t let go of her hand as we rush through the doors back into the party. I stop short, watching the scene with wide eyes.
Mr. Carson has Sam’s shirt crumpled in his fist and is being held back by Jax. His face is red and spittle flies out of his mouth as he slurs his attack.
“No! I don’t give a good goddamn. I know…know what you said, Sam, you sonofabitch.”
Goldi is a statue, her worst fear playing out in front of her. Where the fuck is Eli?
By the time I get across the hall to them, Mr. Carson has been wrangled somewhat under control. Jax’s hair is a mess, half of it falling out of his bun, and his eyes are round with shock as he tries to contain the beast of Mr. Carson’s despair. It’s obvious he had no clue this was going on.
In any other circumstance, I’m sure Jax would love to argue my interference, but at this moment, he shows nothing but gratitude as I step between Mr. Carson and Sam to defuse the situation.
My gaze bounces to Sam. His face is red, and his lip is bleeding, but mainly he just looks sad.
I turn my attention to Goldi’s dad. “Mr. Carson. Can you focus on what I’m saying to you?”
“Boy, you…you’re always showin’ up when you’re not wanted. This here is men’s business.” He sways in Jax’s arms. Jax’s arms tense as he tightens his grip.
“I’m sure it is, sir. How about we take it outside and handle it there?”
The room is silent, hundreds of eyes watching as the Carson family secret spills into the open.
“I ain’t got nothin’ else to say.” He points a finger at Sam. “You know… Gail was… I can’t. How could you just bring her…up? My wife.” He crumples, gripping his chest and sobbing.
I suck in a breath and twist around to peek at Sam. He watches his old friend with a frown, his forehead creased in concern.
“Mr. Carson,” I try again. “Let’s go out front, yeah?” I grasp his shoulder to steer him, but he jerks, the sudden movement pushing Jax back and allowing him to break free. He storms out of the hall, leaving a trail of gossip behind him.
“Shit,” I mutter. I search for Goldi in the crowd. Her face is drained of color and she’s clenching her fists. Over and over. Like the motion is the only thing that’s keeping her together. I turn quickly to Sam. “You okay?”
He lifts his chin in a nod, and then I’m chasing after Mr. Carson. I’m not sure where he’s headed, but I’m not going to let him get there on his own. I run into the fresh air, the calm of the night deceiving with its stillness. I search for Mr. Carson or his truck but can’t find either.
Fuck.
Goldi bursts through the doors soon after me, panting from exertion.
“Is he gone?” She whips her head around.
“I think so. Want to go look for him?” I’m already grabbing the keys from my pocket, but she shakes her head, putting her hand on my arm to stop me.
“No. We’ll never find him, and even if we did…” She shrugs. “Daddy needs to learn to lie in the bed he makes. There’s only so much I can do.”
I pull her into me, hugging her tight and kissing the top of her head. I know how hard that is for her to admit, but I’m so fucking proud of her for realizing it doesn’t fall on her shoulders. I peer over her head, keeping an eye out in case Marissa decides to make another appearance. I have no clue where she went.
Goldi says something, but the sound of an engine drowns her out. We turn toward the noise as a motorcycle rumbles into the lot, parking right outside the front doors. A man climbs off the bike, pushing his brown hair off his face and shrugging out of his black leather jacket. His arms are covered in ink. He definitely isn’t from Sugarlake.
“Who is that ?” Goldi asks.
I shake my head because I have no fucking clue. He lights up a cigarette, worn black combat boots crossing as he leans against his bike. He’s got a cell in his hand, and after a second my phone vibrates in my pocket. I grab it, staring at the screen.
Mason:
Here.
My head snaps back to the biker. That’s the private investigator?
“What is it?” Goldi asks, peeking at my phone.
“I think that’s the guy, the PI. I’m gonna go talk to him. Want to come?”
She shakes her head. “I need to go hunt down Eli.” She leans up and gives me a kiss. “Find me after?”
I nod, kissing her before she walks away.
We’ve caught Mason’s attention and he swaggers over. The closer he gets, the more his details become clear. He’s a fucking giant. I’m not a small guy by any means, but he towers over me.
“You Chase?”
“Yeah. Mason, I’m guessing?”
“The one and only.” He smirks, taking a drag off his cigarette.
“Great. Thanks for making the trip.”
He gets right to the point. “I don’t have much time. There’s a naked redhead in my bed back home just waiting for me to tear that ass up, so let’s be quick. Who you looking for?”
“My sister. I don’t really know much. Fucking nothing, actually, other than she might be in Arizona.”
He flicks his cigarette and sucks in air through his teeth. “Oh. Nope. I don’t go anywhere near the West Coast. Not even Arizona. I’ll see what I can find by searching some records and making some calls, but you’re shit out of luck for anything else.”
“What the fuck do you mean, you don’t ‘go near the West Coast’? I was told by you that you could find anybody.”
He stands straighter, his posture becoming defensive. His golden eyes flash. “I can. I’m just not going to.”
My nostrils flare and I clench my fists, trying to stay calm. “Price isn’t an issue. I’ll pay you whatever you want. I just…I need to find her. I need to know she’s okay.” I point at him. “You’re a fucking prick, but if you’re the best, you’re the guy I want.”
Mason’s chin lifts as he assesses what I’ve said. After a tense minute, a smile curls his face. “Yeah, all right. I’ll do it. I’ll give you my email and you can send me what I need. We do this on my timeline, you get me?”
“Yeah, I get you,” I say through my teeth.
“Wonderful.” The smile on his face grows. “Pleasure doing business. I’ll be in touch.”
“That’s it? You needed to meet in person for that?” My brows touch my hairline. I have no clue why we couldn’t do this over the phone.
He’s already walking away, but he spins, walking backward. “You can’t tell the soul of a man if you can’t look in his eyes. I like to know who I’m doing business with.”
What the fuck does that even mean?
I watch as he sits on his bike, his arms sliding into his leather jacket, that cigarette dangling from his lips. The engine of his motorcycle purrs, and he salutes me before peeling out of the lot.