Chapter 27
27
MILES
I t helped to focus on all the pleasurable options to punish Aspen for making me worry; then I wouldn’t notice the fear-induced pressure swelling in my chest. As I stayed frozen in the doorway, Aiden shoved past me, yelling her name, desperation in his tone. Barely breathing, I scanned the room for any signs of where she might be.
Moving to the middle of the living room, I turned in a full circle, scrubbing a hand over my face in a lame-ass attempt to calm the fuck down. I was no good to anyone if I allowed the panic and worry to overtake rational thought. Blowing out a steadying breath, I rolled both shoulders back and scanned the room a second time, slower than before, to not miss a single clue.
That was when my gaze snagged on something by the door.
No, not something tangible, more of a tickle in the back of my brain that something was missing. My eyes narrowed into thin slits while I racked my sluggish thoughts to understand why the blank space by the door felt important. Aiden stopped at my side, words flowing out of his mouth faster than ever, but I blocked him out, continuing to stare at the empty area, excavating my memories for why the fuck it was significant as to where Aspen might be.
It hit me like a punch to the gut.
“Her pack from yesterday,” I muttered, more to myself. “Didn’t she leave it by the door?” I could’ve sworn I remembered it being there while Deputy Dipshit shuffled around the room, grumbling about Aiden and me causing all the trouble in Anchor Bay.
Aiden stepped closer, hands on his hips, before turning with raised brows. “I don’t remember her carrying it out yesterday when we left. I had her bags, and she had her camera bag. So yeah, maybe it was there.”
“But it’s not now.”
“I’ll check her room. Maybe she came here and moved it.”
I slowly nodded when Aiden stormed off but continued to focus on that space.
A second later, he called out from the bedroom. “Not here. Neither are her hiking boots, but I think she wore those yesterday at our place. Wait a second…”
I spun on my heels and marched into the bedroom.
Aiden pointed to a small pile on the floor. “Aren’t those her dirty clothes from the hike and overnight gear?”
“So, either someone was here, went through her pack, and then took it, or…” I jerked my wide eyes to Aiden, who had the same horrified expression on his face. “She came by here and dumped the things she didn’t need for an in-and-out hike.”
“Like she mentioned wanting to do earlier this morning,” Aiden finished, face going pale as he stared at the snow pouring down outside the window.
We both started toward the door before we even discussed our next steps. Double-checking that it locked behind me, I sprinted down the path to catch up with Aiden and Jubie.
“Wolf Run, that was the trail she mentioned this morning,” I shouted as I rounded the truck hood. I glared up at the gray sky. In the few minutes we were in the cabin, the wind had picked up, and the snow fell in heavier sheets. “We’ll need to talk to Hudson about borrowing the four-wheelers and let him know where we’re headed.”
“She could already be on her way down, and we’re overreacting,” Aiden suggested after slamming the truck door shut behind him.
The engine roared as I reversed out of the parking spot. “And what if she isn’t? I’m not risking her life and safety on an assumption.” I gestured out the windshield to the falling snow. “This storm is way damn worse than they predicted. I can’t imagine what it’s like on that trail, considering the higher elevation at the peak.” Both hands tightened on the wheel as my fear and worry grew. “I doubt she knew about the incoming storm since we didn’t even know. It was supposed to stay north, but obviously that didn’t happen. Fuck!” I exclaimed, slamming the heel of my hand to the dash. “I knew we should’ve locked her in the cabin.”
Aiden huffed an incredulous laugh while he rubbed at his temples. “That would make her resent us and leave. We’ve been over this. We’re lovers, not kidnappers.”
“Speak for yourself,” I grumbled, jerking the wheel to take a tight turn. The back tires spun on the slippery road.
“About the lovers or kidnappers part?”
I shot him a knowing look before focusing back on the road. Aiden’s defense mechanismto not drown in an ocean of guilt during high stress was making jokes, diverting his thoughts from the situation to protect himself. If my friend needed to distract himself, then I could play along. I was trained for this type of high-stress moment; it was what I excelled in in my past life.
“The kidnapping part, obviously. You’ve witnessed firsthand the lovers part.”
“Touché,” he said with a forced smirk.
“After we talk to Hudson about this potential rescue mission, we’ll grab the gear we might need and head out. The trailhead for Wolf Run isn’t too far from us, so we can take the four-wheelers. We should bring extra supplies for her on the off chance we need to hole up in one of the emergency shelters until the storm passes.”
We could do this.
Find Aspen.
Kiss the hell out of her.
Then spank her ass for putting herself in danger.
We just needed to find her first.