18. ZANE
ZANE
I watch through the kitchen window as the Bronco disappears from sight, my fists clenched in anger by my side. Once again, Ella’s meddlesome self has managed to interrupt a very important conversation between Ava and me.
It was by sheer luck that I managed to find her alone in the kitchen. After waiting for weeks, I finally got the chance to talk to her. Then Ella had to barge in, accuse me of bullying Ava, and take her away.
Unlike previous times, I’m not going to let more weeks pass by. Today, as soon as they come back from music class, I’m finding Ava and demanding some much-needed answers from her.
I’m feeling too wound up to work, so I head over to my gym to squeeze in a workout before I start my day.
The Pbr bull riding season starts in a few weeks, and I impulsively decided to sign up for it.
I’m not going for a medal—not by a long shot—I just want a chance to redeem myself and prove that I’ve still got it as a bull rider.
My exercises are now focused on strengthening my back and leg muscles in preparation for those eight seconds I’ll be on that bull.
“So this is what you do when you’re slacking on your duties as foreman?” Jace mocks, wheeling himself into my private space.
How did he even manage to get here? I have steps outside with no ramp.
“I’d advise you to leave the same way you came in,” I tell him as I keep on with my pull-ups.
Instead of heeding my words, he gets to his feet and starts snooping around.
“You know, I’ve never been in here,” he mutters to himself.
“With good reason—this is my personal space,” I assert.
“How do you have better equipment than the gym at the house?” he queries, stopping at the treadmill in the corner.
“Because I take my physical therapy seriously, unlike you,” I retort.
Jace was wounded while on an overseas mission in Somalia.
He’d been hurt before, but this was bad enough for him to be in the hospital for eight months.
We almost lost him, but after healing and lots of physical therapy, he was sent home and now uses a wheelchair to get around.
He can stand and walk, but only for short distances due to his limited mobility.
He runs the ranch’s security—a role he takes very seriously.
Iron Stallion is worth billions, so his hypervigilance is understandable.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to steal a couple of thoroughbreds last year.
The thieves were caught and punished thoroughly by us to make sure we sent a message that the Morgans are not to be messed with before we released them to authorities.
Ever since then, Jace upgraded our safety features, with cameras everywhere, reinforced security doors, a panic room for some reason, and so many other measures I can’t be bothered with as they’re not my responsibility.
“What are you doing here anyway?” I ask, jumping off when I get to fifty pull-ups.
“Just checking in on my big brother,” he replies with a shrug.
Yeah, sure, keep lying through your teeth.
“Dad sent you in here, didn’t he?” I call him out on his bullshit.
At least he doesn’t bother denying it. “He did.”
“What does he want?” I grunt, picking up a towel to dry off some of my sweat.
His phone ringing interrupts our conversation. He retrieves it from his pocket, lifting his finger, asking me to give him a moment.
“It’s Ella,” he informs me as he picks up. “Hey, El, can I call you back? I’m in the middle of something,” he requests, eyeing me cautiously.
She says something in response that has his eyes widening in alarm as he pulls the phone from his ear and puts it on loudspeaker.
“What about Ava?” he asks, and my interest is immediately piqued.
“She’s missing,” Ella replies, her voice filled with terror.
How can she be missing? They left here less than an hour ago.
“What do you mean missing?” I ask before Jace can.
“We ran into her mom. They had a confrontation and Ava ran off. Now I can’t find her,” she explains, her voice clogged with terror.
I don’t need to hear anymore as I grab my shirt and hat off the hook by the door. “I’m on my way.”
“Zane, wait up!” Jace yells after me, but I’m already out the door, headed for the garage.
Somehow he manages to catch up to me and jumps into the passenger seat just as I’m driving out of the garage. I hate going into town with a passion, but Ava is in danger, so my issues are the least of my concern.
“Why would she run off?” I ask.
“She had a confrontation with her mother,” he answers as if I wasn’t there when Ella informed us of that.
“Yeah, so? She’s her mother,” I reason, trying to understand.
“Oh, you don’t know...” he trails off.
“Know what?”
I glance at him, and he’s looking at me with apprehensive eyes. “I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you.”
“Jace, don’t make me beat it out of you. What don’t I know?” I demand.
I hear him exhale when he realizes that I’m not going to stop until he coughs up the information that I need.
“Ava and her mother had a falling out,” he informs me.
Now that is new information to me. “When?”
“It’s been a while. I’m not sure when exactly—you’ll have to ask her or Ella that.”
“Why did I not know about this?” I mutter to myself.
I step on it, grateful that we’re on a rural road so there’s not much traffic.
When we get to the rec center, Ella is waiting for us outside, and I don’t hesitate to jump out of the car with Jace right behind me.
“Thank God you guys are here. I couldn’t leave Daisy behind.”
“It’s okay. Which direction did she go off to?” I inquire.
“That way,” she answers, pointing toward the main street.
“Give me her number. I’ll go off on foot—you use the truck,” I say to Jace, tossing him the keys.
Ella quickly gives it to me, and I take off in the same direction Ava ran off to. It’s taking everything in me to rein in my anxiety at being in town for the first time in years, but I have to do this. I have to find Ava.
Please let her be okay.
I have no idea what really went down between her and her mother, but I need to ensure she’s safe first before I demand answers.
It’s too early to call the police, so we’ll have to find her ourselves. I hope it doesn’t come to a point where we will need them.
People give me weird looks, watching me running around, eyes darting everywhere, but I don’t care. I don’t call out to her—if she’s in panic mode, she won’t answer, so there’s no point. But I do keep trying her phone just in case.
Thirty minutes later, there’s still no sign of her when Ella calls.
“I just called Lou. She sent me the pin with Ava’s location. I’ll send it to you,” she says, sounding relieved.
My phone pings with a message a moment later with a map location.
“I’m on my way,” I say to Ella as I hang up and take off in that direction.
When I get to the alley between two department stores, I hear her whimpers before I even see her.
I walk into it and find her hiding between two trash cans, one shoe missing, crying her heart out, her head trapped between her legs. Pain fills my whole body seeing her in such a state.
I quickly kneel in front of her and reach out to touch her. She screams and scoots back. “Stay away from me!”
“Miss Diva, it’s me,” I call out over her cries, pulling her head up so she can see it’s me.
Her next scream dies down on her lips. “Z-Zane.”
“It’s okay, Miss Diva. I’m here,” I coo, holding my arms out.
She crawls into my embrace, looping her arms around my neck and legs around my waist, completely breaking down on my neck.
“Zane,” she cries out my name over and over again, each time feeling like a stab directly to my heart.
“You’re okay. You’re safe,” I whisper as I caress her hair, retrieving my phone to call Jace so he can pick us up.
He’s already on his way, so I stay with Ava in the alley to avoid exposing her to strangers, especially in such a state.
When Jace arrives, I get into the back seat of the double cabin with Ava in my arms.
“How is she?” Jace asks, peeking at us through the rearview mirror as he drives off.
“Physically she’s okay. Otherwise, I’m not so sure,” I reply, peeking at her tear-stricken face.
“Ella and Daisy are already headed back home,” he informs me.
I nod as my hands tighten around Ava as she passes out in my arms. Her system knows she’s safe now.
When we get to Iron Stallion, instead of heading for the main house to take her to her room, I carry her to my cabin instead. From the corner of my eye, I see Jace stopping Ella from coming to us, so I leave him to fill her in.
In my bedroom, I set Ava down on the bed and take off her remaining shoe. Her clothes are dirty as well, so I change her into one of my t-shirts.
“Sleep, Miss Diva. We’ll talk when you wake up,” I whisper as I pull the blankets over her, running my fingers over her flushed, damp cheeks.
What did her mother do to her that she’s in such a state just by running into her? As I watch her sleep, I vow to get to the bottom of this as soon as she’s awake and calm enough to hold a conversation.