31. Chase
Noah takes the wheel on the drive back to Hideaway Springs from Denver. I’ve got an early practice tomorrow and need to be back here—but Charlie refused to get in the car with my brother.
They stood outside fighting like an old married couple until finally Noah tossed her over his shoulder and put her in the back seat of his car, insisting on driving.
It’s for the best. I’m ready to crawl out of my own skin if I don’t hear something on Pepper soon. Her phone and belongings were still at Lonnie’s when she left.
A million things have gone through my mind. If she’s alright. If she’s alone. If he has her. What he’s doing with her. Does she have my phone number memorized? Will she come back to me? It’s not a question I need answered. Because I will find her and I will bring her back.
My leg bounces up and down in the passenger seat.
“Will you stop that?” Charlie shouts from the back. She was somewhat of a hot mess when we picked her up, and neither one of us is dumb enough to mess with her right now, so I calm my nerves.
“I should have married her. He’d have no claim to her.”
“He has no claim to her now. She can technically plea signing under distress, but she’d have an enemy for life. A powerful enemy,” Noah says.
“He doesn’t have power yet,” I mutter. “Have you heard back from your source yet?”
Noah shakes his head. “It’s quiet. My buddy says too quiet. Which means—”
“They have her.”
Noah pulls to a stop in front of Charlie’s four-story walk-up building and jumps out. “Stay here,” he says, racing into the building.
“What’s he doing?” Her voice is still cracked from crying this morning—and maybe a little bit on the drive home.
The drive we made without Pepper.
“I don’t know,” I mutter, resigned.
Noah jogs down the steps a few moments later and opens the car door.
She doesn’t move.
“Charlotte,” Noah stammers.
I glance in the rearview mirror, finding Charlie sitting with her arms crossed. “I’m helping you look for her.”
Noah sighs. “We don’t have a plan yet. Go home. Your mother needs you more.”
She pushes to her feet, and Noah grabs her bag, but she snatches it from him. “I’ve got it.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose again, I talk myself out of punching a windshield or dashboard while I have the moment to myself.
Noah returns and drives us straight to the Inn.
When we got to the girls at Lonnie’s apartment in Denver, she wasn’t doing so hot either. Ranting something about having one job and screwing it up and now we lost someone because of it.
I called Levi to deal with that meltdown because I didn’t have it in me. He sent Dad in his place since he’s stuck at home with Jackson, whose nanny mysteriously resigned after the birthday party Saturday night.
Which is highly unlikely. That woman had it made. Jackson’s the easiest kid in the world.
I’m willing to bet Levi fired her. The man has zero tolerance.
“What are you doing?” Dad asks when he makes it back to town. It’s dark out and I’ve been sitting here all day, people watching. Looking for anyone who might be spending a little more money than I know them to have.
The only thing suspicious at the moment is the new guy—probably an Inn guest sitting in the corner like he’s waiting for someone. Checking his phone every once in a while.
“Holding down the fort,” I lie.
“I’ve got a staff for that.”
“Yeah, well I got to head back to Denver soon.”
“You’re kidding, right? You just got back. Go to the cottage. Or stay in one of my rooms upstairs.”
I watch one of the regular patrons at the end check out the top shelf cabinet. “Doesn’t Bruce usually go for house liquor?”
“What?” Dad’s clearly not following.
But before I can explain, Beau Hamilton walks into the bar. He glances around like he’s looking for someone. He looks upset or tired. It’s also forty degrees outside and the guy is sweating.
I glance at the Inn guest at the corner table who sees Beau and straightens in his seat.
“Can I get a pint of the house ale please?”
Dad pushes off the bar. “Sure thing, Beau.” He hands Beau his pint and doesn’t bother with charging him. Everyone knows Beau’s auto business has been struggling since he took over for his father five years ago.
I watch him walk over to the man in the corner, sliding into the seat across from him.
There’s a short exchange I can’t make out.
“Lower the music,” I tell Dad.
Dad twists and mutters back, “That’s not wise. If it gets too quiet, they’ll leave.” Dad pulls two shot glasses and pours an expensive bottle of scotch into them. Then cocks his head toward the two men.
I nod and pick up the glasses, moving toward the section.
“Alright, do you need more time?” I hear the man ask Beau.
“No. I’m not getting it.”
“What do you mean you’re not getting it? Just last week you said you’d have the full amount soon. That you had a sure thing coming through.”
“Well, it didn’t, okay? We’ll need to go back to our payment plan.”
“It’s high interest.”
“I kno—” Beau spots me, and I offer a tight smile.
“Gentlemen.” I hold up the pair of shots before setting them down.
“We didn’t order this,” Beau says flatly.
“Hey, you’re Chase Reeves.” The man holds out his hand. “Rick Kingsly.”
“Welcome to Hideaway Springs, Mr. Kingsly. What brings you to town?”
“None of your—”
“I’m a small business lender.”
I look pointedly at Beau. “Is that so? So you’re in town for business?”
He looks at his client. “I am.” He turns to me with a smile. “I’m in town with the expectation of a payoff.” He starts to stand. “But it looks like I was misinformed and will be adding this trip expense to the balance due.”
Beau shakes his head.
“Must have been a pretty hefty sum for you to make a trip out here.”
“Just over a quarter of a million. I was willing to cut a good chunk of the interest accrued over the last five years.” He glances at Beau. “But I think I’ll go tell my client that we’ll be renegotiating the terms of the loan.”
I make room for Kingsly to step out, and he takes a shot of the scotch and sets the glass down. “It was great meeting you, Chase. Good luck with the season.”
I nod and offer a small smile as he heads back up to his room.
Dad’s eyes follow him briefly then turn to me. I take Rick’s seat.
“Planning to come into some money soon, Beau?”
He doesn’t meet my eye. He doesn’t bother with the shot in front of him either. “Shouldn’t you be bussing tables or something?”
I nod. “I help out the staff around here sometimes. It’s a family business.” I glance around the place. “Won’t be playing hockey forever. Maybe I’ll take over for the old man someday. Hell, maybe I’ll even come to you for advice on running a business.”
His jaw tightens and he stands.
“Sit down, Beau.” The command comes from my father. Beau might have been the football team captain back in his day. But he wouldn’t fuck with a world-champion boxer.
“You can’t keep me here.”
“Of course not,” I start. “We’d never force anyone someplace they don’t want to be. Would you?”
“I didn’t turn her in, Reeves.”
“Someone did. Someone took her from us, Beau. And the media’s been quiet for over two days.”
Beau’s Adam’s apple works and his hands roll into fists.
“Tell you what, Beau. I’m willing to comp Mr. Kingsly his stay here so he doesn’t tack it onto your bill. And then maybe my son here could talk his brother into looking over your loan to see if he can get you a deal. Tell us why he thought you’d be paying out today.”
He taps his foot under the table nervously. “Yeah, someone did. But it wasn’t me. It couldn’t have been me. Because I didn’t get the money.”
I lick my lips. “Then who did?”
“Pepper did. She turned herself in and got the money.”
I lift my gaze to the lying bastard.
He shifts and holds up his hands. “All I had was the pictures. I didn’t want to tell them where she was staying. I thought I could give them the photos and then warn Pepper. I’d pay off my debt and she’d still be able to get away.”
Dad puts a hand on my wrist when it twitches. “Then what happened?”
“A few days ago, when I called the number displayed on the screen, they came back and said it wasn’t enough to claim the reward, they needed her. I took a few days to think about it. So this morning… I decided to tell them I was mistaken, that the woman in the photo isn’t who they were looking for.” He sighs. “They said it didn’t matter. Penelope Walker returned to Virginia and the money is going to her.”
“Get out,” I growl.
“Hey, you said you’d have your brother help me.”
I walk away and hear my father reassure him in the background that he’ll do what he can—before gently asking Beau to leave.
I say let the fucker drown in his debt.
Dad returns to the bar.
“He’s lying. They’re lying. Pepper wouldn’t have gone back. She was taken. He took her, Dad.”
My father lifts his hands and presses down. “Keep your voice down.”
“I have to find her.”
“You will. But you need to calm down.”
“Fine. What do I do?”
“Take what you know and fill in the missing pieces. We know Mayfield was tipped off—probably with Beau’s photos. My guess is they had people everywhere within a day. Knew they were looking for a redhead this time, spotted her and followed her until she was alone.”
There’s a beat before he asks, “Any idea why she snuck out of Lonnie’s place?”
“She didn’t turn herself in for the money, Dad.”
“I know, son. There’s got to be another reason.” He gives me a single nod and returns to the bar.
I’ve got a sick feeling I know what that reason is. I lied to her. And she was angry. Probably confused.
And wondering how I could have left knowing he was coming for her.
“She’s pretty.” Elliot is standing in his living room. But the place isn’t the way he had it before his final days. It’s fresher, cleaner. It has her touch. Like she’s already been here.
But that’s impossible.
“I know.” I say, waiting for the familiar pain of his presence to surface.
“She got a sister?”
I glare at my little brother.
He chuckles and holds up his hands. “Alright fine, a brother.”
“She doesn’t. She’s alone.”
Elliot watches me. “That scares you?”
“No,” I lie.
“You know I’m in your head, right?”
“I do. Can you see yourself out of it?”
He grins and settles into the armchair, resting his hands behind his head. “I come by invitation only, bro.”
I was afraid of that…
“Fine. Yes. I’m scared for her.”
He nods but says nothing. Instead, he looks around the space. “Love what you’ve done here.”
“I didn’t do any of it.”
“Maybe not. But you let her in.”
“Can’t take credit for that either. It was Dad’s idea.”
He laughs. “Is there anything you will take credit for?”
I stare at him.
Elliot shakes his head and stands. “I died hitting a tree head on, Chase.”
“You wouldn’t have been there if I let you—”
“Come with you?” he says like it would have been so simple.
“Into my world,” I shout. Because I’m sick of him waiting for me to say it.
He watches me blankly. Like it’s something he already knows.
I sigh, feeling like I’m waving some sort of white flag here. “Hockey was all I had, Elliot. It’s what saved me from going off the rails after mom died. It defined me. It still does. Dad’s got his wall of trophies, Levi’s the oldest, Noah’s the smartest. You were the youngest, the bravest…the sweetest.” I swallow. “What would I have if you happened to be…”
“Better than you?”
I laugh. “I wouldn’t say that.”
He nods. “I get it. I’m sorry.” Then he chuckles. “You do realize I couldn’t hold a stick upright much less connect it with a puck if my life depended on it, right?”
I smile. “Everyone starts somewhere.”
A silent moment passes between us. It’s usually when I wake up. “So is this it…some kind of closure?”
He looks up, alarmed. “Do you want it to be?”
“No,” I say honestly.
He grins. “Me neither.”