Chapter 70
CHAPTER SEVENTY
HUNTER
Ace strolls in with a glass of water for each of us. “Beau got back, he’s in the stables with Wyatt and Jerry,” he says bluntly.
I nod with a grunt. “Nice of him to say hello,” I mumble.
I don’t have the capacity to deal with his moods today. Instead, I glance at the time and my stomach knots.
Something is gnawing at me as I check my phone again. She read my texts. She was typing for a second.
Then silence.
Her flight would have landed. Half an hour ago. No text. No check-in. I know Lola is pissed at me, but she isn’t malicious. She isn’t someone who intentionally hurts.
So, I do something I didn’t want to do. I pull up her phone tracker. I frown, zooming in on the flashing dot. Still at the airport in Arizona.
Shaking my head, I hit dial. It rings until her voicemail hits, and my blood pressure rises. I try again. And again. Nothing.
“Ace. I gotta bad feeling,” I say, looking up at him.
“Why?” he asks cautiously.
“Her location is still showing at the airport here. She ain’t answering. She never replied. We need to go there and check it out.”
Ace scratches his head. “Call Violet, make sure she’s not heard from her. She might just be waiting for a flight and ignoring your calls.”
I take a breath and hit dial.
She answers on the second ring, and I don’t give her a chance to even say hello. “Is Lola with you?”
“What? No. Isn’t she on a plane to New York? What’s going on?”
“Has she called you? Texted? Anything?” I try to keep the panic out of my voice.
“No… Hunter, she told me she was headed to the airport. That was it. What’s going on?”
“She hasn’t contacted me since Beau dropped her off. Her flight’s landed, and she’s not responding.”
I hear the worry creep into Violet’s voice. “Maybe her phone died?”
“Yeah. Maybe. Let me know if you hear anything,” I tell her, not wanting to add to her worry, and explain the tracker that I have. If the phone were dead, it wouldn’t be flashing green.
I hang up and pull up the location tracker on her phone. The dot is at the airport, and it hasn’t moved since Beau dropped her off over three hours ago.
I glance up at Ace, who has the same worried look on his face that I feel deep inside my bones.
“I’m going to the airport,” I say, grabbing my gun from the side cabinet.
Ace is on my tail as I snatch my truck keys. But then I come to a halt when the front door opens, and Beau walks in.
He sets his keys on the counter and opens the fridge and opens up the fridge to grab a beer.
“Did Lola tell you what flight she was getting?” I ask.
He slowly closes the refrigerator, flicks off the cap, and turns to me, leaning on the counter. “No. We didn’t speak. Your wife don’t like me much, Hunter.”
I resist rolling my eyes. “Nothing at all?”
He shrugs, chugging his beer. “Why? What’s going on?”
“Lola hasn’t texted me. Her phone is still showing at the airport. The flight I assumed she would have got on has already landed. Something ain’t adding up.”
Beau frowns. “Weird. She was fine when I left her. Watched her walk into departures. Maybe that flight was booked, and she’s waiting for the next one?” he says casually, placing his bottle on the side.
“Want me to go back to the airport?” Beau asks.
“No. I need to find her myself,” I tell him. I don’t ignore my gut. And I’m hoping I’m being dramatic.
“You can’t leave New Falls, Hunter,” Beau reminds me with a vicious undertone.
I really need to have a word with him about how brave he’s getting with me. Remind him who is in charge.
“My wife—”
“Isn’t missing. She’s probably sipping some fancy coffee in a cafe waiting for a flight.” He shrugs. “I assume you pissed her off? I noticed her rings were missing.”
My jaw locks.
Ace stands in front of me. “Beau, how about you keep an eye on Wyatt with Jerry. I’ll go with Hunter and keep an eye out for cops. I’m sure it’s all fine.”
Beau nods. “Good idea.”
I don’t bother saying goodbye; my legs are getting me out of the door.
We’re in the truck and tearing down the driveway in under a minute. All I can do is pray she is actually sitting and drinking a coffee with a slice of cake. I just need to see her, make sure she’s okay.
“Why didn’t Lola just use the jet?” Ace asks as I head onto the highway, putting my foot on the gas.
“Because I pissed her off so bad, she wanted nothing to do with me today.”
Ace half laughs. “She holds her ground. I like that.”
I squeeze the steering wheel tighter. “Yeah. She does. But, it isn’t ideal when I could go down for murder and still don’t know who is fuckin’ with my life. I shouldn’t have let her go alone.”
Ace sighs. “She wasn’t alone. Beau took her. We aren’t at war, Hunter. Lola can do what she wants.”
I tap my fingers on my thigh. Beau said she was fine. She went to departures.
Then why is her phone outside of there? Something ain’t adding up. “Ace. Text Drago and Jett. Let them know they’re on call. Just in case.”
Because we need to be ready. Dad always told me to prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
And I’m fucking praying I walk in, and my girl is there drinking a coffee.