“About the call and email forwarding? The note on the account is from four years ago, so I wasn’t sure if that was still in effect or…”
“Forwarding?” Ash asked. “What the hell do you meanforwarding?”
Mr. Mobile One orTadas Ash now noted from the guy’s name tag, let out a nervous laugh this time. “Well, there is a note on your account…” He tapped the screen on his tablet and then seemed to scan some text. “Here!” he exclaimed, turningthe tablet toward Ash so he could read. “See right there? It lists one number and one email address to be forwarded to a secondary number.”
“What the actual…?” Ash recognized all three. The first two were Willow’s old number and her email address. The forwarding account? Sloane’s.
“Can you retrieve those emails and texts if they were somehow deleted from my sent folders?”
Tad shook his head. “Anything permanently deleted is…well…permanently deleted. But they’re saved on the forwarding account. You can just check them there.”
Ash was confused again. “Even if the account they were forwarded to belongs to someone else?”
Tad’s brows drew together and he laughed. “Mr. Morgan, youownthe ‘forwardto’ account.”
Ash felt the hint of a smile tugging at his lips and a tiny spark of hope ignite in his chest. He stepped back and opened the door wide. “Come on in, Tad. We have some work to do.”
Then he glanced at Eli. “And when he’s done, I need your truck.”
***
Ash pounded on Colt’s door. “I know you’re in there, Morgan! I stopped by the ranch, and they told me you’re off today.” He pounded again until he was sure he’d bruise his hand, and then hepounded some more. He was going to pound until someone opened the door, and then—
The door flew open, and Ash stopped short right before he knocked on Colt Morgan’s face.
“Come on,” Ash told him.
“What?” Colt asked. “Where? And also,no.” His dark-brown eyes, looking so much like Willow’s, only spurred Ash on.
He grinned. “Even if I tell you it’s time to enact Article A?”
“Article A?” Colt asked, looking at Ash like he was crazy. Then his eyes widened with recognition. “Our contract. We never notarized it, Murphy. Why don’t you count your blessings you got off on a technicality and get the hell out of here?”
Ash shrugged. “I don’t need a notary to hold me to our agreement. I did what I promised not to do, and now I’m here to pay up.” Ash heard a commotion somewhere beyond the entryway, and suddenly the reluctant Colt took a step forward.
“I’ll be back in a few, Jen!” Colt called as he stepped the rest of the way onto the porch, quickly slamming the door behind him.
“Wow,” Ash said with a nervous laugh. “You are really excited to kick my ass, aren’t you?”
Colt crossed his arms and looked Ash square in the eyes, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “You havenoidea, Murphy.”
They rode in silence the few minutes it took toget to the Meadow Valley Fire Station. Once out back in the workout facility, they found Captain Carter Bowen and some of his company using the free weights, but the ring was empty.
“Don’t mind us, boys!” Colt called with a salute as he led the way to the other side of the ropes. “Just here to give this asshole what he deserves.”
Ash and Colt stood at opposite corners, bouncing on their toes and shaking out their arms.
“Not gonna lie,” Ash began. “Your enthusiasm is a little intimidating. I’m going to do my best not to block or retaliate, okay? But I can’t help what I might do on instinct.” He strode toward the center of the ring and nodded at Colt. “Gimme all you got, Morgan.”
Colt had begun moving in Ash’s direction but stopped short. “What the hell are you talking about? Not going to block or retaliate? Do you have a death wish?”
Ash let out a nervous laugh. “I mean, I’m hoping it won’t gothatfar. But Eli said he can treat a broken nose without me going to the ER. Hate to mess up this pretty face, but I feel like there’s less chance of internal injuries if we keep it up here.” They had now amassed a small audience, so Ash added, “And these guys are all EMTs, so if I have any injuries requiring emergent care…”
“What the hell is the matter with you, Murphy?” Colt ran a hand through his hair, his eyes volleyingfrom Ash, to the small crowd of firefighter/EMTs, and back to Ash again. “I’m not hitting a defenseless man.”
“If you don’t at least put on the gloves,” Lieutenant Hayes called from down on the ground, “either one of you could be charged with assault. I’m just sayin’…”
Ash held up a hand and gave Colt thebring itgesture.
