"Sounds like you have your own network going on up there," I said.
"Yeah, something like that," he agreed. "Look, it's gonna take me about an hour to get there. I don't care how fast I drive; it's still gonna take a bit."
"Well, I just know that Crimson left Chartreuse with a gun," I warned him. "The gate code is Gran's birthday. If you can do me a favor and check the horses when you get there, I'd really appreciate it."
"I actually have just the guy to help," he assured me. "Don't do anything stupid trying to get back. We'll hold down the fort. Unfortunately, my friends have a little experience with this."
When I got off the phone, I dropped down on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. My pants were on, but still unbuttoned. I had a shirt in my hand, but I couldn't even convince myself to put it on. What the fuck had we been thinking, leaving not just the town but the entire state right after the vote passed? I should've known they would try something else. And now, Darnell was the one who was paying for it.
"Okay," Violet said as she tossed her phone onto the bed. "I got our flight moved up, so we have an hour and a half to get to the airport. Ash, that means you need to finish getting dressed. Cy? Can you help me pack Luke's things while he worries about Faith?"
"And Ash's too," Cy said. "He's going to have to wake up Leslie and let her know that we're bailing early."
All I could do was rub my eyes with my thumb and middle finger. "We shouldn't have come," I told them.
"Yes," Cy said, "we should have. The last thing we need to do is lock ourselves on the property because we're too worried that somethingmighthappen. That is what Paul Simmons wants, and I'll be damned before I let that man win. We deserved a celebration, and we got one." He crossed the room to stand before me, cupping the side of my face to make me look up at him. "This is not your fault, Ash. Nor mine, nor anyone else's but theirs - the ones who attacked us. We didn't make them do that, and we certainly didn't ask for it. Don't you dare carry their guilt."
I pressed my cheek into his palm. "Yes, Doctor," I joked. "Although, you are pretty sexy when you do the whole shrink thing."
"Only to you," he said around a laugh.
"I happen to disagree with that," Violet said as she moved around the room, gathering up things and shoving them into suitcases. "I happen to think you're incredibly sexy when you do the shrink thing. Even more when you're doing it to help a kid." She turned back to look at him and shrugged. "Maybe I'm more of the mother type than I knew."
I just grabbed my shirt and started pulling it on, deciding that my pity party was over. "You might not want to tell Luke that," I warned Violet. "Pretty sure that man has a bad case of baby fever."
"When I turn thirty," Violet said. "And not a day before."
"Wait, what?" Cy asked. "What happens when she turns thirty?"
I stood to tuck my shirt in, trying to be as casual about it as possible. "Oh, she said she might consider going off birth control. You know, having a kid with us. Nothing big or anything. Just the sort of thing she dropped on me in passing, in the middle of a crisis at home, like none of us would care at all."
"Mm," Cy murmured. "Yep, that sounds just like her. Now, let's get our shit together so we don't miss our flight. From what you said, I have a feeling that Darnell is spending the night in the hospital. That means we need to make sure that Cessily can get there too."
"And if anyone comes onto Southwind's property tonight, I'm shooting them," I grumbled as I reached for my own suitcase. It wasn't an empty threat.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Our flight landed in Texas just after two pm. It took another two full hours to make it back to Southwind. So at a quarter after four, Luke eased his truck up the drive. Sadly, there wasn't a police car waiting by the house like I'd hoped. However, there was a small black sports car. A Mazda, Nissan, or something like that.
"Whose car is that?" Faith asked.
It was Ash who answered. "Looks like Teal's."
Luke didn't mess around, pulling his truck up just beside the front door. "Okay, Faith, I want you to get your luggage and take it up to your room. Violet, go tell Cessily that she can get out of here. We all know that she wants to head to the hospital to check on Darnell. Ash, I'm gonna let you handle things with Teal, and I'm gonna go take care of the horses."
"I'll help you with the horses," I offered, noticing that he hadn't given me a specific task. "We can carry up the extra luggage when we're done."
"I won't say no, Cy," Luke told me.
We all climbed out of the truck looking a little worse for wear. I was pretty sure that we'd spent more time traveling this weekend than we'd been in New York, and the anxiety of getting home had been the worst part of it all. Thankfully, Zeke had faithfully updated Ash via text. He had given Faith even more details, admitting that he hadn't gotten to see much because his mother had grabbed her fire extinguisher, sent him to his room, then charged out to help.
I was thinking about that as the pair of us slowly made our way across the gravel drive. Then a sharp whistle pierced the air and I heard the sound of the horses charging through the barn. Luke and I shared a look - and then we both took off.
Luke reached the barn first, pulling open the door just wide enough for him to get through. I had to open a little more to get my shoulders in, then I closed it just as the first horse turned right into his stall. Without thinking, I shut and latched the door, and Luke moved to the next one.
Standing at the door on the pasture side was a guy I'd never seen before in my life. He had neon blue hair, a piercing through his lip, and wore a shirt that said "FLAWED" across the front. The young man saw us, gestured to the stalls, then closed the pasture side doors as soon as the last horse was in.
"I guessed that they know which stalls they belong in," he said. "And I'm sure as shit hoping you're the owners, because I was told you were supposed to be back right about now."
