When I get back to the motel – owned and operated by Sinclair Enterprises LLC – I turn my phone on and see a bunch of messages. From Deacon. From Janelle. I’m supposed to head straight upstairs to Rana’s room where Cody guards the door.
Instead, I call Janelle right away. She picks up after a couple rings.
“Hello?” she says. “Zeb… Where are you?”
I hear a gruff voice in the background and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
“Who the hell is that?”
She sounds suspicious, but no other words could have brought me greater relief than the ones that spill out of Janelle’s mouth. “It’s a man claiming to be Deacon Hollingsworth…”
Thank fucking God.
“Where are you, baby?” I ask her, trying to steady my voice. I want to tell her everything on the phone. How I love her. How I want her to stay with me. How I will change everything about my life she doesn’t like just for a chance with her… I feel crazy just thinking those wild thoughts, so I keep them bottled up.
“Where areyou?” she asks.She sounds happy. Not like a woman who wanted to run away from me.
“Doesn’t matter,” I say. “Get him to take you to Ruger’s place. I’ll meet you there.”
We’re getting married. Fuck. She’s back which means we’re getting married.
“Zeb,” she says. “I can’t go back to Ruger’s place unless I know what happened to Rana.”
“Your friend is fine,” I say, trying not to sound frustrated, because it really isn’t her fault that I’m ready to burst with frustration. “I promise. I’ll be at Ruger’s place soon.”
And don’t you scare me like that again,I want to say. But I hang up without saying it, because I don’t want to say anything that might even slightly spook her.
I don’t have the wisdom to go upstairs first. I text Cody as much as I can and race back outside to my back.I need to see Janelle.
It takes me one green Monster energy drink and two hours to get to Ruger’s place. The Ducati out front means Deacon beat me to it. The floodlights that come on when I park my bike mean that Ruger’s still up – and possibly Zayna. For all I know, Janelle might be asleep, but I don’t plan on letting her stay asleep for long.
Once I dismount and get to the front door, Ruger meets me there with an angry look on his face. Then again, it’s Ruger, so he’s usually pissed off.
“Took you long enough.”
“I can’t fucking teleport, asshole.”
“Janelle has been worried out of her mind. Did you bring Rana for her?”
“No. Are you crazy?”
“Well. I have some bad news then.”
Deacon emerges in the doorway with a grim expression on his face.
“Did you tell him yet?” he asks Ruger.
“No, dumbass. How could we have known?”
“What the fuck is going on?” I respond impatiently. I’m getting pretty sick of dicking around on the landing instead of getting inside the house and laying eyes on Janelle.
“Janelle might have locked herself in the bathroom and she’s refusing to come out unless Rana can be there at her wedding.”
“Youtold her?”
“She found out,” Deacon says suspiciously.
“Deacon is an idiot,” Ruger grumbles. “But… Maybe she’ll listen to your voice and come out.”
