"Dare!" Wyatt shouted. "He didn't leave you."
"Pftt. What do you know?" I stumbled backwards and collapsed on the kitchen stool.
"Right. Dare, listen to me. I know I hurt you. I know I did a terrible, unforgiveable thing, but I'm not stupid. Zach didn't leave you. He wouldn't call you baby or say he's sorry if he had."
"Fuck off, Wyatt," I said.
"Oh my God, you're such a big dumb-ass. He didn't leave you. He went back to his ex to protect you."
I blinked and tried to focus on a point in the wall. A little crack from moisture. I had to repaint this room with anti-condensation paint before it spread to the rest of the house. Though what was the point? What was the point in anything anymore?
"What are you talking about?" I asked, defeated.
"Can you really be this thick? He left the day after his ex burned down your fields and left you an apology note? I might not know the kid, but it sounds like he went back to Lombardi so he won't hurt you. ‘This is the only way?’ Why would he say that? It's not an 'I'm dumping you' note. It's a love note."
I could have laughed at the notion.
Then again, maybe Wyatt had a point.
I shook my head, put down the phone and looked at the facts.
Zach was vulnerable.
He hated Victor and what he did to him.
He hated how Victor started to hurt the people closest to him, starting with Mr. Rogers.
I hummed, closed my eyes and remembering the events from yesterday. He'd been so apologetic, so hurt and heartbroken that I'd lost some of my crops. He'd acted so guilty, as if it was his fault.
Then all of a sudden he stopped apologizing, he started kissing me, he made love to me as if nothing had happened. As if...
"Oh for fuck's sake. I'm so stupid!" I picked the phone back up. "Are you still there?"
"Always," he answered and I was too focused on the issue at hand to roll my eyes.
"You're right."
"I know I am."
"Shut up. We have to find him. I have to find him. I can't let him go back to that guy. He hurt him, Wyatt. He hurt him in all ways imaginable."
Oh gosh, even thinking of all the ways he had hurt him and all the ways he still would...
"Let me call Slade," Wyatt said and my mind kicked to gear.
"Shit. Yeah. He can look into his phone. It's okay. I'll call him. Go back to...whatever you were doing."
"I was sleeping, Dare. And no. I can't go back to sleep now. We have a guy to save.Yourguy."
I hung up on him. I couldn't stand listening to him anymore. Not when there was another, better, guy I could be listening to. Someone who could get me closer to Zach.
"Slade, can you hack into Zach's phone?"
Slade yawned.
"What happened?"
"Long story short, Zach went back to Lombardi. I need you to find out where they're going or what they're planning. Anything."
