Page 138 of Golden Ruin

I’m just about to hang up when she calls out to me.

“Sterling, for what it’s worth, I don’t think this changes anything between you two. You just have to talk to her, figure out how to walk through this together.”

I take another deep breath, hoping like hell that’s true. “I have to find her first.”

“And you will.”

I hesitate a moment, staring out the window as we make our way toward LAX. “She thinks I told Tiff that story.”

“You don’t know that. If anyone knows your heart, it’s Lexi.”

I shake my head, feeling every second that ticks past. “Yeah. Let’s hope so.”

“If she needs time, you may have to give her that, but… just talk to her,” she repeats, and we end the call with her words weighing on my heart.

Give her time.

In the middle of a crisis, the last thing I want to do is give Lexi time or space. I need to get to her, to make sure she’s okay, to make sure she knows she’s not alone. She’s gone through hard shit by herself before, but that was because she didn’t have me. Now that she does, I need her to know she’ll never have to feel that way again.

The drive, the airport, boarding the plane… it all feels like a blur. Even the flight itself feels like a fever dream. A long-ass, painstakingly slow fever dream.

I’m hyper-focused on touching down so I can figure out what the hell to do next. The best I can come up with is to drive around town, hit up some of our spots, and hope for the best. But if she really left town, I have no idea where to even fucking start.

My phone chimes, and I glance down at it, feeling gutted and overwhelmed, but at the sight of the group chat lighting up, some of the despair lifts.

West: Where are we meeting up to start looking?

Dane: Joss and I are already looking on the southside.

Jules: I’m parked at the clinic in case she shows up here to hide out.

Blue: Dusty says we can use the diner as ‘headquarters’. His words, not mine.

Ricky: I hate to be the one to ask, but has anybody gotten in touch with Matt? Maybe he knows something.

That one fucking guts me. I’m not sure what the feeling is that comes with it. It’s not quite jealousy, but maybe something like it if I’m honest. What if Ricky’s point is valid? What if that’s where she felt safe because I’m so far away?

Another thought hits me and leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. It’s that Lexi wouldn’t be dealing with this shit if it weren’t for me, if she’d gone with the safer option. She’d probably be having a quiet evening at home, getting Jax ready for bed, and settling in for the night. Instead, she’s hiding out God-knows-where.

Sterling: I’ll call him. I think his personal number is in the clinic’s directory. Thanks for holding it down until I can get there. I appreciate everyone’s help.

Dez: Of course. We need to know our girl’s safe.

I lower my phone, wrapping my mind around having to tuck tail and call Matt, but lift it again when another text comes through. This one isn’t in the group chat, though.

Joss: You told me to let you know what I found.

Sterling: Please tell me it’s something helpful.

Joss: Well, for starters, I’m not sure why, but Tiffany hired a PI to dig into Arturo.

I close my eyes, because that part might be on me after all. No, I didn’t tell Tiffany what Lex did to her dad’s car back in the day, but I did mention that things between us got rocky because of circumstances surrounding Lexi’s dad.

Apparently, I gave Tiffany just enough to know there was more to the story.

Sterling: How’d you find out about the investigator?

I can practically see Joss smiling as she texts her response.