There was another exit in the bedroom. I pushed forward though my feet felt like they were stuck in sludge.
Hayden kept talking. He was calm but authoritative. “Stay on the phone with me. If anyone walks through that door, you shoot the motherfucker. Kane is on the phone with Drake.”
Drake.
I wish he was here.
I strained my ears to listen for anything, but the whooshing of my heartbeat was louder than anything else. With a shaky hand, I released the safety on the gun and took a deep breath to calm myself. The tremors eased as I remained focused on the task at hand the same way I did when a patient’s life was on the line.
Remain calm.
Assess the situation.
React to what happens.
Think about what could happen.
Be prepared.
“We’re a minute away.” Hayden’s voice brought me back from my thoughts. I watched the bedroom door. I was in the corner of the room where I could see the entrance to the bedroom and also the door that led to the private porch.
“I’m still in the bedroom.”
A silhouette ran by the window, the footsteps heavy, and my heart raced faster. I raised my gun, prepared to shoot if I needed to. “Whoever it was just ran by the bedroom window.”
“We’re coming down the driveway. I’m going to come inside, and Kane’s going after the son of a bitch. He’s going to run by your bedroom. Don’t shoot him.”
They were almost here, and my voice quavered for the first time. “O—okay.”
I had to go through the steps to calm down again before the fear consumed me.
Remain calm.
Assess the situation.
React to what happens.
Think about what could happen.
Be prepared.
I had to stay focused so I didn’t make a critical mistake.
Hayden’s truck screeched to a stop. There were thunderous steps as Kane ran by, calling. “Grab the scent, Mariah!”
With one bark, they were gone.
Hayden’s voice came through the phone. “Alexa, I’m using the key Drake gave me. I’m going to hang up now and call him. When I enter the house, I’m going to let you know.”
“Okay.”
The door opened, and I heard Hayden call, “I’m in the house. Please don’t shoot me. I have too pretty a face.”
With a nervous chuckle, I pulled my finger away from the trigger and reengaged the safety.
The bedroom door cracked opened. “Alexa, it’s me.”
“Back here.”
The door opened, and Hayden walked in with his gun drawn but pointed toward the floor. “Drake. She’s fine. I’ve got her.”
I raced into Hayden’s chest. My breaths became more labored as I began to feel safe.
I’m going to be okay. I’m going to survive.
“Hey, we’re here. You’re okay.”
My body shook as the adrenaline subsided. Someone had tried to break into the house.
The gun was removed from my hand. “Yes, Drake. She’s just shaken. I swear. Hold on.” He pulled back a little. “Hey, he wants to talk to you.”
My hands were trembling as I took the phone. “Drake.”
At his name, I couldn’t hold back a sob.
“Thank fuck. Baby, are you okay?”
That broke the dam, and I let one sob out before I regained control. “Yes, yes, I’m okay. I’m just… they just…”
“I know, Lex. I know. What happened?”
“I was on the couch reading an email when I heard the creak. Then I saw someone outside. I called Hayden. Got a gun, loaded it, and waited.”
I gave more details, recounting what I could remember as Hayden and Drake asked more questions. Everything was beginning to blur. We put Drake on speakerphone while Hayden kept watch and we went back to the living room.
“Lex, will you please stay with my parents tonight? Hayden and Kane are going to stay there, too. Just for tonight until I can get home to you. I’m working on that now.”
The last thing I wanted was to stay in the cabin by myself. “Yes. No problem. I’ll go.”
“Thank you.”
“I love you, Drake.”
“I love you, too.”
I felt calmer. Drake was working on coming home to me.
“Can I talk to Hayden again?” Drake asked.
“Sure.”
I handed the phone back. Hayden took the phone off speaker but continued to scan for anything out of the ordinary. “Yes. No problem. Yeah, I’ll sleep in my old room. No, he’s not back yet. Yeah, when we stopped, Kane ran along the porch, telling Mariah to get the scent, and off they went. I will. Yes. Let me get Alexa to Mom and Dad’s first. Yes.”
He ended the call. “Where are the keys to your truck?”
I dug through my purse where it sat on the kitchen counter. I’d forgotten to bring it with me earlier when I’d gotten the gun. That was an error, and my heart sank. I should have known better. If someone had broken in, how would I have gotten out of here?
“Here they are.” I could hear more of a waver in my voice, but I focused on holding it together.
Hayden walked into the kitchen and hid them in the drawer with the silverware. “In case someone comes back, I don’t want your keys out in the open. I’ll let Kane know where they are. You ready to go to Mom and Dad’s?”
“Yes.”
I picked up my purse, and Hayden handed me the gun I’d had before. “Stay close. This is just precautionary.”
The white box from earlier caught my attention. “I need to take that box. It’s my dad’s stuff.”
If someone came back and they took something from that box, it would be more than I could bear right now. “Engage the safety on your gun and put it in your purse. Put the strap over your shoulder.” I swung my head around with a confused look. “This is just precautionary.”
That made sense. If someone was out there and we had to run, Hayden wanted me armed. I did as he asked, then grabbed the box. I hoped when I returned, the place wouldn’t be tainted. Will I be scared to be out here alone? Probably. Which meant I would have to make sure to stay here alone at some point in the future once we figured out what was going on.
The crisp night air hit my face as we walked to Hayden’s truck, which was parked not two feet from the porch. Hayden locked the door. “Kane has a key to get in.”
The truck ride was quiet as I tried to come to grips with what had happened. Why did someone try to break in?
And worse yet… had they known I’d be there alone tonight?
Chapter Thirty-Three
Drake
It was a little after four in the morning when I walked into my parents’ house. It felt good to be home. Just being in the same place as Lex calmed me.
Mariah gave a warning growl, signaling to Kane that someone was here.
“It’s me, girl,” I said.
Immediately, the growling stopped, and Kane flicked on the light. He looked as pissed off as I felt. Someone had tried to break into the house when Lex was there alone. I’d never felt so helpless and enraged in all my life. I wanted nothing more than to go upstairs and wrap Lex in my arms, but I needed to talk to Kane first without anyone else around. On the phone, when he’d gone back to my place, I’d sensed he’d only told me the absolute minimum. Some things needed to be discussed in person.
When I sat, Kane leaned forward. “I think there were two people there tonight. I think the person at the house tried to get in the back door first and then circled around to the front. Alexa said all the lights were off because she was in front of the fire, but her truck was parked plain as day in your driveway. They fucking knew she was there.”
My blood ran cold. “Why do you think there were two?”
“There was a pile of cigarette butts where the asshole took off. Someone was waiting.”
An inferno ignited within me. Someone had fucked with my girl. Which meant they had fucked with me. I cracked my kn
uckles and gritted my teeth.
Kane continued, “I wasn’t fast enough. It was dark, and they had about ninety seconds on me. As I got to the road, they were pulling away in a van. The license plate light was out. They could have been planning to take Alexa. I’m not sure. But I can’t imagine a van would be their first choice as an escape vehicle without a valid reason.”
“Fuck.” Kidnapping? My heart was gripped by a fear I kept hidden. “Anything else?”
“I’m going to go back tomorrow, scope the rest of the place out. No way that was their first time at your place.”
“Why?”
He scoffed. “Dark. New place. No way they would get to their vehicle that easily. No way. Mariah was on their trail. We never got lost.”
Double shit. That meant they’d been out to my place who knows how many times before. Over the last week, Lex had often beat me home. If they’d gotten to her… I had to stop those thoughts. They hadn’t. She was safe.
“What does Lex know?” I asked.
“That I couldn’t get to them in time before the person made it to the vehicle. I’ll let you decide what you want her to know. But my advice? Less is more.”
We don’t keep secrets from each other.
Kane reacted to my silence. “Drake, someone wanted something from her. Who the hell knows what. I think they’ve been watching your place for a while. Does she really need to know that? She’s tough, but come on, knowing someone wants to kidnap you could do a number on anyone.”
He had a point. “You’re probably right. But I won’t lie to her.”
“She may not want to know the whys and hows. Let her guide you on what you say.”
I stared at Kane, wondering who he was. This wasn’t his normal modus operandi.
“Listen, I can imagine how pissed off you are. She’s like a sister to me, and I’m ready to tear the bastard apart. But we have to be smart about this.”
That was definitely true. “I agree. Less is more. But if she asks, I’ll let her know.”
“I wouldn’t lie to my girl either—if I had one.”
That was the first time Kane had ever alluded to even having a girl, but I was too tired and stressed to give him shit. I rolled my neck and said, “Lex called Hollis. He said nothing happened at the clinic. If someone were looking for drugs, that’s where I think they would start.”
I sat back in my chair now that the heavy part was out of the way.
Kane responded, “Yeah, I agree. They weren’t after the drugs.”
Which meant they wanted something else. For a moment, the ticking of the grandfather clock was the only sound in the room.
Kane asked, “Do you know why someone would want her?”
“The only connection is the land. It’s all I can think of.”
After she’d gotten settled, she told me about the offers on the land the bank had received from Milano Incorporated. And Dad had an update on Lloyd’s accident. He’d called me when I landed in Juneau and asked if I could swing by the house and chat when I got back. That wasn’t good. Fuck, details were stacking up against us.
“My guess is mineral rights,” Kane said.
That had been my thought, as well. “Oil. And Lex’s family still has the rights. I imagine Ewing’s does, too.”
“I bet Ol’ Man Calgary has received an offer, too. His land is on the south end of Alexa’s.”
“If that’s true, then they’re putting together a puzzle. Raquel’s piece gets them access to the water. If they piece enough together, they could have a straight shot from inland to the ocean. There would be no stopping them.”
“We’d be surrounded by logging and oil fields. Literally surrounded. They’re obviously becoming impatient.”
For now, I needed to get to Lex and hold her in my arms while I thought about it all. “I’m going to head to bed. Thanks for all you did. I appreciate it.”
Shaking hands, Kane said, “Night, dickhead.”
“Night, asswipe.”
Some things never changed.
After talking more, we decided to not get the police involved. What could they do? They’d found no clues since Teagan had disappeared. Sometimes it was best to keep the cards close to the vest until there was some sort of proof. So far there were no leads, only conjunctures.
At the bottom of the stairs, I slipped off my boots before heading up to my room. The last thing I wanted to do was wake the whole house. For the next couple of hours, I just wanted to hold Lex in my arms.
I opened the door and saw her on the bed, her hair spreading out on the pillow with the light of the bathroom casting a glow that made her look like an angel.
Quietly, I shut the door and just watched her. She was my entire world. Everything I’d ever wanted, and I could have lost her that night. I touched the ring box burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to ask her now, but somehow, I needed to make it special.
I slipped off my shirt and took off my pants, leaving the ring in the pocket, before I scooted into bed. Lex shifted closer to me and draped her arm over my chest.
“Hey, baby.”
Sleepily she raised her head. “Drake. You’re here.” Before I could respond, she buried her face in my chest and clung to me. “You’re here.”
“I am.”
“How?”
I hated how scared her voice sounded. This had shaken her to the core. But she was a survivor and wouldn’t want me to make her feel helpless. “Rick Stocks. When he heard what happened, he offered to get me home tonight instead of tomorrow.”
She snuggled closer to me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too. How are you doing?”
“Okay. Better. At least I’m not one of those girls in scary movies who loses her mind and just runs outside.”
I gave a small chuckle. “You’re one hell of a tough woman.”
She yawned. She had to be tired. “Let’s try to get some sleep.”
Snuggling in closer, I let exhaustion claim me.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Drake
I woke and grabbed for Lex, but she was gone. I jerked upright, on alert, but then relaxed. We were at my parents’ house. Everything was okay. I rubbed my eyes. Man, I was wiped. What time is it? It took a few seconds for the red numbers on the clock to become clear. Shit, it was after ten in the morning. I grabbed my phone and checked my messages. Only the normal—city council notes, statements, and some additional applications for the position I posted two days ago. Being gone from the bar so much lately made me realize it was time to get Crete some help.
I threw some clothes on and headed downstairs to look for Lex. After what happened the previous night, I needed to see how my girl was doing. At the bottom of the stairs, I heard laughter in the living room. That was a good sign, which helped me relax some.
At the doorway, I watched the two most important women in my life smiling as they talked.
I leaned against the doorframe, unnoticed. Well, maybe Lex sensed me; her mouth twitched a little and her smile grew.
Mom asked, “So tell me how you’re doing. Not how you want people to think you’re doing.”
“I was shaken last night. But when Drake came home and held me, it eased my fears a lot.” She sighed. “I know that sounds archaic, but just his touch calms and centers me.”
As I listened to her, I knew she would be okay. Today she sounded strong and ready to keep moving forward.
We would survive this.
Mom said, “No, it doesn’t. Ike does the same for me. I get it. And I know you do the same for Drake. It’s what makes you each other’s soul mate.”
“He is mine, for sure.”
Those words affirmed it for me.
Slapping me on the back, Kane said loudly, “Well if the princess hasn’t decided to wake up.”
“Don’t be an ass.”
Mom sighed. “I swear, I did not use enough soap in their mouths when they were younger. If you have a boy one day, Alexa, and he takes after the Foster men
, use lots of soap.”
Her beautiful laughter filled the air. “Will do.”
Our eyes locked, and I knew what she was thinking. Kids. Our kids.
Mom stood. “Do you want some breakfast, Drake?”
“I’ll get some in a minute, Mom. Thanks.”
She waved her hand. “Don’t be silly. I’ll warm up some leftovers.”
Hayden walked in from outside as Mom disappeared into the kitchen. Hell, I was the last one up. “Oh, look who’s up. Morning, Drake.”
“He prefers to be called princess this morning,” Kane said smugly beside me.
Hayden smiled. “Yeah, I like the sound of that better. Morning, princess.”
I shot them both the bird. “Fuckers.”
Lex stood. “Play nice. I’ll go help your mom with your breakfast.” She walked over to me and got on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Morning.”
“Morning.” I smiled against her lips.
Mom called from the kitchen. “Eloise called this morning. She was wondering if one of you boys could stop by to help her.”
Eloise was one of the neighbors. We helped her out from time to time, especially in the winter. She was a bit of a wild lady, at times. One who liked to think of herself as a cougar. I called out, “Kane said he’d love to help. Let Eloise know.”
“Oh good. She loves Mariah. I’ll text her now.”
That earned me a shove. “Not funny.”
“Yeah, it was, Prince Charming. Let me know how Eloise’s ass grabbing goes.”
He muttered a few curse words. Eloise was a character, and she loved Kane. When she was around him, somehow, her hands ending up “accidentally” in the general vicinity of Kane’s ass. Hayden was her second favorite. That was why, most times, I ended up over there.
Kane nodded for us to follow him outside. From the chill in the air, it was clear that fall was definitely upon us. Fuck, I wished I had some coffee—my head was pounding like a freight train was coming through.
“So, I went to your place this morning and set up some game cameras. We’ll know if anyone steps foot on the property. From what I can tell, someone had walked a lot of it, probably figuring out the best way to get to and from the place. Some of the tracks were a week old, I’d estimate. So they’ve been out there a lot.”
Intoxicated By You_An Exposed Hearts Novel Page 18
