Unfinished: A Small Town, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Suspense (Amber Ridge Book 6), page 16
Monty paused. “Zane…” His voice was different now. The panic was still there, but so was an edge of warning. “You don’t want to do that.”
Now Zane pulled out his phone.
“No,” Monty growled, his gaze shooting to the gun beside the body.
Then he lunged.
Zane was faster, grabbing the pistol and aiming it right at Monty’s chest.
A gasp sounded behind him as someone stepped into the doorway of the room.
Zane blinked, forcing himself back to the present. But he may as well still be back in that room. Because a year had passed, and the asshole was still fucking with him.
CHAPTER 21
Zane paced his living room, his skin feeling tight, like he couldn’t contain the rage inside him.
“He was messing with you,” Ethan said over the phone. “He’s trying to get in your head.”
“Or he was sending me a message. That he’s keeping tabs on me like I’m keeping tabs on him. He wants me to know that he still has reach from inside the prison.”
“Zane. You know he can’t touch you.”
“He sent a fucking hit man after me in Billings, Ethan,” Zane shouted. “He has money and that buys him access to people he shouldn’t have. It doesn’t matter that he’s locked up.”
Ethan sighed. “So, what do you want to do?”
“I want Bonnie protected. And I don’t know if that means she should be close to me or far fucking away.”
“If he is having you watched, he already knows about her, so you should be sticking close.”
Ethan was right. Of course he was right.
He moved over to the window and pressed his palm to the glass, the dark night glaring back at him from outside.
“We’re watching him, Zane. But to be safe, let the town sheriff and her brother know. Make sure everyone is aware that they need to watch their backs.” There was a pause from Ethan. “Have you spoken to Bonnie?”
“No. I texted her an hour ago, but she hasn’t texted back.” He checked his watch. It was almost six. Usually, she was home from work by now. Where the hell was she?
A knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Ethan must have heard it. “Could that be her?”
“She has a key.” He crossed the room and checked the peephole.
The fuck?
He opened it, and before he could utter a word, Noah asked, “Is she here?”
“No. Should she be?”
“Her workplace said she left an hour ago, calls keep going to voicemail, and she’s not in her apartment.”
A cold weight dropped in his stomach. “Where is she then?”
Ethan, who could obviously hear everything, suddenly spoke over the line. “Has anyone checked with that Dean guy’s parents?”
Zane looked at Noah. “Have you tried Carlos?”
“I have his home number.” Noah lifted his phone and called. A second later, he shook his head. “No answer.”
That’s where he’d start.
“I’ll call you later,” Zane said quickly to Ethan before hanging up. Then he grabbed his keys and left his apartment, not even caring that he hadn’t locked up and left Noah behind.
In the car, he sped to the house. He knew where Carlos and Jane White lived because he’d asked Ethan for the information weeks ago, knowing that one day he might need it.
Two minutes later, he pulled up in front of a huge house with dark timber beams and slate-gray stone walls. Two cars pulled up behind his—Noah’s and a patrol car.
Zane didn’t stop or pause. He stormed to the door and banged on the wood. But it wasn’t Carlos or Jane who opened it.
Damien frowned. “Zane. Is everything okay?”
“Where is she?”
Footsteps sounded behind him.
Carlos sneered. “What the hell do you want?”
Behind him, Maisie and Jane also appeared.
“I want to know where the hell you’ve been this afternoon,” Zane growled.
The older man scowled. “That’s none of your fucking business.”
“It is if it has something to do with Bonnie.”
“Something happened to Bonnie?” Maisie asked.
A hand touched his shoulder, then Jesse spoke. “Zane. Step back.”
“Yeah, and while you’re at it, get the hell off my porch,” Carlos shouted.
“I’ll get off when I’m good and ready,” Zane retorted.
“The hell you will.” Carlos tried to lunge forward, but Damien grabbed his father by the shoulders and forced him back.
Jesse pulled Zane away. “I need you to wait at your car.”
He ground his teeth together. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to find out right fucking now if these people knew where Bonnie was.
But he also knew Jesse had more chance of getting that information than he did.
He forced himself to step back. To turn and return to his car, hands fisted the entire time. When he reached his car, he tried her number.
No answer. He tried again. Same thing.
Goddammit.
Noah joined him. They didn’t speak, just watched Jesse talk to the family from the street. Carlos looked calmer. When Jesse stepped inside, Zane frowned. Was the White family letting him check the place?
Five minutes later, Jesse returned. “They’ve been together all afternoon. None of them have seen Bonnie today.”
“Then where is she?” Zane shouted.
Noah’s phone rang, and he pulled it out before pressing it to her ear. “Indie, have you—” He stopped before sighing. “Thank God.” He looked up at them. “Indie’s with her. Where are you?” He frowned. “What do you mean, you’re not telling me?” His jaw clicked before he hung up. “Indie’s with her. Says she’s safe. Colt’s with them. But she wouldn’t tell me where.”
This time Zane frowned. “Why not?”
“I don’t know.”
What the hell was going on? He wanted eyes on Bonnie, and he wanted eyes on her now.
Bonnie traced the stars in the sky with her eyes. There was something so grounding about looking up at night. A gentle reminder of how small she and her problems were.
My grandmother’s dead and she was the last woman I’ll ever love.
Zane’s words played over in her head. They shouldn’t make her so upset. She and Zane hadn’t been dating for long enough to say I love you. Hell, they hadn’t even labeled what they were doing as dating.
But it hurt. Because she was falling, and she was falling hard.
She’d spent so many years alone. Sure, she’d had friends and short flings in San Francisco. But the friends were the superficial kind, and she’d never dated anyone she saw herself with long term.
Zane felt different.
The engine of a car sounded from the parking lot to her right, causing the fine hairs on her arms to stand on end. No one ever came to this lookout. The park beside it was overgrown, and people in this town had long forgotten it existed.
She was about to rise when the passenger door of the car opened, and her sister climbed out.
How had she known where to find her?
Indie walked straight over to her and lowered to the ground with a groan. “I’m gonna need your help getting back up. This belly feels like a bowling ball.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, sitting up beside her.
“Well, I got a call from Noah, telling me you weren’t in your apartment or Zane’s apartment, and you weren’t at work. So, of course I looked in the place you used to run to when you were a teenager. How many times did I find you here after fights with Mom and Dad?”
“Every time. And you always used to try to drag my ass back.”
“But you were stubborn. Plus, things always blew over. I was just impatient.” Indie turned to look at her. “What’s going on, Bon?”
“I just had a really shitty day.”
“Tell me about it.”
She ran her finger over a tear in her jeans. “Shelley, my boss, has been awful. Zane’s been standoffish. And then…”
“And then what?”
“It’s stupid.”
“I love hearing stupid things.”
“I got a text from Jane White.”
“Dean’s mother?”
“Yeah. She said something stupid about me not having a future with Zane or in this town. That I ruin families and can’t be loved.”
“That bitch.”
“I was overthinking it, letting it bother me. Then, like clockwork, I overheard Zane say something that I wasn’t supposed to hear.”
“What did he say?”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “That he’d never love me.”
Indie’s frown deepened. “And that hurt because…”
“I’m falling in love with him. I probably already am in love.”
Indie was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to know what I think?”
Did she? She wasn’t sure. Running and hiding out in the mountains felt safer than receiving advice she might not like.
“Tough luck, you’re getting it,” Indie said when Bonnie took too long to answer. “There is no way that man could not love you.”
She laughed. “I don’t know if that’s true. Besides, you have to say that, you’re my sister.”
“Not true. If I didn’t believe it, I would give you some fluffy ‘there are more fish in the sea’ crap.” Indie tilted her head. “You should talk to him. He’s worried. So is Noah.”
“My phone died.” It was a weak excuse, and she knew it. There was a charging cable in the car. But when the world got loud, quiet became her solitude.
“Is that all?” Indie asked quietly.
She wished that was all. “Living in this town just feels…like a lot right now. Some days I think I can handle it. Other days, not so much.”
“There’s only a couple of people who are jerks. The rest of them love you.”
“Love might be a stretch.” But Indie was right. The hate and abuse was mostly coming from the same few people. But God, it felt like more. “I need you to know something.”
Emotion flickered in Indie’s eyes. “Okay.”
“I didn’t want to leave you. I just…I wanted to exist without hurting, and I couldn’t here. Everywhere I looked, I was reminded of who I’d lost. Dean. Mom. Dad.”
“I know.” Indie slipped a piece of hair behind Bonnie’s ear. “I just thought you’d come back sooner.”
“I wanted to. I should have.”
“Why didn’t you take my calls?”
“Because I was eighteen and scared, and I thought it had to be all or nothing.” Tears pressed at her eyes. “And the guilt…God, it felt like chains around my neck. Mom and Dad died going to pick me up that night.”
“Bonnie, look at me.” She forced her gaze back to her sister. “That doesn’t make it your fault.”
“It felt like it did. It all felt like my fault.”
Indie swiped a tear from Bonnie’s face before cupping her cheek. “None of those deaths were your fault. Do you understand? Not Mom’s. Not Dad’s. And not Dean’s.”
Bonnie nodded.
“Come here.” Indie pressed a hand to her head, and Bonnie laid her cheek on her sister’s shoulder.
“Thank you.” It wasn’t just for Indie’s words. She was thanking her for welcoming her back into her life after Bonnie had done everything possible to escape it. She was thanking her for loving her regardless of what she’d done.
Indie kissed her temple. “You’re my sister. I’ll always love you.”
The words sank deep inside her, filling a gap that had been empty for so long. “I love you too. And I should call Noah.”
“I already have. I think he was with Zane.”
She cringed. “I need to talk to Zane about what I heard too.”
“Only when you’re ready. And Bonnie…you don’t need to run anymore.”
Bonnie’s heart squeezed. Because Indie was right. She was good at running. It was her default. But it was time to stop.
CHAPTER 22
Zane paced the hall. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been doing it, but he couldn’t stay still. Not until he saw Bonnie with his own two eyes and knew she was safe.
Every call was still going to voicemail. Every text went unanswered. It was killing him. All of it. Especially after Monty’s call.
He shoved his fingers through his hair, pulling at the damn strands. It was only when he heard footsteps on the stairs and distant voices that his hands stilled.
Then Bonnie stepped into the hall, Indie and Colt beside her, and his heart fucking stopped.
Safe. She was safe and unharmed, and damn, that almost dropped him to his knees.
She stopped when she saw him, brows flickering. She turned to the couple and said something quietly. Indie shot him a glance before pulling Bonnie into a hug. Zane received a chin lift from Colt before he put a hand on Indie’s back, then he and his wife headed back down the stairs.
“How long have you been out here?” Bonnie asked when she reached him.
“Not long.” A damn lie. He’d been here for over an hour. “Can I come in?”
She looked at the closed door. For a second he was sure she’d say no. Then she unlocked it and stepped inside her apartment, leaving the door open behind her.
He followed her in, closing and locking the door after him.
“My phone died,” she said quietly. “But I’m sorry I disappeared on you.”
“I was worried.” A fucking understatement.
“Do you want a coffee?” She walked to the kitchen and put a pod into the machine.
He crossed the room and the second he stood behind her, he gently gripped her hips, needing to touch her. She froze, the smallest gasp slipping into the air. “Bonnie…what happened today?”
The only sound in the room was her breathing. Deep. Even. “I got a text from Jane White. It threw me. I was still feeling shaky when I heard you.”
“Heard me what?”
“Chett left his coloring book at the gym. I went back in, and I heard you say you would never love another person again.”
Shit.
She turned in his arms, a glint of tears in her eyes as she stared at his chest. “I know we haven’t been dating for long. It just…it hurt and I ran.” She lifted a shoulder. “I’ve lived all of my adult life without having any meaningful relationships. And I guess I was hoping that this was different.”
She hadn’t met his gaze. Not once the entire time she was speaking.
“Bonnie.” He touched her chin to lift her head. It took a second, but she finally looked at him. “I said that to protect you.”
Confusion shadowed her eyes. “I don’t understand.”
He fucking hated talking about Monty. But if he wanted Bonnie in his life, he had to be honest with her. She needed all the information, not just the bits he was willing to part with. “Monty called today.”
Her eyes widened. “From prison?”
“Yeah. He gave me some bullshit reason. Said he was checking that I was good. He made sure to mention Amber Ridge and relationships. So I told him I didn’t have any relationships.”
“Do you think he knows about us?”
There was that damn squeeze of his chest again. “He was pretty clear in his wording. He obviously knows I’m dating someone. I was thinking…”
“What?”
Fuck, he wasn’t even sure what he was thinking. “Maybe we should lay low for a while…just to be safe.”
“Lay low.” Her gaze shifted between his eyes, brows tugged together. “What does that mean?”
He slipped a thumb beneath her shirt and grazed her skin. “It means, for the moment, our relationship is here. Away from watchful eyes.”
She nodded, her expression completely unreadable.
He tightened his hold on her. “What are you thinking?”
“Maybe tonight we should sleep in our own apartments. It’s been a long day, and we both have a lot going on.”
Panic started to crawl up his chest. Panic that she could be considering ending things. Panic that he could lose the best damn thing in his life. “Is that what you want?”
She nodded, but there was uncertainty in her eyes that was in conflict with her words. “We can see how we feel tomorrow. When the world gets loud, I need time to think.”
He didn’t want to leave her. But if she needed space, he didn’t want to take that from her.
“Okay.” He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to her temple. “Lock your doors after me, Bon. And if you need me…I’ll be here in a second.”
She nodded, her eyes holding him hostage for a moment.
Instead of pulling her closer like he wanted, he released her. Forced himself to step back. And the second he was out of her apartment, he felt it. The suffocating quiet that only came when he wasn’t with Bonnie.
Bonnie gasped, her eyes shooting open as she sat up, nausea swirling in her belly.
A dream. It was just a dream.
But it had felt so real.
She dropped her head into her hands, but she couldn’t get the nightmare out of her head. She’d opened her apartment door and Dean was standing there, pale and bleeding…and in his hands, the mouse’s head.
Oh, God. She really might be sick.
She swallowed the bile trying to crawl up her throat. It wasn’t real. Dean was gone. It was just a dream.
She glanced beside her to the empty bed, suddenly wanting—craving—Zane’s presence. But he wasn’t there, because of her. Because she’d suggested they sleep in their own apartments.
Why? Because he’d asked to keep their relationship private? Because when he’d suggested Monty might know about her, she’d become scared that she might be used against Zane? And she couldn’t handle something else, another tragedy, being her fault.
Indie had told her to stop running. And here she was, doing it again. Running from this perfect man just down the hall. Allowing herself to suffer alone when she didn’t have to.
God, what was wrong with her? Zane was safety and comfort and strength, and she needed all of that. At eighteen years old, she had an excuse for making bad decisions. She’d been young and hurting.
