I’m exhausted.
I can only imagine how she must be feeling.
There’s been no word on Harper. I’ve checked the location on the tracker, and her phone is still heading south on Route 93. Dante seems to be right, she’s heading toward Las Vegas, assuming she’s still in the vehicle and hasn’t fled on foot.
But she’s made no attempt to contact any of us; if she had, Luca would have told me by now.
With the headstart, we can’t catch up to Harper by car.
Dante is working to get us access to a private plane to Vegas in the morning. It’s at least a fifteen-hour drive plus stops for gas.
Fighting sleep, I drive us back to the compound. It doesn’t take long for me to hear Nova softly snoring in the front seat. When I get back to the house, I carefully unbuckle her and carry her inside.
She stirs slightly. “Ashton?” The way she whispers my name sends my heart pounding.
Not now.
Inwardly, I grumble at myself for feeling anything at a time like this.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper and carry her inside and up the flight of stairs to her bedroom.
I’m surprised that she doesn’t fight me. Her arms are warm around my neck and she curls into me, as though we fit perfectly together.
Laying her down on her bed, I remove her shoes and she fumbles out of her coat, tossing it to the floor. Nova climbs under the covers. “Stay with me, please.”
Against better judgment, I oblige, removing my shoes and jacket.
Nova makes room, scooting farther back on the bed, shuffling toward the wall while I climb under the covers with her.
It takes no time at all for me to fall asleep. I’m exhausted and knowing that I’m in Nova’s bed, no one will get to her because they’d have to get through me first.
Eight
Luca
I barge into Ashton’s room. His bed is untouched, but I haven’t seen him at all this morning. Weird.
I grab my phone and text Halsey.
Me: Is Ashton with you?
It only takes a few seconds for him to respond to my text message.
Halsey: No, I gave him the car around 4am. Did he not make it home?
Me: I’m checking.
I move from one room to the next and then open Nova’s door without so much as a knock. If she came in after four with Ashton, I don’t necessarily need to wake her up. I do, however, need to find Ashton.
Ashton’s arms are curled around Nova, her back to him, eyes closed. Both are sound asleep. Too bad I’m the one who has to wake his ass up after a couple of measly hours of sleep. He got more than I did.
I’m running on fumes.
And lots of coffee.
“Wake up, asshole. We’ve got a flight to catch.”
Ashton groans and rubs the sleep from his eyes. “What about the bodyguard detail?” he grumbles and rolls onto his back.
