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The sound of gravel crunching under my Chucks is magnified by the excruciating silence of the peaceful, sunny afternoon. I ring the bell and pray.
* * *
“What do you mean you don’t know where she went?” I shout into my phone as I peel out of Abby’s driveway, the large tires of the G Wagon shooting gravel out the back in a wide arc.
“I’m saying, mate, that I don’t know where she went,” Dax repeats.
“Put your wife on,” I snarl.
“Fuck you,” Dax replies. “You’re not talking to Kate until you calm down.”
“Jesus,” I huff. “You’re right.” I take a few deep breaths, pushing back the near-incapacitating fear that Abby might be gone for good. “Okay. I’m okay.”
“You upset my wife and we’re going to have a problem, mate. I won’t hesitate to jump a plane back to LA to beat your arse.”
Before I can answer, Kate comes on the line. “Hawke? Are you okay?” She obviously overheard Dax’s end of the conversation because she sounds worried.
“Fine. I’m fine. Where did Abby go, Kate?” I grip the steering wheel with slick palms, maneuvering the SUV through the heavy traffic. Fuck! It’s Sunday, where the hell are all these people going?
“I swear, Hawke. She didn’t tell me. She only said she needed to get away for a while.”
“What does that mean?” I shout.
“I assumed it was on holiday. She hasn’t taken one in a long time,” Kate explains. “Don’t be cross with me, Hawke Evans.”
“Is he being a bastard to you, Kate?” I hear Dax’s angry voice in the background.
“No, Dax. Sod off.” I grin at Kate chastising the enormous man. She’s the only person who can talk to him like that and not get a mouthful of knuckles.
“I’m just worried about her, Kate. After the whole thing with Ezra she up and disappears. She’s…” I stop to inhale a shaky breath. “She’s coming back, right?”
“Oh love, of course she is. She’d have told me if she wasn’t.”
“Okay. All right, then, good. Good.” I say it more for myself than Kate.
“If I hear from her, I’ll let you know,” Kate says.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t give up on yourself, Hawke.”
I frown. “Don’t you mean Abby? Don’t give up on Abby?”
“Nope.”
The line disconnects.
89
Abby
My muscles stretch and pull under the early morning sun. The burn feels good, invigorating, as if my body has been disconnected from my brain and I’m finally releasing the tension that’s been trapped in every cell. I haven’t felt this alive in a long time.
“Okay everyone. That’s it for this morning. Be sure to get some water and stay hydrated.” Lina, the petite yoga instructor, smiles at the class.
I sit on my mat and drink from my water bottle while staring at the beautiful tropical surroundings.
“Hey, Abby.”
