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It makes sense when he puts it like that. Right now we’d do anything to bring Ember home. I don’t care about Vic, or Aaron, or anything that he’s doing. I just want her back and if that means we have to keep our mouths shut, so be it. Aaron knows this, and he’s going to make us panic until we’re so afraid of what he might do next that we’ll keep everything closed and stay away from it.
“So the best option is just sit here and wait until he decides he’s done freaking us out?” I say, my voice shaky.
Waylen nods. “That’s exactly what you do. He wants you to react, to be afraid. He won’t hurt her, I know that much. He has too much to lose. He just wants you to know that if it comes down to it, he could and would hurt someone to keep this secret. Let Rhett and the guys do their jobs, and you keep out of it.”
My jaw tightens, but deep down I know he’s right.
I know there is nothing I can do, not without risking going back to prison.
So for now, I have to sit here and wait for them to bring Ember back.
Fallon reaches over and takes my hand. She squeezes it, but I’m feeling less than well right now. I stand, giving her a weak smile before walking outside and taking a deep, shaky breath. Lake follows me out, stepping up beside me.
“I know you’re scared, Willa, but Waylen is right. He’s doing this to prove a point. To send a message. She’ll be okay. We’ll get her back.”
“He knew I was going to tell you,” I whisper. “I should have kept my damned mouth shut.”
“It would have come out, I assure you.”
I turn to Lake. “Just make sure she gets back safe. Ember is one of the good ones; she doesn’t deserve this.”
He takes my face in his hands. “I’ll get her back.”
He leans in and kisses me—it brings me a little comfort.
It’s when he pulls me into his arms that I find the most. I exhale and sink into him, letting him wrap his big arms around me, and, for a second, I don’t feel so afraid.
Poor Ember.
I hope they bring her home quickly.
13
“Got word that he was seen at a local motel,” Enzo says, four hours later when he returns from town.
We’ve spent the entire morning freaking out and waiting for them to bring us some news. All the guys have been on board, doing different things, constantly on the phone, trying to figure out where the hell Aaron has taken Ember and what they can do to bring her home. Enzo is the first one to bring some sort of news that might actually be able to help us do that.
“What motel?” Rhett asks, hanging up from a phone call he was on.
“Off the highway, you know the one. Dirty. Rundown. The description given to me was accurate. I think he’s hiding out there until he decides what he wants to do.”
“What’s the plan then?” Lake asks.
“We go in and we get the girl back,” Rhett says, his face tight. “No messin’ around, just get in and get it done.”
“No backlash,” Enzo adds. “We can’t afford this to be makin’ headlines. The ranch has suffered enough since we opened this damned retreat. If we keep goin’ down this road it won’t last a whole lot longer.”
Rhett nods. “Agreed.”
“What about us?” I ask.
“You stay right here, don’t move, don’t do a thing.”
“Alone?” Fallon questions, eyes narrowed.
“No, not alone. Waylen will stay with you. We need to make sure we’re doing this as quickly and efficiently as we can.”
I nod, glancing at Fallon who stares down at her hands.
“Can we go to our rooms?” Marg asks.
Rhett nods. “You can, but you’ll need to stay in them. Don’t leave them, Waylen can’t have eyes on you at all times.”
With that, we go our separate ways.
The ranchers get themselves ready to go into town and we all make our way back to our rooms where we’re supposed to wait and do nothing as they try to bring Ember home unscathed. I hate the idea of not being there to help, to do something, but I also know the best place for us to be right now is here, out of their way.
The least amount of drama, the better.
“Do you think they’re going to get her out okay?” Fallon asks, sitting on the sofa and crossing her legs.
“I think so. If Waylen is right, then Aaron is only doing this because he wants to send a message. I think they’ll end this once and for all, and he’ll disappear. So long as Ember gets home safe, I don’t mind.”
“She will, I trust them.” Fallon nods, trying to convince herself more than me.
