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ChapterTwenty-Nine
Damon checked his texts. Nothing new from Ariana.
“Almost there,” Charles said.
They passed the diner where he’d met Ari and Maya the night before. It hardly seemed possible that it was only one night ago. It felt like weeks.
He looked at his phone again.
Still nothing.
“Want to call them?” Charles asked.
“No. They need to focus.” But knowing that didn’t stop the horrific images from flashing through his mind. Pictures of Ryan holding a gun to Ariana’s head. Shooting.
So much blood.
He shook his head to clear it. The only way he’d feel better was to see her standing there.
“If they were in trouble, they’d let us know.”
“Unless they couldn’t. Like if he has them tied up inside a building that he set on fire.”
“I’m the writer, but you’re the one with the wild imagination.”
“Guess it comes naturally.”
“You aren’t your father.”
People were always telling him that. Maybe his internal struggles weren’t as much of a secret as he liked to believe.
Charles turned onto the street that led to the dirt road. “We’re only fifteen minutes away.”
Fifteen minutes that felt like an eternity.
A vision of Ariana’s lifeless body crumpling to the ground flashed before him.
What if they weren’t able to get there in time?
They would. They had to. There wasn’t another option.
And if Ryan was hurting Ariana, Damon would stop him. Make him pay. Beat him within an inch of his life and make the loser regret ever harming anyone.
Damon closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No good would come from beating that slimeball to a pulp. It would only land Damon in jail. He would defend his wife, keep her safe. That was all that was needed.
If she even needed any help. What were the chances that any of his imaginings could come true? He’d married a smart woman, and together they taught personal safety skills to others. She could handle herself. She’d faced and lived through worse.
“Damon?” Charles said, his voice sounding far away.
“What?” Damon pulled himself from his thoughts.
“We’re here.” Charles turned onto a dirt road, a sign barely visible thanks to the overgrowth of trees. “Is this where you were last night?”
“I can’t tell. It looks so different in the light.”
The sun was already starting to set, so darkness would cover everything again soon.
They traveled a few more minutes before reaching Rita’s car parked on the side, just past a turnoff.
