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Colt dragged on his shirt and pushed past them into the hall. “We’ve driven that route a million times. I’m going to find them.”
It was his job to take care of them. And he’d failed.
“Hang on a second. You’re still hungover,” Char began, chasing after him.
“I’m fine.” He’d never been more sober in his life. Over six hours had passed since Wade and Char had poured him into Wade’s truck, and if anything was capable of chasing the last of the dust and grit out of his brain, this was it. Even the mild headache he’d had upon awakening was receding, chased away by nerves and worry.
Fuck worry. Try panic.
Images of Drake and Paige trapped in the bent metal of Drake’s truck in a ditch somewhere made his breath catch as he grabbed his cell and wallet by the front door. But his hands were rock steady.
He’d hold it together for them. Until he made sure they were absolutely fine. Then there was a good chance he’d lose the contents of his stomach on the side of the road, and not because he was hungover.
“Take these.” Charli shoved a bottle of pills into his hand.
“Thanks. Keys?” he said to Wade as he came down the stairs.
“Not on your fucking life. You were wasted last night. You’re not driving and getting yourself killed.”
“Seriously? You really think I can’t hold my liquor?”
“I think you need to shut up and get outside.” Wade pulled open the front door and gave his brother a rough shove. “Wherever you need to go, we’ll take you.”
“Both of us,” Char added.
When Colt glanced back, she took a shaky breath. “She’s my best friend. And all I can think about is we argued and never made up.”
Colt nodded, his throat going tight. Then he turned and strode toward Wade’s truck. “Start practicing what you want to say, because we’re going to find them and bring them home.”
There was no alternative.
* * *
“Sorry about all this.” Paige tipped her head against Drake’s shoulder as they walked out of Motel 6. She stifled a yawn. “It’s been a while since I got a killer migraine, but wow, this one really knocked me out. I could’ve slept in the truck, though.”
“No, you couldn’t. All that bumping around isn’t good for you if you’re not feeling well.” She straightened, and he smiled at her as they walked into the sunshine. He held out the muffin he’d grabbed from the breakfast bar. “Here. You should eat.”
“So sweet. Always taking care of me.” She peeled off the wrapper and pulled off a corner. Mmm. Chocolate chip. She offered it back to him and he took a bite. “We’ll have a quick meal, then we’ll get back on the road. Poor Dandelion must be itching to get out of that trailer.”
“It’s a pretty nice one, but yeah, she probably is. No worries. I told Dunston we’d get there as soon as we were able to. I wasn’t certain if you’d need to rest for the rest of the night, but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise around the guy’s ranting, anyway. He said his wife was going to be there awhile for observation, so I figured we had time.” Drake shook his head.
“Dunston’s always liked Colt better than me, so he probably wouldn’t be happy no matter what.”
“Even so, I’m sure you were in a hurry to get the horse and get back.”
“It wasn’t more important than you sleeping off that headache. Throwing up on the side of the road is usually a pretty good sign you need rest.”
She sighed and nibbled more of her muffin as they walked across the parking lot to the diner next door to the hotel. “Yeah, I think all the stress just caught up to me. I used to get them all the time in college. And also when I moved back in with my parents after college, until I decided Texas was as close as I needed to be to New York.” She grinned and walked through the door he held open for her. “Guess I was due for a relapse.”
They were seated in a booth near the front and their waitress gave them menus and took their coffee order. Once they were alone again, Drake lowered Paige’s menu to the table. “You were due because there’s been some uncertainty lately, and I wanted to apologize for that.”
She looked down at his hands, so strong and capable, flat against the table. Hands that knew her body so well already and never failed to give her pleasure. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is. Some of it is, anyway. Something happened between me and Colt the other day, and it led to all of this.”
“All of what?”
“Him acting like a jackass and getting drunk and pretending he’s fine with everything when he really isn’t.” Drake sighed and pushed a hand through his disheveled, wet blond hair.
