The sound of my name had me jerking out of my haze, and then I was moving. I shoved aside chairs and bolted for the door, Nash and Lawson on my heels. I didn’t stop for a damn thing as I booked it out of the station and down the sidewalk.
All I could see was Aspen’s face in my mind. That stupid glitter headband from Cady. The way the light in her green eyes danced when she gave me hell. How they went soft when she told me she saw the best in me. The way they heated when I knew she wanted more.
I hauled open the door to The Brew, making the bell jangle in a weird, off-kilter way. Everyone’s gaze shot to me.
Officer Hall, the cook, Zeke, and Jonesy were huddled together in the hallway as customers milled about the café. I stalked toward them. “What the hell happened?”
Their heads snapped up.
Zeke paled, guilt filling his expression. “She took the trash out. It was taking forever, so I finally went out to see what the issue was, and she was just…gone.”
“You let her take the trash out alone?” I growled.
Nash took hold of my arm. “Breathe, brother.”
I shook him off and shoved past the dick who’d let Aspen outside by herself. Jerking the door open, I scanned the alley and the woods. There was nothing.
I yelled her name. Still no sound.
Lawson, Nash, and I fanned out, our eyes on the ground, looking for signs of anything as we walked toward the dumpster.
My gaze caught on something on the cement. Was that oil?
I crouched low, touching a finger to the ground. As I brought my hand up, my stomach pitched and roiled. Blood.
“Law,” I choked.
He was by my side in a flash, a curse on his lips. “We don’t know anything. Keep breathing.”
But I couldn’t. Aspen had always told me I made her feel safe—for the first time in years. But I’d failed her. I’d promised her I had her back, and she’d been out here alone.
My ribs tightened, my breaths coming in quick pants. But all I could do was stare down at my hand. The blood. Aspen’s blood. The stain would be with me forever.
“Didn’t tell her I love her,” I rasped.
“Roan,” Nash said quietly.
“It freaked me out, knowing I felt that way, so I didn’t give her the words.”
And now, I might not get the chance.
48
ASPEN
My mouth felt like cotton, fuzzy and dry. My eyelids fluttered, flickers of light bursting into my vision. Everything hurt as if I’d been caught in a riptide and banged against the rocks several dozen times.
It took more than a few tries to bring my surroundings into focus. They were blurry at first like I had on glasses that didn’t belong to me.
Then I saw it. A simple, one-room cabin. A tiny kitchenette. A small sitting area. A bed.
And a person tied to a wooden chair next to me.
My stomach dropped as bile surged. Everything came together in a kaleidoscope of memories. Taking out the trash. The noise. Being hit on the head.
Someone injecting me with something—drugs, obviously.
“Steven?” I croaked.
His eyes were wide as he jerked against his bindings. His wrists were secured to the arms of the chair, and his ankles to the legs. There was some sort of scarf or bandana tied around his mouth so he couldn’t speak, only make muffled grunting noises.
What the hell is happening?
Then I saw what held me to my seat: zip ties at the wrists and ankles. That bile was back, panic hot on its heels.
“Who has us?” I whispered.
Steven’s eyes bugged wider as he tried to get out a name, but I couldn’t decipher it.
I tugged on the zip ties, checking their strength. They bit into my flesh with a sharp sting. I winced and muttered a curse.
My gaze swept the room, zeroing in on the windows at the front of the cabin. All I could see were trees, nothing that gave me a clue as to where we actually were.
I leaned forward in my seat, trying to balance on my feet. I wondered if I could get free if I broke the chair. Wiggling from side to side, I tested the furniture’s sturdiness. It seemed pretty well made. Maybe if I threw myself backward?
A noise sounded from outside. Footsteps on gravel? Or something being dragged?
My stomach cramped as I set my chair back on the floor. The door flew open, and a figure filled the space. They were backlit by the afternoon sun, making it hard to see.
They took a step inside, pulling a rolling duffel behind them. And as they did, a gasp slipped free. “Elsie?” I choked.
A sneer spread across her lips. “Do you know how tired I am of being called that stupid fucking name? Almost as tired of having to listen to your constant woe-is-me act. At least you had decent baked goods at the piece-of-shit café.”
My jaw went slack. It didn’t make sense. Elsie was kind. Thoughtful. She’d had my back with the podcasters. She’d helped me secure Oren. But there was none of that kindness in her now.
It was as if she’d completely morphed in front of my eyes. The slightly jumpy woman with the warm smile was gone. There was only a snake now.
She laughed. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” She inclined her head toward Steven. “This one couldn’t shut up. Finally had to gag him.”
Nausea swirled as my mind raced. I tried to put things in order and figure out what I needed to do. The countless YouTube videos I’d watched flashed on repeat.
“Never let them get you to a secondary location.”
Well, that ship had sailed. But then another instruction stuck in my head.
“Stall. Buy yourself time so you can get out.”
Maybe if I could figure out what the hell her motives were, I could talk my way out of this.
I swallowed, trying to clear away the worst of the dryness. “What should I call you then?”
Elsie dropped the duffel. “Iris.”
As I studied the woman, taking in her blond hair and piercing blue eyes, I found the name fit her better than Elsie.
“What’s in the bag?” I asked.
She laughed. “I’ll give it to you. You’re calm under pressure.” Her laughter died. “Maybe that’s how you convinced the cops you weren’t a delusional liar.”
My breath caught. Steven’s presence had basically told me what this was about, but Iris’s words confirmed it.
“I didn’t lie.”
Iris stormed toward me, her hand fisting in my hair and jerking my head back. “You won’t get away with that here. You’re going to tell the goddamned truth if it’s the last thing you do.”
She released me with a snap. The shock and pain had tears welling in my eyes as I struggled to catch my breath.
“How did I lie?” I croaked.
Iris’s fingers clenched and flexed as if she were trying to keep herself from wringing my neck. “John told me how jealous you were of him and Autumn. That you couldn’t stand that she was finally happy. That he’d given her everything she ever dreamed of. You knew he didn’t kill her, but it was your chance to finally stick it to him.”
Her ramblings sounded so much like someone else I knew. “Is Oren helping you?”