If he went down that road, there’d be no coming back from it. Besides, Jordan was a massive pain in the ass, but she wasn’t insane. She just…did things without thinking. Like sneaking into his cabin barely clothed.
They spent a good chunk of the morning dividing and conquering Emily’s address book. Gloria made more calls than anyone, her efficiency admirable. She was friendly, sympathetic, and yet able to get off the phone quickly. The bad news was that no one had heard from Jordan. Either that or someone was lying to cover for her.
After lunch and the final few phone calls, Ash and Glo left Emily’s. One of her friends had come by to offer support, and once she was settled, Asher bolted. He had to do something, so he drove around the Cove and searched for Emily’s Cadillac. It was a waste of time, and part of him knew that, and probably all of Gloria knew that, but she sat by his side in his convertible, holding her hair to the side as the wind whipped it, and helped him look around. She’d even suggested a few off-road places to check.
By the time Asher pulled up to Gloria’s apartment and rested his head back to study the blue skies above, his body had started feeling signs of fatigue. Gloria’s hand wrapped around his arm and he turned his head to find her looking as tired as he felt. Tired, but still beautiful.
“I should head back to the house in case Jordan comes to her senses and stops by. You probably need to grab a nap. It’s been a tough morning.”
“Okay.” She watched out the windshield for a few moments. “Let me pack a change of clothes.”
His eyebrows went up in surprise.
“Is that okay?” She gave him a tentative smile, then glanced at his lips like she wasn’t sure if she should kiss him or not. One day, his girl would be comfortable enough to accept the fact that when they were near, they should just be near. No thought needed.
“Always okay, Sarge,” he answered. He needed her there. Even if she was just snoozing in his bedroom while he paced the floors and played hide-and-seek with a pending breakdown. He sat up, put a palm on the back of her neck, and tugged her close for a kiss. She held her lips to his for a few moments, then drew back and climbed out.
“Always okay,” he repeated to his empty car.
About then, his text pinged. He nearly fumbled the phone. He couldn’t get to it fast enough.
Not Jordan. Instead it was Fonz. Anything?
Nothing, Ash typed.
I’m still coming over.
Ash smiled. He’d forgotten the band was due to come over that afternoon…He glanced at the clock. Shit. In a few hours. Tired as he was, he knew there was no way he could sleep. And he’d exhausted every contact searching, so now all that was left was waiting.
He hated waiting.
Practice is still on. Need the distraction, he pecked back in. Fonz responded with a Yup and Ash trusted him to take care of letting the band know the plan. He rested his head back and looked at the sky, waiting on Gloria to return so they could go home.
*
“Take five.” Ash rose from the stool he’d been perched on for the last two hours. His ass was tired. His head was tired, but it was now a combination of creative and physical exhaustion. Still better than pacing the fucking floors by himself.
No, he couldn’t stop thinking about Hawk. Or wondering where Jordan had taken his son. But he knew there wasn’t much else he could do. It had been less than twenty-four hours, so he couldn’t report them missing. Much as he wanted to bring in the police, and damn near every resource at his disposal, he couldn’t negate the fact that Jordan had only been gone since this morning, and this whole situation might be nothing more than her forgetting to charge her phone.
Gloria hadn’t napped right away, but after sitting at her laptop for an hour or so in the living room, she’d vanished in the direction of his bedroom, first giving him a tired wave that he returned through the soundproof studio glass.
“I feel like we got some good stuff out of that,” Ricky said of the set they’d just played, going for encouraging.
Asher felt doubtful until Shiff agreed. “That last song jibed.”
Well. Good. Because Ash couldn’t tell if shit or sunshine was coming from his guitar. He pulled a hand down his face and set the instrument aside. “Whiskey?” he offered.
“I’m in,” Ricky was the first to say. Shiff nodded and Fonz gave an indifferent shrug.
“I’ll bring the bottle, but don’t let me do more than one shot in case Jordan calls.” He left the band in the studio and headed for the kitchen. Not halfway across the house, a knock came at the front door.
His heart hit his feet.
“Asher!”
Jordan.
“Asher!” Another knock, fast and constant. His blood ran cold, his heart thundering as Tank barked in alarm. He nearly tripped over the dog and the couch and almost bashed his head on the door when he pulled it open.
Hawk was in Jordan’s arms, crying, but he wasn’t bleeding and he didn’t appear to be visibly harmed. Asher nearly collapsed with relief.