Page 214 of Hold Me Until Morning

One second later, he was crushing me in his arms in some kind of bear hug. “Fuck, are you okay?”

“Yeah, man, I’m okay.”

“Good, then I’m going to kick the crap out of you for not calling me,” he said as he stepped back, eyes scanning me again. “What the hell happened?”

“Was getting in my truck at the end of the day. I opened the door and everything went boom.”

Fury gritted Ezra’s teeth. “This Pruitt bastard?”

I pushed a shaky hand through my hair. “Likely.”

“Shit,” Ezra spat. “I’m going to get with the Sheriff of Hendrickson, and we are going to nail this fucker.”

“Yeah. We have to take this monster down. Before he gets to Hailey.”

That sent my gaze roving, and another bite of unease rolled through me when Hailey still wasn’t standing by my side.

“Do you know where Hailey is?” I asked Lolly.

Her head barely shook. “I just came out of my room to see what the commotion was about.”

Ezra sighed. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, Cody, but Savannah just called as I was pulling up out front. Said Hailey had been at the house and needed to talk to me. She’s on her way back here.”

Trepidation thudded deep. “Why the hell would she leave without telling me?”

I didn’t know who I was asking.

Ezra.

Lolly.

Myself.

The only thing I knew was things weren’t sitting right. The energy this morning felt off.

Our rhythm off beat.

It climbed from the depths of me and into my consciousness, a warning that had started to blare.

“Do you know what it’s about?” I pinned Ezra with the question.

His exhalation was heavy. “I’m not even supposed to be saying anything to you since she asked to talk to me in private, but no, I don’t.”

That trepidation spiked. Daggers of unease.

“Fuck,” I rumbled toward the floor.

“I’m sure it’s about what happened yesterday. Her ex. I’m sure she’s blaming herself right about now,” Ezra surmised.

“None of this is her fault.” Lolly’s voice was haggard, worry flooding out on her raspy voice.

Both Ezra and I swiveled her way.

Terror colored her features, so heavy and distinct. Different than I’d ever seen in her before.

“I knew neither of them would let her go.” She whispered it like a secret.

That alarm blared louder, a siren that screamed in my ears and ricocheted through my being. “What are you saying, Lolly?”

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