Page 40 of The Awakening
“See you soon. Gavin.” My voice was quiet, and I hoped he wouldn’t sense that anything was wrong.
“Bye,” he replied, and the line went dead.
Tossing my phone in my bag, I backed out of the parking spot and went toward the police station.
Running was not the answer, and I wasn’t sure the police would do much. That left one option. To go back to the ranch and let the Morton powers that be handle the situation. Gavin had saved me once, and maybe with the full force of his family behind him, he would be willing to do it again.
I pulled a quick U-turn at the end of the street and headed back to the ranch.
A black pickup suddenly appeared behind me, the sight ratcheting up my heart rate. As it pulled closer to my bumper, I waited for some kind of impact, but the truck sped around me and disappeared on the horizon.
Saying a silent thank you to whoever or whatever was watching over me, I let out a long breath, hoping it would slow my pulse.
But before I had made it to the ranch road, a blue truck sped up behind me, riding my ass. I let off the gas so he could pass, but the truck matched my speed, so I accelerated back up to the speed limit, but it stayed the same distance away.
Looking in my rearview mirror, I saw the man wave. I knew that wave. My blood ran cold, and I started shaking again. It was Ray.
How was I going to get out of this? I couldn’t stop. I didn’t trust him to remain calm. What would he do when I was supposed to turn into the ranch? I didn’t want to lead him there. My stomach sank when I realized I didn’t actually have a plan.
Ray sped up and pulled in front of me. He slowed until I had no choice but to stop. He had blocked the entire road. The ditches on both sides were almost sheer drops to the creek.
Ray stepped out of his truck, and the smug grin on his face made my stomach turn. A vehicle pulled up behind me and for a moment I thought I was saved, but Ray nodded to the driver.When I turned, I saw my oldest brother. Ray wasn’t working alone.
I let my head fall to the steering wheel, and I closed my eyes.
“Open the door, baby. We have a lot to talk about.” Gone was the haughty look on his face. His eyes turned black, and he clenched his jaw, giving me a murderous look.
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
Bringing his hand up, he slammed the side of his fist on the window. I let out a scream, but he only laughed.
“The faster you open this door, the better this will go for you. Unlock the door, baby.”
“I’m not your baby.”
“Oh, you were mine first. Don’t forget that. The child you’re trying to pass off as a Morton is mine. I’m the one who put it deep inside you.”
“Get out of the truck. We’re going home.”
“I am home Ray. My home is with Gavin, not you.” I wished my words had sounded as strong out loud as they had inside my head.
He pulled a tire iron out from behind his back and smashed out the back window. “I told you this could go the easy way or the hard way, and you’ve just chosen hard.” He reached in unlocked the door.
“Hi honey, nice to see you.” He snarled as he opened the door.
This was it, time to face my hangman.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gavin
Iwatched Ellie drive out of our yard and leave the ranch as I walked to the barn. She wouldn’t have had time to pack her things, so she must be coming back. Seeing her eyes full of hurt made me immediately regret the tone I had taken.
Why had I let Naomi get to me? Finding Rob alone in was rare these days. His job managing the ranch was getting busier than ever before, but I needed to talk to someone.
“Hey can we talk?”
He looked up from the stall he was fixing. “Sure. I’m due for a break.” He motioned for me to follow him over to the stack of hay bales. “What’s up?”
