Page 86 of Pretty Wild

I run out to my truck and jump inside. The moment I start it up, I catch a whiff of myself. I forgot I spilled diesel fuel on my shirt earlier today and never changed. I should run back into my office and throw on a clean shirt, but that’ll just add even more time to the journey. It might be easier just to swing by my own cabin and throw on a clean shirt before checking on Ryan. I’ll still smell, but at least it won’t have such a strong odor.

Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be extra vehicles on the road that leads to our driveways. At least they haven’t caught wind of exactly where she is, because if they knew, this road would be packed with cars. I pull into my own driveway, leaving my old Chevy running as I head inside.

I don’t bother heading up to my bedroom to retrieve a clean shirt. Instead, I go straight to the laundry room, where I know I left a few work shirts. I rip my dirty one off and throw it in the dirty basket and grab the first clean one I find.

As I’m pulling it over my head, I hear a knock at the front door. Thinking it’s Ryan, I take off at a clipped pace, but the moment I round the corner and have a look out the open front door, I know it’s not the woman I want to see.

Vaughn fucking Cramer is standing at my door.

“Can I help you?” I ask as I approach.

He pulls his sunglasses down his nose, glaring inside my house with his judgment and annoyance. “Who are you?”

“The man who’s going to kick your ass if you don’t answer my question.” I push through the screen door and step out onto the porch, slowly approaching and forcing him to take a couple of steps back.

His eyes widen as he scans me from head to toe. “I’m looking for my fiancée,” he states, lifting his nose in the air like some cocky asshole who caught a whiff of something he doesn’t like. Probably the diesel soaked into my skin, but I don’t give a shit.

“Well, you’re at the wrong place, pal. Your fiancée isn’t here,” I insist, crossing my arms over my chest and leveling him with a glare.

He holds up his hands. “Sorry to intrude. I’m just looking for the woman I love. She’s staying here for a little R&R and is waiting for me to join her, but she must have given me the wrong address.” He scratches the back of his neck nervously.

“Must have. No one around here like that. Only a couple of places on this road, and they’re all owned by locals. No out-of-towners here.”

Lies. Complete lies, but I don’t care.

“Oh. All right,” he says, pushing his glasses back up on his nose. “Sorry to bother you,” he adds with an air of dismissal, turning and walking toward a running Mercedes SUV waiting. It’s a stark contrast to my old truck parked beside it.

“Prick,” I say aloud to no one.

I watch as he goes, fortunately, turning left at the end of my driveway. If he would have gone right, he could have stumbled upon the lane that leads to Ryan’s cabin. Making sure he’s not turning around; I wait a few minutes before closing up my front door and returning to my truck. I climb inside and throw it in gear, pressing the gas pedal a little harder than necessary.

As I approach her cabin, I slow down, parking where she’d normally have her rental. I glance around, not finding anything out of the ordinary. No one lurking in the shadows, nothing to indicate something’s been disturbed or messed with.

Climbing from the cab, my eyes catch movement on the porch. Ryan steps out, her entire body rigid with tension, her eyes a little swollen as if she’s been crying. I move quickly, up on the porch and beside her within seconds. My hands go to her hair, which is wild and slightly matted down, probably from wearing her ball cap. I feel her slender arms wrap around my waist as she hugs me tightly.

“You okay?”

She sniffles and nods against my chest.

“Come on, let’s get inside,” I insist, glancing around once more.

We step inside the cabin, and I make sure the door is closed securely. “What the hell happened?” I ask, taking in her appearance. Even though she looks exhausted and emotionally wrung out, she’s still pretty as fuck.

She sighs loudly and shakes her head. “Sunday, when you found me on the beach, I had posted a picture.” She smiles softly, as if going back to that morning in her mind. “It was of the sunrise, with my coffee cup. I made sure there were no identifying marks on the photo, but…” She closes her eyes for a moment. When she opens them, she finishes, “I accidentally left the location notification on. So, when I posted the picture, it said I was at the Bluff Preserves National Park.”

“Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah,” she whispers, running her hands up her arms, as if she’s cold. “There’s so many people in town, Marcus. They’re…everywhere.” Her brown eyes turn frantic. “What if they find me here?”

“They won’t,” I insist, even though my words hold no weight. It’s not like I can stop the information from getting out. I know my friends are solid and wouldn’t say a peep, and while I’d like to assume the rest of the town would protect her identity and location, chances of that happening are slim. Someone will talk.

They always do.

“And my dad fired Vaughn.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

“Yeah, apparently, my dad did it because of what happened on my show, even though I told him not to. He did it anyway, refusing to let him have the part he coveted and lied to get.”

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