Page 92 of When You Stayed
Laura’s eyes rounded, and then she darted for the door.
“Silas, I need you to find tracks, whatever you have to do…I’m not even going to waste time contemplating. Royce is missing.”
TWENTY-THREE
FORD
I’d never beenin a relationship before, and the only one I had ever pictured was with Royce. How did I go to her and tell her I’d been an asshole? I had no clue what the fuck I was doing, and now I was parked in front of her house, saw that her bike was gone and she wasn’t answering my texts or calls. I knew that likely meant she needed time, but how long? Would she be even more upset if I pushed her boundaries and went to track her down? I wanted to talk to her, tell her I know I fucked up and that I scared her. I saw the fear in her eyes when she begged me to stay. Then I dropped the bomb that I was the president and had lied to her.
Shit.How the hell was I supposed to get out of this? Maybe if I gave her Gus, or if I bought the Hollow for her? But Killian was right, if I bought it, then it would belong to the club, and she’d never love it the same.
I was sitting on my bike, staring at my cell when Rook’s name flashed across the screen with an incoming call.
“Hey,” I answered roughly. Was this tightness in the throat thing also part of being in a relationship? I felt like I was going to cry every five seconds.
Rook’s voice came out rushed as he said, “Ford, my parents are back in town. Dad called me, asking if I’ve seen Royce.”
I froze. That tension practically strangling me as fear began clouding my vision. I was too scared to ask why he was calling. He wouldn’t be calling me if Royce was happily chilling in their cottage. He called me because something was wrong.
“Her bike is here, but she isn’t.”
I knew where she was…there was a place in the orchard she’d go as a kid. She had to be there. She was likely just clearing her head.
Swallowing thickly, I explained that to Rook. “I’ll take care of it.”
Once I hung up, I started my bike and set off toward the orchard. The entire way, I thought about what I would say to her and how I’d apologize. I rehearsed how I’d explain that I knew I’d gone too far and that I had fucked up by not being honest with her. I was trying to figure out how to say it all, how to demonstrate exactly what I’d do if she gave me another chance when I approached the northern side of the orchard.
When we were kids, we’d play hide-and-seek out here, and as we grew, those games would evolve into capture the flag and other various competitions. Each of us would participate and more often than not, it would be the girls against the guys. They were great memories, but Royce had a special attachment to one of the larger hickory trees outside of the orchard. She’d hide there when the rest of us were supposed to pick lemons or help Uncle Silas.
I parked toward the entrance, so as not to startle her or spook her from staying put. The idea that she might be up in a tree and I could merely climb up to her felt sort of romantic and just the sort of gesture I needed to convince her to talk to me.
The lemon trees were staggered every few feet, yellow fruit hanging among the leaves. The ground was soft earth under my boots, the sky a periwinkle blue. Fuck, nearly the entire night had passed, and I hadn’t even slept yet. Which meant Royce hadn’t either. Maybe she was curled up in that hickory with a blanket, snoozing. Maybe she’d let me hold her.
The sound of birds waking and cooing filled the air, and then a distant shout.
Something painful twisted inside my stomach, tightening with every step toward the tree. There on the ground was a pile of black leather. As I got closer and dipped to pick it up, I realized it was my leather cut…the one I had slid over Royce’s shoulders and told her not to take off. My head swung up, searching the grove, but all I saw were trees and sky.
I scoured the dirt for any signs of where she might have gone, finding only her pink cell phone in a clump of tall grass. My hands shook as I picked it up, and then I heard another distant shout.
With my heart twisting painfully in my chest, I took off running.
TWENTY-FOUR
ROYCE
Never in mylife had I ever considered for a single moment that the magical lemon orchard from my childhood would be the place that my worst fears would manifest. I wanted something familiar, something that reminded me of a happier time. Initially, I parked in front of the cottage, but then I remembered when I was there last how it felt like someone was watching me. So I cut through a secret path that only Uncle Silas and all of us kids knew about.
I was warm under Ford’s leather as my arms remained fastened to my chest, my gaze on the ground. On the edge of the grove was a massive hickory tree that I used to climb and relax in. It seemed like the best place to curl up and cry, thinking over the way my heart had cracked and splintered over Ford’s lies. I realized how in love with him I was, and how deeply he’d sunk into my soul, and worst of all, I realized he’d never left that space.
I’d invited him in when I was just a girl, and it seemed I’d never let anyone else fill it. Not even Connor. I needed a little time to gather up my hurt, sort it, and then begin to heal. It was right when I reached my favorite tree that I realized my stealthy exit plan wasn’t so secret.
“I hate to do this to you, Royce,” a man’s nasally voice sounded inmy ear, “But I’m out of options.” I froze, immediately recognizing that voice as Rodney’s and the metal at my neck was the barrel of a gun.
Panic seized me so tight, I couldn’t move. I slowly reached into the leather, going for my phone when Rodney suddenly shoved me. It was such a hard jolt that my phone fell to the ground. “None of that. Let’s go, I need you to leave the phone.” Rodney kept the gun on me, while shoving me forward again.
“And take this off,” he seethed. His fingers gripped the edges and began ripping the leather from my shoulders.
“Fine, fuck. I can do it!” I yelled as he manhandled me. I was too angry to cry, but as I faced him, seeing that stupid triangle patch of hair on his chin, I lunged for him.
