“From who?” Trey’s confusion was growing by the second. She’d married the older gentleman, she was pregnant, he obviously was dead, and now she needed protection?
“I can’t talk about it.”
Trey stepped in closer. “Kayt. Let me help you. You’re in a mess.”
She shook her head and surprised him by wrapping her arms around him, clinging to him. Trey held her close, trying to relay his strength to her. He felt so bad for her. If only she’d let him help. She stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, dangerously close to his mouth though he didn’t think that was her intention. Trey believed it was just a kiss of friendship and thought she needed the comfort, so he didn’t pull back. She finally fell back onto her heels and hugged him fiercely again. “Thanks for being there for me.”
“You won’t even let me help you.”
“It’s okay.” Her blue eyes glinted with emotion but also determination. “I’ve got Cameron, and I’m not backing down to them. I’ll be all right.”
“You don’t seem all right.”
Kaytlyn sniffled and pulled back from the hug, daintily touching the back of her dripping nose with her fingertip. “I probably don’t. It’s just all so recent. Jacob passed a few days ago, and at the funeral his witch of a daughter found out we were married, I was expecting his baby, and she’d been cut out of the will. It was an explosion. Our lawyer said if I’m engaged to someone great, it will help with the legal battle. So I thought if you and I could do a fake fiancé to …” She put a hand over her abdomen. “Protect my little man and my foundation from that evil wench, it would be good. But I can see you need to be with Ella.” She pushed at his arm. “Go. Be with her.”
Trey wanted nothing more than to be with Ella, but Kaytlyn’s rambling explanation left a lot lacking, and he suddenly understood why Gavin had thought Kaytlyn was expecting Trey’s child. “You wanted me to pretend to be engaged to you?”
She nodded shortly.
“For legal reasons?”
Another nod. “It’s a big mess, Trey, and I’m not pulling you into it, especially if you are with Ella. Whatever you hear about me, please don’t believe it.” She smiled sadly. “It was great to see you. I hope you’ll be very happy.” With that, she opened the car door, slid in, and shut it firmly.
Trey stared at the car for a second, wondering if he needed to somehow help her more, but Kaytlyn lifted a hand to him, the vehicle started with a smooth purr, and it pulled away. The protector guy, Cameron, seemed more than happy to put distance between Kaytlyn and Trey.
Trey pushed out a breath, turned, and strode back into the lodge. He hoped Kaytlyn would be okay, but he didn’t know how else to help her. He also hoped Ella wouldn’t be upset that he’d been gone so long. He wouldn’t have been thrilled if she was off connecting with her ex, even if the intentions were pure.
Hurrying into the lodge, he passed some men who looked almost as tough as Kaytlyn’s protector guy, but there were always people moving in and out of the lodge, so he shook it off. He made it to the restaurant and saw Mama and Austin eating, but Gavin and Ella were gone. Austin popped a French fry in his mouth as Trey approached the table. Mama was sipping from her straw but hadn’t touched her salmon.
“Where’s Ella?” Trey asked without preamble.
“I don’t know.” Mama looked up with concern. “She sent Gavin a text about ten minutes ago saying she wasn’t feeling well and she’d meet us at home. He ran to check on her, but he just called and she’s not at home.” She shook her head. “I have this gnawing feeling in my gut, Trey.”
“Where would she go?” He knew what Mama meant. Maybe the push he’d felt to get back to Ella while he was out talking to Kaytlyn wasn’t selfish at all, but his gut telling him something wasn’t right.
“I don’t know. Gavin said he tried to track her phone, but it was coming up unavailable, which usually means the phone is in the mountains, out of cell coverage.”
Austin looked as concerned as Mama.
Trey forced a smile at the little man. “You eat your fries. Gav and I will find Ella.”
“They don’t taste that good, ’cause you’re all making me have stress in here.” Austin pointed to his stomach.
Trey ruffled his hair. “It’ll be okay.”
He nodded to Mama and hurried back out of the restaurant, fearing it wouldn’t be okay. He dug out his phone to call Ella; it went straight to voicemail. He called Gavin next.
“Have you seen Ella?” Gavin demanded as soon as the call connected.
“No. Do you think she went up one of the trails?”
“Maybe. I’ll check behind the house toward the lake, but her running shoes are still in her room, so she couldn’t have gone too far in her church clothes, right?”
Not unless someone had taken her. Trey hated the thought. Their valley was mostly safe, but the resort attracted all kinds of people. “I’ll start on some trails behind the lodge. Isn’t Angel Falls her favorite?”
“Used to be,” Gavin said.
“Okay. I’ll go there. If you don’t find her on the lake trail, call search and rescue when you get high enough to get service again.”
“Will do,” Gavin said grimly.
Trey hated that they were both going to worst-case scenario, but something just felt off, and all he wanted was Ella safe in his arms.
* * *
Ella plodded up one of the many biking and hiking trails behind the lodge. She wasn’t really watching where she was going; her mind kept replaying the scene of Trey and Kaytlyn holding each other, then her kissing him. Had it been on the cheek or the lips? From her angle it was hard to say for certain.
Her empty stomach churned. She and Trey hadn’t eaten any breakfast this morning, but she hadn’t even cared. Now she was feeling weak and sick to her stomach, but that was probably due more to seeing Trey with Kaytlyn. Tears ran silently down her face. He’d promised he wouldn’t hurt Ella. He’d failed on that one, but it seemed like Kaytlyn needed him and he’d chased after his old girlfriend as if he needed her. Ella wanted to be selfish and claim that she needed him, but the body language was obvious: Kaytlyn needed him more.
Footsteps pounded behind her. Ella whirled to face whoever was coming. She didn’t have her pepper spray on her like she usually would hiking. When she pulled her cell phone out, she saw it had no cell service. After a moment of trepidation, she walked back down the trail, prepared to meet whoever was coming head-on and be confident and unafraid. Most likely, the person was just on a run and would have no bad intentions at all.
The man rounded the corner, and when Ella saw it was that Marcus guy, she stopped and backed up a step. He didn’t stop, though. He grinned, rushed at her, and tackled her off of her feet.
Ella screamed, hitting the ground hard. The breath was knocked out of her. Marcus pinned her to the ground with his body. His lips turned up in a vicious smile as he said, “I’ve been hiding out in my friend’s room, waiting since yesterday to find you alone.”
“Get off of me!” she screamed, trying to squirm out from under him.
“Not until I take what Trey Nelson thinks is his.” He pushed his lips on hers and forced his tongue into her mouth.
Ella bit down as hard as she could on his tongue. She tasted blood, but the reward of hearing him yelp and yank away from her was worth it.
Marcus howled and cursed, blood streaming from his mouth as he rolled to the side. Ella scrambled to her feet and dodged around him, running down the trail. She could hear more cursing and screaming and the pounding of footsteps after her.
Frustrated with her dress and the fancy flats she had on, Ella tried to increase her speed, but her foot slipped out of her shoe and she tripped and went down flat on her face. She groaned and pushed herself to her feet, but Marcus plowed into her from behind. Her face slammed into the dirt path, and Marcus’s body weight pressed her so hard into the ground she felt like she was suffocating. Warm blood, most likely from his tongue, ran down her nec
k, and she gagged.
He yanked on her hair. “You’re going to regret that.”
Ella yelped in pain and screamed, “Help!” as loud as she could.
Footsteps pounded toward them, and she felt a stirring of hope. Marcus clamped his hand over her mouth, grabbed her, and rolled them off the trail and under some thick brush.
The footsteps approached and Ella fought to get free of his grip, but he was too strong. What if the person ran right past them? Ella dug her elbow into Marcus’s neck. He shoved her arm away and released her mouth.
“Help!” Ella yelped, struggling in Marcus’s strong arms.
“Ella!” Trey barreled through the bush and reached them.
Marcus wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her on top of him as if to use her as a shield. She grabbed his arm with both of her hands, brought it up, and bit hard into the forearm. It tasted disgusting, but he cried out and yanked away from her. Ella scrambled off of him, out of the way. She was finally free, and Trey wasted no time pouncing on Marcus.
Trey pummeled him with his fists over and over again. When Marcus was the one begging for mercy, Trey glanced up at Ella. His blue eyes serious and full of concern. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. Marcus hadn’t hurt her, not really.
Trey stood and ripped Marcus to his feet. Wrenching the guy’s hands behind his back, he said, “Why don’t you go in front of us, El, and go get Gavin?”
She nodded quickly. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Marcus, and truthfully, she didn’t want to be near Trey either. He’d come for her, but he’d also betrayed her by kissing and holding Kaytlyn. She probably shouldn’t have revealed last night how long and desperately she’d loved him. He thought he could get away with anything. What did she expect from a renowned player? He was probably so used to women throwing themselves at him and declaring their devotion like Ella had done last night, he thought nothing of saying he wouldn’t hurt the women. What did it matter to him? Trey had never told her he loved her, though she’d told him a couple of times. She was such a sucker.
Ella ran as fast as she could, only slowing when she had cell service. She called 911 and wasted far too much time telling them everything. Finally, they put her on hold, and she hurried to call Gavin. She kept plodding down the trail, wanting more distance between herself and Marcus and Trey.
“El?” Gavin breathed out. “Are you okay?”
A sob wrenched out of her throat. “That Marcus guy attacked me. Trey came,” she managed to get out.
“Where are you?”
“I’m almost to the lodge.”
“Okay. I’ll meet you there.”
Ella kept walking until the trees parted and the lodge came into view. Suddenly, she saw Mama and Austin. Her vision grew blurrier, but she ran to them.
“Ella!” They both grabbed her and hugged her, Mama worrying, making a big fuss about her being so beat up and dirty.
Trey and Marcus cleared the trees not too far behind them. Ella glanced toward them, but Marcus’s angry glower and Trey’s worried expression were too much for her. She focused back on Mama, and a few minutes later, Gavin was holding her and she was crying into his shoulder. She hated, hated to leave her family, but she had this pressing need to get far away from Trey. He knew how desperately she loved him, and he’d still kissed another woman. She didn’t think she could handle being around him any longer.
* * *
Trey hated that he had to sit and hold the whining loser Marcus while he waited for the police when all he wanted to do was hold Ella. At least her family was surrounding her and she was all right.
The police arrived, and everyone got separated and taken into different rooms in the lodge for questioning. When Trey finally got done, he searched the lodge but couldn’t find Ella or any of her family. He hadn’t driven this morning, so he walked around the side of the lodge and up toward the Strongs’ canyon.
A few minutes later, he walked into Gavin’s house. It was silent and empty. He didn’t like that at all. Jogging up to his room, he changed out of his ruined church clothes and put on a T-shirt and some shorts. He tried to call Ella, but it rang and rang and she never answered. He left a short message: “Ella, it’s Trey. Call me, please.” Then he tried Gavin’s phone. It also rang and rang. Where were they?
He walked down the stairs and out around the backyard. Could they have gone on a hike? He’d think that after the nightmare with Marcus, they’d want to just hunker down and hold each other. He knew that was all he wanted to do with Ella. He wanted to tell her about the crazy story with Kaytlyn and see if she could understand it better than he did; maybe she could come up with ideas of how to help. He really just wanted to make sure she was okay and kiss her and then make a plan for how they could be together when they had to go separate ways tomorrow afternoon.
Walking around the yard, he heard the thump of a basketball. He hurried across the grass and toward the sound. Austin was in Mama and Papa’s driveway, dribbling and then shooting. “He shoots, he scores!” he cheered.
“Austin,” Trey called.
“Hey. You want to play?”
“I do, man, but I’ve got to find Ella first.”
Austin’s lower lip poked out. “Ella left.”
“Left where?” Trey whipped around, searching for her Camry. He hadn’t even noticed that it wasn’t in Gavin’s driveway. Gavin had parked Trey’s Escalade in his garage because of all his expensive bikes on it.
“Back to Salt Lake, I guess.” Austin pounded the basketball against the cement. “She didn’t even see one of my games.”
Trey strode to the little man and gave him a brief side hug. “She’ll come to a game. I promise.”
Austin looked up at him, his big, dark eyes brimming with trust. “You do?”
Trey’s jaw hardened as determination coursed through his veins. Ella wasn’t going to walk away from Austin, or from him. “Yeah, I do.”
Gavin walked out of Mama and Papa’s house. He saw Trey and lifted a hand. “Sorry I didn’t answer. We were having a prayer with Papa.”
“Is he doing better?” If they were able to visit him again, he must be better.
Gavin nodded. “The cough’s getting less violent. He’s just upset because he didn’t see Ella.”
“Join the crowd,” Trey muttered. “Did she tell you why she left?”
Gavin shook his head. “She’s so stubborn. Cassie I can talk sense into. Not Ella. What did you do?”
Trey lifted his hands. “I don’t know. She’s probably so upset over being attacked by Marcus. You shouldn’t have let her go.”
Gavin folded his arms across his chest. “You try and stop her. She almost ran over my foot with her car tire. Maybe it was Marcus, but I think you messed up somehow. She didn’t like you going to talk with Kaytlyn. A few hours ago, she would’ve been hugging you instead of driving away.”
Trey grunted in frustration. He wanted Ella hugging him, but how could he have just sent Kaytlyn away? “How long ago did she leave?”
“Half an hour.” Gavin shrugged. He pinned Trey with a gaze. “Are you going after her?”
“You bet I am. Do you have her address?”
Gavin nodded.
Trey smiled, a plan swirling in his mind. He was going to find her, he was going to get to the bottom of why she’d run, and then he was going to hold her until she pushed him away. Maybe if he prayed hard enough, she wouldn’t push him away.
Chapter Sixteen
The seven-hour drive to Salt Lake had been absolutely miserable. Ella had alternated between wiping away tears and ignoring her phone buzzing in her purse. She’d turned the ringer off, but it still buzzed obnoxiously. Her heart fell further when it stopped buzzing. She didn’t even know who was trying to call, but she’d bet on her family and she was praying for Trey. She probably should’ve confronted him about breaking her heart and kissing another woman, but she’d been a wimp and run. Now if she saw him again it would be awkward, but she doubted she wo
uld see him anytime soon. He’d probably be relieved that he was able to have some fun, get another fangirl to fall for him, and move on to the next willing victim.
She pulled into her apartment complex in South Jordan. It was clean and only a ten-minute commute to her job. Darkness was just falling as she pulled into her parking spot and grabbed her small suitcase and purse. Clinging to her keys with her pepper spray on the key ring, she had flashbacks to Marcus pushing his disgusting tongue into her mouth. So gross.
Her eyes darted around as she hurried toward her apartment, and she wished she’d left the outside light on. A man stepped out of the shadows, and she gasped and drew back. Her heartbeat roared in her ears. Not again. Marcus was in custody, but her apartment wasn’t in the safest neighborhood.
“Ella.” Trey breathed out her name.
Ella’s fears for her physical safety disappeared, but her emotional well-being was in grave danger. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, clinging to her suitcase handle. Her heart should be calming down since she wasn’t in danger, but it thudded harder with Trey close.
“I chartered a plane from Vail,” he said simply. “So I could come get you and bring you back home.”
“This is my home now.”
Trey’s eyes took in the simple apartment complex. “No. Your home is in the valley with Mama, Papa, Gavin, Austin, and me.”
Ella’s brow wrinkled. What was he talking about? He didn’t live in the valley.
“Why’d you run?”
Ella glared at him. “None of your business.” She walked toward the door, but he stepped in front of it. “Please move. It’s been a crappy day, and I just want to sleep.”
“Not until you talk to me.” Trey took a step closer, his large form overshadowing her. “Why’d you run?”
Ella wrapped her arms around herself so she wouldn’t reach out to him. She was too tired to think rationally, and that must have been why she admitted, “I saw you with Kaytlyn, okay?”
Don’t Date Your Brother’s Best Friend: Strong Family Romances Page 14