“True.” Rodney kept his gaze on the road, slowing down. Lightning sliced through the sky. Loud thunder followed. “At least you got here before it hit, instead of having to be re-routed or something.”
“Yeah. I would not have enjoyed my second plane ride if it flew through a storm like this,” Avery mused. Especially since this storm seemed to worsen as the time went on. Hopefully things at home were okay. The last time a storm rolled through at this magnitude, a tornado had ripped through the town. That had been three years ago. Of course they had storms since then, but the worst of it seemed to miss them. It was the middle of March in Texas. Tornadoes were bound to happen. Avery hoped not, but the storm may have it’s own ideas. She shuddered, more anxious than ever to get home.
*****
“The weather is fixing to get real nasty where you’re wanting to go,” the pilot warned.
“If you can get us there, as close to Harmony’s Echo as possible, do it. The weather is the least of my concerns.”
No damn storm was going to stop Lucas from getting to Avery.
The pilot shrugged. “Sure thing. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But if it gets much worse, I’m not going to be able to. I’ll keep you updated.”
Lucas nodded. “Do that. Please.” He added that as an afterthought. He shouldn’t take his frustration out on the pilot. It wasn’t his fault the weather sucked.
“Have you heard from her yet?”
Lucas glanced back at Avery’s birth mother and shook his head. “I’ll check my messages again, if it’ll even work up here right now.”
She nodded in agreement. She fidgeted, stared out the window and drummed her long fingernails on the side of the seat. After awhile, the tap tap tap irked Lucas, but he had no room to tell her to stop. He had his own nervous, fidgeting habits.
Lucas understood that feeling all too well. They could hope that Rodney had gone home and they could get to Avery with all the facts before anything happened.
So why did he have a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach?
Lucas turned the phone on, waiting impatiently for it to boot up. Before he could check for messages, the phone rang. It was a number from Texas, but not one he recognized.
Lucas picked up, hopeful. “Avery?”
Static filled the line, making Lucas cringe and pull the phone slightly away from his ear.
“No. This is Jameson.”
Jameson? Why would he be calling? How did he have Lucas’s number?
“Jameson, I don’t have time to talk. I need to get a hold of Avery.”
“Avery’s the reason I’m calling. I was supposed to pick her up from the airport. When I went to my truck to drive over, my tires were slashed. All four of them. I found your number from the inn’s records. I had to bribe Alice. I borrowed Avery’s truck and drove all the way to the airport, but she’s nowhere to be found. I don’t know what happened between y’all, but she was so upset. I have an odd feeling. And she’s not answering her phone.”
Shit! Lucas slapped the armrest of his seat. “Jameson, listen to me. That man that claims to be Rodney Morris? That’s not Avery’s birth father. Do you know if he’s still in town?”
Crackle crackle crackle.
Damn static. Come on phone, work at least a few more minutes!
“Yes- seen him- he’s what?” Jameson’s voice broke up numerous times.
“Jameson, I’m losing you. Do me a favor and keep me updated. I have a feeling Avery is in trouble. I’m on my way back to town. We’ve got to find her!”
Beep! The call dropped. Lucas swore, tossing the phone on the seat next to him. He looked up into the frightened eyes of Avery’s birth mother. “He’s still in town. Avery’s ex- he was supposed to pick her up. He found his tires slashed.”
“Whoever this man is apparently has everything figured out to know where both of you were at the perfect time. What does he want? What does he plan to do with Avery? Oh Lucas, I never meant for any of this to happen!” she wailed. Genuine tears slid down her face.
For the first time, Lucas actually felt sorry for her. As angry as he was, he knew she never wanted any harm to come to her daughter. For whatever reasons she’d never explained to him about why she left Avery, she wasn’t fully heartless, despite his accusations at times.
“I know you didn’t. What matters now is that we get to her in time.”
Lucas stared out the window at the darkening clouds. He was not about to lose the only woman he’d ever fallen in love with. Not to some mad man with an agenda.
******
“Now I’m getting a little thirsty.” Avery’s mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it. The ride home was anything but smooth. Traffic was stop and go as sheets of rain hammered the ground. The storm raged out of control, Mother Nature unleashing her angry fury from the sky. Jagged bolts of lighting spliced left and right. Winds howled to the point that Avery could feel the car being pushed by the wind alone. The windows rattled. Avery caught her lip between her teeth as she watched the events unfold.
“I don’t know how long it will take to get to a gas station or something, considering this traffic. I’ve got a bottle of water you can have.” Rodney reached into the console and pulled out a thermos. He handed it to her. Avery drank half of it before capping it off.
“Thanks. Much better. I had a soda on the plane, but not much else.” She hadn’t been able to eat. Every time she thought of food, her stomach disagreed with her. Now, even with drinking that water, she felt that way again. But she had to take in something. The last thing Avery needed was dehydration.
“Hey, we’re coming up to an exit, and it looks like it might have a few restaurants and gas stations. With the storm getting worse, do you want to stop? Maybe use the bathroom, grab a couple snacks, get a weather report? It’s getting dark. I worry about tornadoes or something. I don’t want us to get caught in any of it.” Rodney sent a worried glance her way.
“That sounds like a good idea. I don’t like the way this storm gets more intense. I appreciate it even more that you came out to get me. Maybe we should stop.”
Ten minutes later, they were finally off the highway. A few cars followed behind them. Most of them probably had the same idea.
Rodney stopped in front front of a truck stop gas station. “Do you want to go in, or should I? Just tell me what you want.”
“Are you sure? I can go, too. I don’t want you to have to get soaked. I at least have changes of clothes.” Avery gestured to her stuff behind her. A guest of wind slammed into the car again, forcing the rain even harder against the window. Lightning struck nearby, followed by a very loud clap of thunder. “On second thought...”
Rodney nodded. “Unless you need to use the restroom, we can both go.”
Avery didn’t feel the need. While she waited for Rodney to get back, she could check her messages, check on Jameson. Even though he’d had car trouble, he would have called her. Why hadn’t he? Unless the power was out and the reception faded because of the storm.
Still, Avery wondered.
“Anything particular you want?” Rodney asked before opening the door.
“Water, and any kind of chips. Maybe a sandwich if they have anything good? I’ve got cash.” Avery reached for her purse.
“It’s all right. I’ll be right back.” Rodney’s figure disappear through the rain and into the store. She fumbled through her purse for her phone. The battery was almost dead. Damn. She’d forgotten to charge it last night after getting back to the suite. Maybe she could borrow Rodney’s if she didn’t have enough battery.
Forget checking messages for now. Avery needed to check in on Jameson.
The message icon was lit up again. Why did she keep seeing the messages, but no phone calls came through? Avery hit Jameson’s number on speed dial and waited for him to answer. The service was sporadic as static often times became so loud, it caused Avery to wince in annoyance.
“Avery! I’ve been- your- dad- something’s- wrong- care
ful.”
She could barely understand a word Jameson said. “Jameson? I can’t understand you! The storm is crazy. I’m on my way home. I just wanted to know you are okay. I was worried when you didn’t call.”
More static. Jameson’s voice barely broke through.
He couldn’t hear her, could he? What she said probably came through as badly as his words on her end.
“Jameson, my battery is going to die. I have to hang up. I’ll try calling you later. Be careful with the storm, okay?” She hoped for some kind of sign that he heard her, but then the phone beeped and shut off. Well, there went the battery.
Avery thought about the jumbled words Jameson said. It didn’t make sense, but then with very little context to base his words from, Avery had no idea how to figure out what he meant. There were only a few words. Avery frowned. Something about her dad. Was something wrong at home?
The driver’s side opened again. Rodney climbed in, dripping wet, with a bag of stuff. “It is nuts out there!” He closed the door behind him.
“I tried to call Jameson, but the reception is horrible. I couldn’t hear a word he said. It sounds like something is wrong at home, though. I wish this storm would ease up. I’m really worried now.” Avery held her phone out. “My battery is dead. Do you think I could use yours?”
Rodney shook his head. “Would you believe my battery is dead, too? Otherwise, I would have called you earlier to let you know I was going to pick you up. Sorry.”
Well, there went that. Avery was half tempted to run in and use a pay phone. But Rodney had already started the car, the rain wasn’t letting up, and the lightning was too close. She would just check on everything when she got home.
Rodney handed her a bottle and a bag of chips. Without even looking, Avery uncapped the drink and chugged more. She couldn’t believe how thirsty she was. “Thank you again,” Avery said, and put the bottle between her legs in the seat, easy to reach when she’d need to drink again.
“No problem. There’s a variety of things to munch on in the bag for whenever you’re ready. I don’t know what you like, so I just grabbed a ton of stuff.” Rodney gave her a quick look, but then focused back on the road.
“I may try to eat in a little bit.”
“So, did you meet her? Your birth mother, I mean?” Rodney asked.
Avery still didn’t want to talk about it, but of course Rodney would want to know. He would have never known about Avery had he not run into her.
“She didn’t show the night she was supposed to.” She looked away, fearing the tears would come again.
“Why didn’t you stay longer? I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. I guess curiosity is getting to me. You came back too soon, Lucas isn’t with you ... I know something must have happened.”
Avery closed her eyes, her eyelids heavy all of a sudden. Why did she feel so drowsy? So dizzy, even though she was sitting in a car. “I-”
Her thoughts jumbled. She couldn’t think straight. What the hell was happening to her?
“Avery? Are you all right?” Rodney’s voice sounded so far away, though he was only a seat away.
“I don’t feel so good,” Avery muttered, barely able to get the words out. Her head throbbed, her heart raced and she only grew weaker and more tired. Something was way off! “What’s happening to me?”
She never got an answer. Avery’s world spun until everything went black.
Chapter Twenty Seven
The rain was relentless. Lucas darted out in it, hurrying to reach Avery’s house. He pounded on the door when he got there. Please be home, please be home. The porch light was on. Lucas couldn’t see through the closed blinds if there were any lights on in the house. Nearby, lightning struck a tree. The loud rumble of thunder that followed rattled the windows to the point Lucas was afraid they would shatter. Still, no one came to the door. Maybe they had some sort of storm cellar, and had taken shelter there. Damn it! Was there time to run to the inn before the worst of the storm struck?
Lucas’s worst fear was heightened when the shrill blare of a tornado siren began to wail.
“We’ve got to get somewhere safe!” Avery’s birth mother shrieked. She was right, but ... Avery was out there somewhere, possibly with a man with an intent to hurt or even-
No! No, don’t think like that.
Over the howling of the wind, Lucas shouted back. “Let’s get to the inn. It’s not far away. I know they have a basement. We’ll ride out the storm there. Hopefully Avery’s parents- and Avery herself- are there.”
The woman shuddered. “This is terrible. It’s bad. Oh, Lucas, what’ll we do?”
“Snap out of it! Right now, we need to get to safety. Then we figure it out from there. Oof!” Lucas ducked as a large tree branch snapped and fell, barely missing him. He shielded his eyes and made a run for it to the near side of the inn. There was a door there from the office that Lucas could try to get in from. He’d met Avery there a couple of times.
“Here! Let’s get in from here!” The strong winds blew harder. Lucas had to duck and avoid debris a few times. Through all the rain, he wasn’t sure if a tornado was on the ground or not, but the sirens still signaled a warning. There was no time to take chances.
Lucas pried the door open. That door always stuck. It was something Avery mentioned that needed fixing. Thankfully it wasn’t up high on the list at the time. After two hefty tugs, the door flew open, giving them an entrance into safety and a dry area.
From the office, someone yelled. Lucas found Avery’s father. “Is Avery here with you guys?”
The elderly man stared in shock at Lucas. “I didn’t even know she was back. I hadn’t heard anything. What are you doing here without her?”
Damn. Damn!
“I’ll explain in a minute, though right now we need to get underground. I think there’s a tornado coming.”
Lights flickered, a loud buzzing sound followed and then the room was shrouded in darkness. The entire building seemed to shake. Then a small beam of light illuminated Mr. Callimer’s face. “This way. There’s a stairwell to the basement from here. We’ve already got all the guests evacuated there. My wife and Paula are down there.”
Lucas gestured for Avery’s birth mom to follow and they headed down the stairs.
“Why are you not with Avery?” the man finally asked. “Where is she? Is she out in this hell of a storm?”
Lucas hesitated. He’d told this man that he had Avery’s back. That he would take care of her. Another promise broken, another trust shattered. Especially once Mr. Callimer found out everything Lucas knew.
“Avery came home early. She and I- had a disagreement. Things didn’t work out for the best in California. She’d called Jameson to pick her up, but someone slashed his tires and Jameson has no idea where Avery is. We have a feeling we know who she’s with.”
They only knew part of that.
The man pretending to be Rodney Morris was a mystery.
The ruckus above had everyone in a panic. Lucas heard Avery’s dad fill his wife in what what was going on. Avery’s birth mother huddled in a corner away from everyone else. In the dimly lit room, Lucas found his way to sit beside her.
“I wish things had turned out differently,” she whispered. “I’ve never felt so scared in my life, other than the day I left her behind.”
She’d never talked about it before. Lucas was surprised she started now. For a woman that had so much acting and musical talent, she always kept her own feelings and emotions elsewhere. Lucas never really knew a real feeling from the woman, let alone her showing fear and worry.
“You can’t change the past. All you can do is make it right.” Lucas knew that all to well. He needed to take that same advice.
“I should have called you earlier that night. Maybe I could have salvaged some time, met Avery and we’d know her whereabouts right now.”
“Possible, but don’t forget, she’s angry at me, too. I lied to her. I didn’t tell her I knew you personally, and when
I had to ... well, it didn’t go over well. She’s hurt, feels betrayed, and I can’t blame her for running.”
“Ironic that she thinks she’s safe with the man pretending to be Rodney. I didn’t even know Rodney died!” Tears fell from her eyes.
Someone clearing their throat forced Lucas to look up. Avery’s adoptive parents stood over them, watching the two with curious gazes. Lucas sighed. Well, here it goes. He nudged Avery’s birth mother. She gathered herself and half smiled. “Hello.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Callimer, I’m so sorry. I-” Lucas started. A loud sound interrupted his thoughts. What the hell was going on up there? Would there be an inn to come up to when all was said and done? “I will do everything to find Avery. You have every right to be mad at me-”
Mr. Callimer clapped a hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “We know how you feel about her, son. You love her.”
Lucas nodded, speechless.
“Then you need to tell us everything, right now,” Mrs. Callimer said, looking from him to the woman beside him. He’d start with her.
“I will. I don’t know the complete story yet, so you’ll need to ask this woman right here. This is Belinda, Avery’s biological mother, and what we’re about to say isn’t going to be easy for you to hear.”
******
Avery’s eyes fluttered open. She was surrounded by darkness. Her entire body ached, and a loud banging sound came from somewhere nearby. She grunted, trying to move her arms and realized she couldn’t. That unsettled feeling jerked her into full alert mode. Not only could she not move her hands, but they were bent at a slightly awkward and very painful angle. Her arms brushed up against something cold and metal. She was in a sitting position. A chair?
She was tied to a chair! Panic took over. Avery shifted, trying to test out the strength of her binds. They were tight. She didn’t have much lead way at all. Avery screamed, or at least, tried to. That’s when she realized something covered her mouth. Avery’s eyes burned with hot tears. What happened? Who did this? Where was Rodney?
Where was she?
The storm. The car. Stopping for a snack. Then- nothing. She’d had some water, and then, what?
Baby Stetson (Love and Music in Texas #1) Page 26