That had been my thought, as well. “Oil. And Lex’s family still has the rights. I imagine Ewing’s does, too.”
“I bet Ol’ Man Calgary has received an offer, too. His land is on the south end of Alexa’s.”
“If that’s true, then they’re putting together a puzzle. Raquel’s piece gets them access to the water. If they piece enough together, they could have a straight shot from inland to the ocean. There would be no stopping them.”
“We’d be surrounded by logging and oil fields. Literally surrounded. They’re obviously becoming impatient.”
For now, I needed to get to Lex and hold her in my arms while I thought about it all. “I’m going to head to bed. Thanks for all you did. I appreciate it.”
Shaking hands, Kane said, “Night, dickhead.”
“Night, asswipe.”
Some things never changed.
After talking more, we decided to not get the police involved. What could they do? They’d found no clues since Teagan had disappeared. Sometimes it was best to keep the cards close to the vest until there was some sort of proof. So far there were no leads, only conjunctures.
At the bottom of the stairs, I slipped off my boots before heading up to my room. The last thing I wanted to do was wake the whole house. For the next couple of hours, I just wanted to hold Lex in my arms.
I opened the door and saw her on the bed, her hair spreading out on the pillow with the light of the bathroom casting a glow that made her look like an angel.
Quietly, I shut the door and just watched her. She was my entire world. Everything I’d ever wanted, and I could have lost her that night. I touched the ring box burning a hole in my pocket. I wanted to ask her now, but somehow, I needed to make it special.
I slipped off my shirt and took off my pants, leaving the ring in the pocket, before I scooted into bed. Lex shifted closer to me and draped her arm over my chest.
“Hey, baby.”
Sleepily she raised her head. “Drake. You’re here.” Before I could respond, she buried her face in my chest and clung to me. “You’re here.”
“I am.”
“How?”
I hated how scared her voice sounded. This had shaken her to the core. But she was a survivor and wouldn’t want me to make her feel helpless. “Rick Stocks. When he heard what happened, he offered to get me home tonight instead of tomorrow.”
She snuggled closer to me. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too. How are you doing?”
“Okay. Better. At least I’m not one of those girls in scary movies who loses her mind and just runs outside.”
I gave a small chuckle. “You’re one hell of a tough woman.”
She yawned. She had to be tired. “Let’s try to get some sleep.”
Snuggling in closer, I let exhaustion claim me.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Drake
I woke and grabbed for Lex, but she was gone. I jerked upright, on alert, but then relaxed. We were at my parents’ house. Everything was okay. I rubbed my eyes. Man, I was wiped. What time is it? It took a few seconds for the red numbers on the clock to become clear. Shit, it was after ten in the morning. I grabbed my phone and checked my messages. Only the normal—city council notes, statements, and some additional applications for the position I posted two days ago. Being gone from the bar so much lately made me realize it was time to get Crete some help.
I threw some clothes on and headed downstairs to look for Lex. After what happened the previous night, I needed to see how my girl was doing. At the bottom of the stairs, I heard laughter in the living room. That was a good sign, which helped me relax some.
At the doorway, I watched the two most important women in my life smiling as they talked.
I leaned against the doorframe, unnoticed. Well, maybe Lex sensed me; her mouth twitched a little and her smile grew.