“Put your wife on,” I snarl.
“Fuck you,” Dax replies. “You’re not talking to Kate until you calm down.”
“Jesus,” I huff. “You’re right.” I take a few deep breaths, pushing back the near-incapacitating fear that Abby might be gone for good. “Okay. I’m okay.”
“You upset my wife and we’re going to have a problem, mate. I won’t hesitate to jump a plane back to LA to beat your arse.”
Before I can answer, Kate comes on the line. “Hawke? Are you okay?” She obviously overheard Dax’s end of the conversation because she sounds worried.
“Fine. I’m fine. Where did Abby go, Kate?” I grip the steering wheel with slick palms, maneuvering the SUV through the heavy traffic. Fuck! It’s Sunday, where the hell are all these people going?
“I swear, Hawke. She didn’t tell me. She only said she needed to get away for a while.”
“What does that mean?” I shout.
“I assumed it was on holiday. She hasn’t taken one in a long time,” Kate explains. “Don’t be cross with me, Hawke Evans.”
“Is he being a bastard to you, Kate?” I hear Dax’s angry voice in the background.
“No, Dax. Sod off.” I grin at Kate chastising the enormous man. She’s the only person who can talk to him like that and not get a mouthful of knuckles.
“I’m just worried about her, Kate. After the whole thing with Ezra she up and disappears. She’s…” I stop to inhale a shaky breath. “She’s coming back, right?”
“Oh love, of course she is. She’d have told me if she wasn’t.”
“Okay. All right, then, good. Good.” I say it more for myself than Kate.
“If I hear from her, I’ll let you know,” Kate says.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t give up on yourself, Hawke.”
I frown. “Don’t you mean Abby? Don’t give up on Abby?”
“Nope.”
The line disconnects.
12
Abby
My muscles stretch and pull under the early morning sun. The burn feels good, invigorating, as if my body has been disconnected from my brain and I’m finally releasing the tension that’s been trapped in every cell. I haven’t felt this alive in a long time.
“Okay everyone. That’s it for this morning. Be sure to get some water and stay hydrated.” Lina, the petite yoga instructor, smiles at the class.
I sit on my mat and drink from my water bottle while staring at the beautiful tropical surroundings.
“Hey, Abby.”
I move over to let the tall, beautiful woman sit next to me on my yoga mat. “Hi, Felice.”
“It’s really quite a view, isn’t it?” She uses her green sports bottle to point to the brilliant turquoise ocean lapping at the base of our mountain retreat, beyond the barrier of the lush green jungle surrounding us.
“It is. I could stare at it all day.” I lean back on my elbows and squint to see my new friend. “This is my first time visiting Hawaii.”
“Me too. I really needed this.”