“Seriously, you don’t think that you aren’t going to be the prime suspect if I disappear? Leave Ramona.”
“Get in the truck,” Tag snapped. Skylar climbed into the truck.
“You aren’t taking her,” Skylar insisted. He glanced over his shoulder at Ramona then he shoved her away and hopped inside his truck and drove away. Sky glanced over the seat through the back window as Ramona got to her feet. She seemed okay. Skylar hit him hard in the arm.
“What the fuck Skylar.” The truck swerved as he drove across the fields to the back gate where she and Brett had entered to sit by the pond.
“She’s pregnant you, jackass.”
“Another Shaw bastard,” he sneered. “Brett’s?”
She scooted over and sat as close to the door as she could, avoiding looking at him. “What are you thinking Tag?” He ignored her. “Where are you going?”
“I rented a cabin in the north. Somewhere I could think.”
“Think about what?” Her voice rose several octaves.
“Sky, you don’t realize what you’ve done to me.”
“Talk to me then.” She glanced across the seats at him but kept her calm and her distance. “This doesn’t make things any better. This is felony kidnapping.”
“Mother took me off the board of directors besides the council removing me as Mayor.”
“I’m sorry Tag. I never meant to hurt you. I told you from the beginning how I felt. I rarely saw you so I thought we were on the same page.”
He glanced over at her then back towards the road. “I tried not to fall in love with you Sky.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry that you did. I wouldn’t hurt anyone the way that Luka hurt me.”
“But you’re going to take him back. Everyone in town thinks so. Hell why not. He’s famous. Did you know that?” She was beginning to realize just how famous Luka was. “He’s wealthy. You can google his net worth and find that on the internet. He’s one of the wealthiest MMA fighters in the world.”
“I don’t care about that Tag.”
He looked at her then he shook his head. “No you wouldn’t, would you?”
“You can take me back home before it is too late. Maybe get some help. We can forget this ever happened.” Sky was hoping he would take her suggestion.
“Not yet,” he said. Then he looked at her. “Maybe never. What do I have to lose? I’ve lost everything.”
**
Luka should have known. He had a niggling feeling in the back of his head all day that he forgot something or that something wasn’t right. When he finished Skylar’s list he headed back to the ranch. He called her but she didn’t answer. Maybe she was catching up with Chloe. That had to be what it was. That was why Skylar wasn’t answering.
When he turned down the lane to the ranch, a line of police cars was in the driveway. His heart began to beat hard against his chest. His brothers were there. Brett, Dalton and Benji. His mother Luna. Chloe and Roxy. Where was Ramona? Ava? Skylar?
He parked as close as he could. Leaving the door open and hell he thought he might have even left the truck running too as he ran up the drive to them all standing in the yard.
“Where is Skylar and Ava?” He asked.
Ramona came off the porch. He hadn’t seen her. She must have been sitting on the swing. “Luka,” she was crying. She went to Brett and he tugged her into his side, holding her close. “Tag took her. He was going to take me too. She made him leave me behind.”
“Where is Ava?”
“Inside,” his mother told him. “With Stellan. They are watching cartoons together to keep her mind off this.”
“I just need a moment to see her then I want to know what happened.”
They let him go. Inside the house, he called Ava’s name. She appeared in the doorway to the living room. “Daddy. Momma is gone.” His baby was crying. He went to her and scooped her into his arms; holding her close.