“Tess…” I sigh. “Dylan loves you.”
“But love isn’t enough, Aud.”
“Why not?”
“He has to know he can count on me. That I have his back. I’ve messed up.”
“You don’t know that, you’re making assumptions. Talk to him.”
We drive the rest of the way in silence. She looks like she wants to say something more, pausing at the building entrance, but then she just shrugs and opens the door for me, following me inside.
God, I hope it’s just a misunderstanding, and that they’ll be okay. Not sure I can handle more worry right now, not with Zane falling apart and Dakota not knowing how to help him.
But as I step into the elevator and the doors close, I draw in a deep breath and tell myself everything will turn out all right.
One step at a time.
Chapter Twelve
Asher
“Anything?” I ask Rafe when I go to relieve him the next day in the afternoon.
“Nope.” He looks as frustrated as I feel.
No car matching the description Zane gave us. Impatience is gripping me again, bulldozing through my calm. “Fucking hell.”
“The guy may not show up for weeks, if at all,” Rafe says, not helping my state of mind. “And that’s if Zane was right.”
“Jeez, you’re a barrel of laughs today,” I mutter, tapping the side of his car. “Go back home, man. I’ll keep watch.”
“Tell me you don’t have any doubts.” Rafe rakes a hand through his blond hair. “About what Zane remembers.”
“I don’t have any doubts,” I lie, my impatience turning into bad temper. “Zane saw this car, and we’ll find it.”
“He’s not even sure himself, Ash.”
“Yeah well, we can’t afford doubts. We need to solve this fucking riddle.”
Rafe nods. “That we agree on. You should’ve seen Zane today at work… He looks like shit.”
My chest tightens. Fuck. “Any idea what happened with that form he submitted for information?”
“Nothing yet.”
“Dammit.”
“Yeah.”
Shit, I have to act, do something more than sit around in the parking lot, waiting for a car that may or may not appear. “Audrey said she’d ask her mom if she can push for the info to be released sooner. I’ll call and ask if there’s any news. This is killing Zane. We can’t let it go on any longer.”
“Good thought. Let her ask.” He taps the wheel, chewing on his lip. “Okay, man, gonna bounce. Meg came down with a cold, and she’d appreciate me taking care of dinner.”
“Go. I’ll call Audrey.”
***
> Audrey tells me her mom’s on it and hopes to have some results soon enough. Not sure what that means—soon enough for what, Zane to go around the fucking bend?—and I knock my head on the backrest.