Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114793 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“You’re scaring’ the horses,” Marcus called out. I glanced over, and sure enough, one of the mares had moved clear to the far end of the field, flicking her tail like she could sense the storm rolling inside me.
I exhaled hard. “You’d be pissy too if the woman you—” I stopped short and rubbed at the back of my neck. “If the woman you cared about disappeared, and no one would tell you a damn thing.”
Marcus looked up, his face sobering. “I’d be furious. I’d probably break half the shit in my barn just to let it out, but I’d also be making plans.”
“Plans?” I echoed, squinting at him.
“Yeah.” He leaned his shovel against the ATV. “Plans for when she comes back, so she’s got something solid waiting. Something safe and good.”
I stared out at the trees swaying in the distance. “Like what, Disney trips? Candlelit dinners? Paint a couple walls and call it home?”
“You’ve got a place in Orlando you never use. You sleep here more than you do in that damn house. Maybe it’s time you made it an actual home, not just a crash pad. You want her to feel safe, start there.”
He had a point, and the truth of it hit harder than I liked.
“What else?”
He shrugged. “Call Sasha. Ask what Gabby likes and build around that. Do stuff that shows you’re serious and that she’s got security. But don’t forget about you because you need that too. You’ve been walking through fire, same as her.”
I scratched my beard and winced at how long it had gotten. I looked like a damn swamp hermit. Taking a deep breath in, I winced as I realized I probably smelled like one, too.
“You’re right,” I breathed. “Holy crap, but you’re actually right.”
And instead of turning the mower back around to finish the field, I veered off straight for the edge, not giving a damn about the patchy mess I was leaving behind.
“Webb!” Marcus bellowed from behind me. “You leave that field like that, and I swear to God—”
“I’m making plans!” I shouted back over my shoulder.
I parked the mower near the barn, jumped down, and jogged into the house to pack. I didn’t need much—just a few clothes, some tools, and my charger. It wasn’t about what I took with me. I just needed to move.
By the time I slid behind the wheel of my truck and pulled out of the ranch, something shifted. For the first time in weeks, I felt a sense of purpose again, like there was still something I could do.
I grabbed my phone, scrolled to Sasha’s number, and hit call.
It rang once. Then twice.
And then her voice came through—breathless, tight, and already telling me everything I needed to know. She was the person who could really help me with this.
“Have you heard anything yet?”
I stared at the road ahead, the city skyline still miles away. “No, but I’m getting ready for when I do.”
Chapter 37
Gabby
The courthouse steps felt steeper than they actually were, probably because my legs were still trembling with the weight of it all being over. Three weeks of court. Three weeks of watching every lie unravel under oath. Three weeks of waiting for justice. And today, finally, justice had been served.
Barris and Maddox—those smug grins they wore when they were first arrested had long since cracked. The arrogance they carried like armor was gone, replaced by something thinner, more brittle. Between the seized devices, the records, and the names they coughed up to save their own necks, the prosecution had built an airtight case. Both men were handed their sentences this morning—multiple life terms with no chance of parole. If there was a hell on earth, they’d just been locked inside it.
The others would have their time in court, too, but that wasn’t mine to carry anymore. This part—this freedom—that was mine.
I was outside the courthouse, wrapped in a sea of hugs and voices I loved. Benny squeezed me so tight I actually let out a squeak, then Malcolm tugged me into his arms and lifted me clear off the ground. Sasha was already crying, her hand in mine, her smile bright and fierce.
But I couldn’t see Webb anywhere, and it was eating at me.
He hadn’t been allowed to speak to me, not with how protected they’d kept me. He’d testified—once for the prosecution, once under cross for the defense—but even then, I’d only been allowed to watch from a shielded section of the courtroom. There'd been absolutely no contact, not even a glance.
And now, outside on the courthouse steps, I couldn’t find him in the crowd.
My stomach twisted with nerves I hadn’t been expecting. What if he wasn’t coming? What if all this time, the space and silence had made him rethink everything?
Sasha tugged on my hand. “Okay, party time. Into the SUV, let’s go!”