And then it hits me. The only place she would feel safe. The one place I told her she could go to if she was ever afraid. I know where my girl is.
"I know where she's at," I holler at my mom as I fly out the door and head towards my car. I dig my keys out of my pocket with one hand and grab my cell phone in the other.
"Be careful," my mom hollers from the doorway as I slide into the car. The air is hot and stagnant inside, from the heat, but I don't give a shit. I barely open the window as I peel out of my driveway for the second time today.
I grab my phone and hit speed dial number one.
"Yeah?" my older brother says in way of greeting.
"I know where she is and she's in trouble," I say as quickly as I can as I fly down Main Street, heading towards the edge of town.
"Lia? Where is she?" Jake asks urgently in the phone. Jake knows me well enough to know to stay away when I don't want to be bothered. That's why he hasn't broken down my door or blown up my phone the way others in the family have tried today.
"She's at the creek. I know it," I tell him. "There was some guy looking for her this morning when I was leaving her apartment. It felt off when I spoke to him, but he said he knew her from a few months back. I think it was Garrett. I think he's here and he's been looking for her all day," I seethe at my brother.
"Shit. I'm on my way. Get to Lia and I'll get on the horn about Garrett," Jake says just before he hangs up.
I reach the edge of town and floor it. The speedometer reaches very close to triple digits, but it feels like I'm crawling. I can't get there quick enough. The ten-minute drive to my parents' property goes much faster when you're going dangerously fast.
I start to slow down as I approach the edge of the property. I don't want to pull up the lane and scare her, or whoever is out there watching her; waiting for her. I park the car in the ditch along the road and jump out. I grab my cell phone, flip it to vibrate, and run around the hood of the car. I take off jogging up the lane that I know by heart. The moonlight is bright and high in the sky, which gives me just enough light to see by. The quarter of a mile evaporates quickly and I'm approaching the clearing a few moments later.
I slowly scan the land, watching for any sign of movement. When I don't see anything, I quietly walk towards the shack. I'm on alert as I continue to scan the area. The birds are loud and the crickets are singing. Yet the silence is deafening, and I see no sign of Lia.
As I approach the shack, I press my ear against the door. It's unlocked, but closed. I slowly push open the old door and step inside. It takes me a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but when they do, I'm staring down the barrel of a .22 caliber handgun.
"Lia?" I ask through shaky breath.
"Nate?" she whispers, the whites of her eyes wide with fear.
"It's me, baby," I say as I step forward and grab the gun from her trembling hands. She lets go easily and comes willingly into my embrace. I pull her tightly against me and inhale the sweetness of her shampoo. The sobs that rake through her body tear me up inside. Listening to her cry is the worst thing in the world. Well, that and being without her like earlier.
"Shhhhh, it's okay, beautiful. I'm right here. Everything is okay now," I say as she fists my t-shirt in a death grip. I feel the wetness of her tears soak through the front of my shirt, but I don't give a shit. She can cry all over the entire shirt if it means she's in my arms.
After several minutes of rocking and just holding her, Lia finally settles down. I look down at her bright eyes and know that I'll do anything for this woman. "Come on. Let's go outside. Jake is gonna be here any minute," I tell her.
"You came for me," she says while still rooted in place inside the old shack.
"Of course I came for you. I love you too much to just let you go like that," I confess and place a soft kiss on her lips.
Lia allows me to lead her outside into the night. We take about a half dozen steps away from the shack when I hear a twig snap somewhere close by. I stop and am instantly on high alert. If it were Jake, he would have announced himself by now.
"Stop," I whisper. "Get back inside the shed. Barricade yourself inside and don't open the door for anyone other than me or Jake," I start to say, but before Lia can turn and get inside the building, I hear the sound of a gun cocking.
"I wouldn't do that, Amelia. I think you should stay right where you are," the voice says into the night. He's close by, somewhere off to my right, but I don't see him yet.
Lia grips onto my hand so tightly I'm afraid she's going to break bones. Yet, I feel no pain. Her breathing is hitched and fear radiates off her body tenfold.
After a few moments, the man connected to the voice finally steps out from behind a tree. He's pointing a large revolver at me as he slowly makes his way towards us.
Garrett. It's the man from the alley.
I stand up straight and slowly draw Lia behind me. My dad's .22 that I grabbed from Lia is still sticking out of the back of my pants, and I slowly reach for it.
"Don't move," he says. "I don't want to have to shoot you, but I will. I'm here for Amelia. Whether you live or die is entirely up to you."
"You're not leaving here with her unless you kill me," I tell the asshole in front of me.
"Well, then, that is your choice, Nate. Amelia, please come here, sweetheart," Garrett says from his position about ten feet in front of us, pointing the gun steadily at my chest.
"She's not going anywhere near you," I spit back at him, gripping Lia's hand tightly. Her body is pressed firmly against my back as she tries to hide. The sound of her crying enrages me even more.
"Oh, but she is. Amelia has been a very bad girl lately. I'm going to show her the error of her ways," he says with a cocky smile. I'm going to punch that smile off his smug face.
"By beating her some more? You're not a man. You're a pussy. Anyone who treats women the way you do is nothing more than a parasite. You're a fucking worthless waste of oxygen, you no-dick fuck. You want to knock someone around? I'm ready to play anytime," I taunt the asshat in front of me.
"Give me my woman," Garrett yells at the top of his lungs.
I make a quick grab for my gun and point it square at his chest. We're in a standoff now, each pointing our weapons at the other. Neither one afraid to pull the trigger.
"Nate, he's not worth it," Lia whispers from behind. "I can't let you kill him. Not for me," she says in a small but firm voice.
"Don't you understand? I will end this asshole so you never have to run scared again. The only thing I want in this world is your happiness. And if me killing him and going off to prison gives you that, then I'll take it. For you," I tell her as she steps around to face me.
"He's not worth it," she says as I try to push her back behind me. "No, Nate. I'm not afraid. He'll never be able to take the one thing I hold closest to my heart and that is your love. He'll never take that from me," Lia says as she steps into my embrace.
My arm holding the gun remains firmly locked in place. Lia presses herself against my side. "Don't kill him," she whispers. "Please."
I look down at her intense blue-gray eyes. Gorgeous eyes that are filled with so much love and affection. Without removing my eyes from hers, I slowly lower the gun to the ground.
"Dumbass," Garrett laughs as he continues to points the gun at my chest. I don't take my eyes off Lia's. If I'm going to be shot, I want the last thing I see to be her amazing eyes and her beautiful face.
I hear the shot, but I feel nothing. There's none of the pain I would imagine I'd have with being shot. Lia pulls herself tighter against me as I take in my surroundings. I check Lia over quickly but don't see any blood. I finally look up at Garrett, and he's lying on the ground, not moving.
"You guys okay?" Jake hollers from the tree line just off to the side.
"About damn time you showed up," I yell back with a smug grin on my face.
"Some people say thank you for saving their lives," Jake says as he slowly makes his way towards Garrett, gun drawn and pointed at the suspect.
"If you wouldn't have stopped to get your nails done, you would have been here ten minutes ago and my life wouldn't have been in jeopardy," I throw back at my brother.
A rustling sound comes from the North as I see Maddox break through the thick brush along the edge of the clearing.