Page 38 of Aspen's Defense

"Shit," Colter says, pulling his phone from his pocket. "I'll call Razor and see if he's heard anything." Razor Montgomery, his brother-in-law, runs in the same circles as Cormac and Dillon. And Razor's twin, Ryker, used to work for the CIA. If anyone can get me info, Razor can.

"Thanks," I mutter, pacing across the hotel room. There's not much room to accomplish it, but I need to move. I'm going stir crazy. Actually, I think I'm just losing it in general. Not knowing what's going on is stressing me the fuck out. Honestly, not being there right now is what's stressing me the fuck out.

Leaving her in the middle of this shit doesn't feel right. I should be with her right now, not seven hours away. Maybe this is why we never met when Nash and I played together. The universe or whatever knew she'd change my entire future. It knew as soon as I met her, my priorities would shift.

Hockey was my life once upon a time. Right now, it's the thing standing between me and the woman who makes me feel alive. I never thought I'd see the day I wanted something else more, but that day is here. It arrived the moment I met her, I think.

"Noah!" Colter shouts from his room. His tone sets my teeth on edge.

We meet at the door.

I know my intuition was right as soon as I see the look on his face. I grip the door handle, praying to God he doesn't tell me that she's hurt.

"He doesn't know exactly what happened," he says, "but Giant shot someone."

My knees threaten to buckle. "Tell me she's okay."

"As far as he knows," Colter says, clamping a hand on my shoulder. "She and Giant were at the Sheriff's Office for a few hours."

"Where the fuck are they now?" I growl.

"I don't know." He grimaces. "Razor was going to see what he could find out for you, but no one knows much right now."

"Jesus Christ." I drag my phone out of my pocket again, dialing Coach.

"What do you need, Diamante?"

"I need to go home," I growl. "There's an emergency." I quickly fill him in while Colter tosses my shit into my bag.

"Shit, yeah," Coach says. "Go. Do you need a lift to the airport?"

"I'll catch an Uber."

"Keep us posted."

I disconnect and grab my bag from Colter, slinging it over my shoulder.

"I'll call you as soon as Razor calls me," he tells me. "I'll also ask Reid to check with Wren too, see if she's heard anything." Reid's wife is a lawyer. Her brother is a judge in Silver Spoon Falls. If anyone can get me information on the shooting, she can. "Go get your girl."

I duck out of the room, jogging toward the elevator.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Atlas asks, poking his head out of Devlin's room.

"Home."

"What the fuck?" Atlas steps out into the hallway behind me. "Why?"

I don't bother answering as I round the corner. Colter will fill him in. I take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. I'm too goddamn jittery to stand there patiently, cooling my heels while the elevator takes its sweet time getting to me.

Five minutes later, I'm pacing the lobby, waiting for my Uber when the doors slide open.

My gaze skims over the curvy woman hurrying into the hotel, already dismissing her as I glance back down at my phone. And then I jerk my head up, doing a double take. She looks just like…

"Aspen?"

I've officially lost it. I'm seeing shit that isn't possible. She's in Silver Spoon Falls, not Oklahoma City. Yet she's standing in the hotel lobby. What the fuck?

"Hey, Superstar," she says, smirking at me. "Did you miss me?"