Writing Lanie - Forbidden Heart Series Book 2

38| Meddler

Her expression was anything but happy. She was looking at me like I ran over her dog. "No! Nate, you better not say anything to him. Do you hear me?  It will make things so much worse." 

I laughed as I got back to my feet. "Fine, fine. I wont say anything." 

~The Next Day~

I was sitting on the porch in my backyard making out with Cindy Thompson when Lanie came bursting out in tears. "How could you? You said you wouldn't say anything!" 

Cindy got up and walked inside to give us some privacy and I got to my feet. "What are you talking about?" I asked her even though my gut told me it was exactly what I feared. 

Tears were streaming down her face as she shoved me. "You told Kyle. Now he thinks I need my big brother to do everything for me. He came by the school and made a fool out of me in front of everyone." 

My heart sank at her words. None of this was supposed to happen. "Lanie, I'm sorry. I know you liked him and I was just trying to help. I thought that if I--"

"No, Nate. You didn't think. You completely ignored me and now I'm the freak at school who needs her big brother to get her a date." 

I reached out to her and she stepped back. "Lanie, I said I was sorry." 

She rolled her eyes before storming inside the house. I didn't miss it when she said, "Sorry doesn't change anything." 

My thoughts came back to the present and I hated myself in that moment. After that day, I swore to her that I wouldn't meddle in her business. I promised her that I was going to stay out of her personal life. Now, not only have I meddled again, but the man she was in love with was currently missing. 

The more I looked for him, the more I thought about the past. I wanted to warn her about Adam when she first started dating him. Instead I kept my promise. But Ayden...I had a good feeling about Ayden. When I saw the two of them together, laughing or talking, it felt really good. I wasn't sure my plan worked until New Years.

When I told Ayden to kiss Lanie, I thought he figured out what I was doing. Thankfully, he didn't seem to put two and two together. I think he was more baffled by me suggesting it. But the way they looked at each other when they kissed at midnight told me everything I needed to know. I was right; and that made me so happy. 

I've been hoping she would open up and tell me about their relationship when I was there for her birthday, but she seemed to have a lot on her mind. I wish I had more time to spend with her. I knew she was probably irritated that I spent so much time with Jules when I was there, but that was to give her some privacy with Ayden. 

I meant what I told Lanie about wanting to find something real. Jules wasn't what I wanted. I was upfront with her about it and she didn't seem to care. I knew the type of woman she was. I wasn't blind when she hit on Jackson and Ayden. That's who she was. But I wanted more. I wanted what Ayden and Lanie had. 

Speaking of my best friend, my worry continued to grow as I looked for him. We were in the middle of nowhere with no backup and that didn't bode well. What we needed was to call for help. As soon as I reached for my phone, it went off. 

"Hello?" 

"Nate! Oh, my God. Are you okay?" 

"Lanie?" I asked as I shoved my finger in my ear. The signal was bad where I was and Ayden had the sat phone. "I can barely hear you. What did you say?" 

"Ayden-- talking and I'm sorry. I love-- gunfire. I think someth--- wrong. Nate? Hello?" Fucking Christ. She was hysterical. From what I could understand, she was on the phone with Ayden and heard the gunfire. Goddamit. This was not good. Not good at all. 

I ran my hand over my face as I tried to catch my breath. My heart was racing, and the fact that I could barely understand her made it worse. "Lanie, calm down. I'll find him, okay? Did you hear me?" 

"Please, Nate. He--and--can't breathe. I'm scared." 

A frustrated groan escaped me. I thought the signal was only this bad when people drove through tunnels or in horror movies. "Listen to me, Lanie. Call Harper and Jackson. I want you to stay with them. I'm fine and I'm going to find Ayden. I promise. Lanie? Did you hear what I said?" There was more static then I heard the three beeps that told me the call dropped. "Fuck!" 

I have never felt more helpless or alone in that moment. I buried my hands in my hair, fisting it in my hands until it hurt. Then I screamed. I screamed until I couldn't anymore. What. The. Fuck. I inhaled a deep breath as I tried to get control of my emotions. Okay, I needed to find Ayden. That was priority number one.

If I found Ayden, then we could use the sat-phone to call for help. I could also call Lanie and tell her everyone is alive and well. Mainly because I refused to make the other type of call. The kind where two men in uniform showed up at your door with tragic news. Yeah, fuck that. 

I started walking in the direction Ayden went. You couldn't have walked too far. He was smarter than that. We both were smarter than that. We knew when we were alone on a mission never to leave the other in danger. Sometimes, yes, we needed a little space. That's why tonight when he said he wants to go for a walk and I saw him grab the sat-phone, I didn't say anything.

When I got almost a hundred feet farther in the direction Ayden went, I felt my feet kick something hard on the ground. When I pointed my flashlight at it, I froze. The sat-phone was in pieces.

What did this mean? Did this mean that Ayden was dead somewhere? Did it mean that he may have been taken by the enemy? What the fuck did this mean?

"Ayden!" I called out again as I tried to look everywhere all at once for any sign of him. Soon the minutes turned to hours with no luck. As I started to feel my adrenaline wear off, and my exhaustion start to take its toll on me, the sun started to rise.

Not good. Definitely not good.