v Ashley - Golden Trail

When he didn’t speak and after she controlled her body and laughter, she called, “Layne?”

“Right here, baby,” Layne said into her neck, not lifting his head but giving her a squeeze.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied.

Her body relaxed but her hands tightened on his wrists.

Then she asked, “Is Tripp okay?”

“Yeah.”

Her hands at his wrists slid along his arms so they were crossed on his.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

He lifted his mouth to her ear and answered, “Nothin’, which means everything. I forgot that, I forgot how nothing meant everything.”

“Layne,” she breathed.

“Love you, baby.”

Her hands squeezed his arms. “Love you too, sweetheart.” She was quiet then she said, “But Layne?”

He lifted his head. “What?”

“New rule. You can’t make me cry into grated cheese again.”

He turned her around to face him and saw the tracks her silent tears left on her face. His hands moved to her jaws and he used his thumbs to wipe away the wetness.

“Or any foodstuffs,” she went on and his eyes went from his thumbs to hers.

“Right,” he whispered. “No making you cry into… foodstuffs.”

She grinned up at him, put her hands to his jaws, lifted up on tiptoe and touched his mouth with hers.

She didn’t take her mouth from his when she whispered, “Tacos.”

Then she pulled gently away and opened the cupboard to take out the flour tortillas.

Layne went to the fridge and got himself a beer, he got her a fancy-ass one and then he sat in front of the TV with his woman leaned up against him and ate heaven, Mexican style.

Her hand came up to his jaw, her lips at his ear, Rocky whispered urgently, “Jasper.”

Layne’s eyes opened and he saw dark.

His cell phone on Rocky’s nightstand was ringing but Rocky didn’t move. She was out, it was the dead of night.

Layne’s neck twisted and he reached for his cell as his eyes took in Rocky’s alarm clock. It was one oh seven in the morning.

Fuck.

He looked at the display on his phone and quickly flipped it open while Rocky stirred at his side.

“Everything okay, Bud?” Layne asked Jasper.

“Dad,” Jasper replied and the tone of that one word made Layne squeeze Rocky then swiftly slide out from under her.

“Talk to me,” Layne ordered, coming to his feet at the side of the bed.

“It’s Keira,” Jasper whispered, sounding freaked out.

Fuck!

“What’s Keira?” Layne asked, he was moving through the dark room to get clothes. In between the office and Rocky’s, he’d gone home and packed a bag. He found it and started pawing through it as he heard Rocky moving in the bed.

“I don’t know, she’s out, she’s in my car and she’s out, Dad. Passed out. I’ve been drivin’ around, tryin’ to get her to wake up, talk to me. I can’t take her back to Mr. and Mrs. Callahan like this. They’ll freak. But it’s way passed her curfew and they’re gonna freak anyway. I don’t know what to do.”

“Break it down for me, Bud,” Layne demanded, his phone between ear and shoulder, he tugged up his jeans, the light came on, Rocky was out of bed.

“We went to a party. Dad… shit, okay… shit,” Jas hissed and stopped speaking.

“Jasper, listen to me, boy, you need to give me information right now. Do not worry about getting in trouble. Focus.”

There was a pause then, “Okay, well, there was beer and we had some.”

Layne pulled a tee out of his bag and yanked it on, keeping his phone to his ear as best he could as Rocky disappeared into the walk-in closet.

“Right,” he prompted when Jasper said no more.

“It wasn’t that much, Dad, swear. Swear. I had one or two because I was drivin’. Keira didn’t have much more. I swear, Dad. No way she should be passed out, not like this.”

“Keep talking,” Layne had grabbed his boots and Rocky was out of the closet wearing unzipped jeans and carrying a sweater.

“She was fine one second, not drunk or anything, and then the next she started stumbling around, acting funny, totally out of it. It didn’t take long, minutes, just minutes, Dad, and she passed out. I carried her to the car and started drivin’ around. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Has she been sick?”

“No, no way. She wasn’t that drunk.”

“She breathin’ okay?”

“Yeah, totally fine. Sometimes she mumbles, moves around. She’s just passed out.”

“How long ago was this?”

“We were gettin’ ready to leave. Her curfew is midnight. So, an hour and a half at most.”

Layne was sitting on the bed, his socks on, he was pulling on his boots.

“She ever out of your sight?” he asked.

“What?”

“Keira, at the party, was she ever out of your sight?”

“Yes,” Jasper answered. “Once. She went to the bathroom right before she started acting funny.”

“The beer, was it bottles, cans, keg?”

“Keg,” Jasper replied.

“You get her beers or did someone else?”

“Uh… me, mostly, I think. I don’t know.”

“It’s important, Bud, did anyone give her a drink?”

Jasper was silent. Then he bit out, “Shit!”

“Someone got her a drink?” Layne pushed.

“No, I don’t know, maybe. Some people were doin’ shots, Dad, but Keirry and me weren’t, at least she wasn’t when she was with me. But now I get it, she’s not passed out, someone gave her a drink and they slipped her something.”

“That’s what I’m thinkin’,” Layne said, he was up and moving toward the door, Rocky right with him. “Where are you?”

“In the parking lot of Shanghai Salon, in the back.”

“Roc and me’ll be there in ten. Hang tight and do not leave her.”

“Gotcha,” Jasper muttered and disconnected.

 Layne flipped his phone shut as he moved down the stairs.

“Keira’s been slipped something?” Rocky asked his back.

He made it to the bottom and went to his coat on the armchair, nabbing it, he shrugged it on.

“Yeah, they were at a party, drinkin’ beer,” Layne answered as he turned to see she was at the bar, grabbing the coat she’d thrown on a stool in front of it. “He says she’s totally out.”

Rocky’s eyes came to him, she was pulling on her coat. “Vi and Cal are gonna freak,” she noted softly.

Vi and Cal had been through enough. They were gonna freak, absolutely.

Layne walked to the bar and tagged his keys. “On your phone, sweetcheeks, they’re probably worried. Tell them Keira’s safe, she was slipped something at a party, Jasper’s been takin’ care of her and we’ll get her home within half an hour.”

Rocky nodded, grabbed her purse and dug for her cell as they walked out, Layne locked up and they both hoofed it to the Suburban.

Rocky called Vi and Cal in the car and, listening to her, he knew she got Cal and further he knew she got an unhappy Cal. Layne drove to Shanghai Salon then around it, finding the Charger parked in the dimly lit back. He parked close and got out as Jasper and Rocky got out, Rocky going directly to the passenger seat of the Charger, Layne leaving her to it and going to his boy.

“We’re gonna take her home,” Layne said to his son without preamble. “You’re drivin’ Keira, I got your back. You own up to the beer and take what Cal dishes out.” Jasper nodded and Layne asked, “You know who would do this to her?” Jasper shook his head. “You know anyone who does this shit?” Jasper shook his head again. “Anyone at the party actin’ funny, watchful?”

“Nope,” Jasper replied then went on honestly. “But I wouldn’t really know, Dad. We were havin’ fun. I wasn’t payin’ much attention.”

Layne nodded. “She got admirers?”

“Yeah,” Jasper answered. “She’s hot.”

“Any one of those give you a bad vibe?” Layne asked.

“All of ‘em, Dad, she’s my babe. Not big on her havin’ admirers.”

Jesus, uncanny, Jasper was so fucking like him.

“All right, you think about that shit on your way to Violet and Cal because Cal’s gonna be askin’ these same questions and it’s gonna go better for you, you have answers.”

Jasper nodded and Rocky walked up to them.

“In the car, Bud, let’s go,” Layne ordered and was about to move away but stopped when he saw Rocky’s hand reach out, she grabbed Jasper’s and gave it a visible squeeze. Jasper looked to her, his son’s face a mixture of extremely pissed off and seriously anxious and her squeeze did nothing to alleviate this. Raquel saw that but still, she gave him a sweet, understanding smile, another hand squeeze with a shake then she let his hand go and walked silently to the passenger seat of the Suburban.

The buzzing started, it was loud, and it didn’t stop.

Layne’s eyes opened as Rocky came up to an elbow at his side.

“Jesus, fuck, what the fuck is that?” Layne mumbled, moving his head on the pillow to look at her.

“Someone’s at the gate,” Rocky mumbled back. “You can get them on the phone.”

Layne turned to the nightstand, saw it was six forty-three and he felt his jaw get tight.

He nabbed the phone and put it to his ear, “Yeah?”

“Figured you’d be there,” Gabby snapped back. “Let me in.”

Fuck.

“Gabby, it’s early. We’re not doin’ this,” Layne told her.

“Let… me… in or I swear to God, swear to God, Tanner, I’ll sit out here all fucking day and I won’t do it quiet,” Gabby bit out.