Lexi bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “We haven’t seen him. But we heard from some Rock Valley kids that they saw a bunch of cop cars at his house on their way to the fairgrounds. Wonder what that’s about.”
The blood drained from my face. Cop cars? At Hunter’s house? There could be only one reasonable explanation for that and Hunter’s absence from the arena: Steven. I felt it in my bones. He’d violated the protection order. And judging from his temper the other night, there was no telling what kind of damage he’d done to my best friend.
“I have to go to him,” I said, patting my pockets for my car keys. “His mom’s ex-boyfriend is super dangerous. I have to be sure he’s okay.”
Panic was making my hands shaky and I could barely control their jerky motions as I came up empty. Oh yeah, I didn’t drive here. And I’d left my phone with my parents.
“It’s okay. I’ll drive.” Beth put her arm around my shoulder. “We’ll get you there.”
“I’m coming, too,” Lexi piped up.
I smiled gratefully at them. They were missing all the hot cowboys for me. That was definitely real friendship.
Ms. Gentry stood nearby, her expression serene as she waded through the girls and congratulated each of them for a job well done. I glanced hesitantly over at her, wondering if she’d hate me for running out on her contest. There was no guarantee I’d be back in time. The crowning was just before the final event of the night—bull riding. But I couldn’t leave without saying something. Not when I knew how much this meant to her.
“Ms. Gentry?” I stepped toward her, leaving the girls waiting behind me. She turned toward me, her smile brightening.
“Ms. Hale, I must say, that was quite an impressive ride. I might even go as far as to say that you surprised not only me, but yourself during this competition. Is that not so?”
“I definitely surprised myself,” I said, reaching for her arm. “Thank you, Ms. Gentry. I’m sorry I was such a pain in the beginning.”
She smiled softly. “Not a pain. Just a girl needing a bit of direction. And now, you’ve finished. Just the final ceremony to go.”
That was too kind of her. I’d been a snob about the competition and everything it contained. I could only hope I’d changed for the better. Still, that didn’t make what I had to say any easier.
“Please don’t hate me, but I have to go.” I glanced over at my shoulder to see Lexi and Beth watching me. Urgency thrummed through my body like an SOS signal. “My best friend in the world, he might be hurt. And I know he needs me. But I’m not sure if I’ll be back in time for the crowning ceremony. Is that okay?”
A small wave of shock passed over Ms. Gentry’s face, but to her credit, she recovered quickly. Her eyes searched me for a moment. I stared back at her, trying to mentally show her just how important this was. I couldn’t leave Hunter hanging. It didn’t matter what had happened between us, I needed to be there for him.
“Go,” Ms. Gentry said gently, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t leave if you didn’t feel it was of the upmost importance. I hope that your friend is fine.”
I wrapped my arms around her thin waist and hugged her quickly. As I pulled away, I saw the surprise on her face morph into a pleased smile. She shooed me away with her hands and I ran after Lexi and Beth as we hurried toward the car.
The contest no longer mattered. Beating Sarah Claiborne felt like the plans of a child. The only thing that mattered was my best friend.
I could only pray that he was okay.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I’d never seen so many cop cars.
Those kids hadn’t been lying. Something big had gone down at Hunter’s house. Fear swept over me as Beth pulled into the drive. She hadn’t even put the car in park before I was out of the passenger side and sprinting toward the front door. This time, I didn’t wait to knock. I burst right into the living room, where Bree sat huddled on the couch, surrounded by four police officers in dark blue uniforms.
“Bree!”
I froze as all five people blinked up at me in surprise. Bree rubbed her hands over her face, looking more haggard and exhausted than I’d ever seen her. Her cheeks were splotchy and her eyes bloodshot, as if she’d been crying. I wasn’t sure what to do. My eyes trailed over to where the TV lay shattered on the floor and to the fist-sized hole in the drywall. The violence of it all sent terrifying tremors cascading down my body. Then, Bree held her arms out to me and I rushed her for a hug.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice muffled in her t-shirt. “What happened? Where’s Hunter?”
She released me from her crushing hug and sighed heavily. “I’m okay, baby girl. We just had an unwanted visitor this evening.”
I set my jaw and kneeled on the ground in front of her. “Was it Steven? Did he hurt you again?”
Her eyes widened for a mere second before she smiled sadly at me. “I guess I’m not surprised Hunter told you about that. Yeah, it was Steven. He was stinking drunk and mad as a hornet. He barged in just as we were trying to leave for the rodeo. He was horrible. Hunter protected me.”
Not a single ounce of me was surprised that Hunter had stood up for his mom. He was that kind of guy. Just as he had stood up for me at the sheep washing and again at the movie theater. He had a superhero complex, and it made me love him all the more.
I scanned the room, before my gaze returned to her face. “Where is he? Is he okay?”
“He’s taking a
