Chapter 46

Jay was surprised when the guys showed up. He’d expected Sharp, but all his buddies were there to help him celebrate. They knew he didn’t want a stripper or anything like that, so instead, they brought games.

They were in the middle of playing a round of beer pong when his phone buzzed. He pulled it out, and Sharp snatched the phone from him. “Aww, she loves you and can’t wait to be your wife.” All the guys said something about how sweet Nichole was.

He rolled his eyes. “Give me my phone so I can text her.”

“I’ll reply,” Sharp said as he started typing something. “I can’t wait to get my big dick in?—”

“Give it!” Jay didn’t want that to be his reply.

Sharp chuckled. “That’s not what I typed. Here, read it.”

His buddy had typed out, I love you, too, and you’re making me the happiest man in the world . Jay liked what he’d typed and hit send.

“You’re a pain, Sharp.”

“Sure am. Now then, we should probably let you get some sleep.”

Griz stood from the couch. “I’m sober, I’ll drive everyone home.”

“You really sober?” Shine asked.

“Sure am. I stopped drinking alcohol two hours ago. Before then, I hadn’t drank much.”

“Well, Griz is driving us all,” Shine called out.

Jay thanked the guys for coming to hang out with him. They hadn’t been a team for long, but they’d come together like brothers. He really appreciated them all.

After the gang had cleared out and it was just him and Sharp, he dropped to the couch, running his hands over his face.

“You doing okay?” Sharp asked.

He opened one eye, trying to focus on his buddy. “I drank too much.”

“Drink a big cup of water now and get some sleep. We’ll make sure you’re okay in the morning.”

“I was having such a great time with you guys. It was awesome. Thanks for arranging that.”

“Sure, buddy. You’re going to be so happy with Nichole. I can tell you really care about her.”

He stood and stretched, trying to keep his balance. “I do.” When he took a step, he had to reach out to steady himself. “She’s going to be mad if I show up drunk.”

“Water.”

“Yes, Dad.” Sharp laughed and led him into the kitchen, where he made Jay drink water and eat some crackers and cheese.

When he lay down, he smiled to himself and grabbed his phone off the charger, pulling up the text from Nichole. He wanted her to wake up to his words. He started typing and must have drifted off because he woke with his phone on his chest and Sharp calling his name.

Jay sat up, worried that he’d overslept. His phone was dead because he hadn’t returned it to the charger.

“Shit. What time is it?”

Sharp pushed the door open and came in with a glass of water. “Drink this. You’ve got time. I set my alarm early.”

“Shit. Gotta pee.”

He raced into the bathroom and heard Sharp still in his room. After he finished, he stepped out into the bedroom, panic filling him.

“Fuck, how late am I?”

“You aren’t. You said you wanted to be up at eight twenty, and it’s eight fifteen.”

“Thank God I have you in my corner.”

“I put your phone on the charger. Drink this water. You need to piss out the rest of the alcohol.”

Jay grabbed the glass and slammed the water, knowing he should have been more mindful the night before. He had time to hydrate enough to sober up and not have a hangover.

“Thank you.”

“I’ve already showered. I’ll get breakfast ready while you shower.”

He thanked Sharp again as he stripped off his clothes. The shower felt good, but not as good as getting some food in his belly and coffee on board. Sharp forcing him to drink so much water helped, and he was able to control his headache with a few painkillers. He had an hour before he was due on the beach, and excitement was pumping through him.

“You ready?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“Nervous?”

“Shit. Is it obvious?”

Sharp chuckled. “I was so afraid I wouldn’t remember the vows, and if I remembered that, I was afraid I would forget something else. I didn’t want to screw up everything in front of Danika.”

“You looked so calm and cool that day.”

Sharp let out a bark of laughter. “I was a total wreck.”

“You faked it well. I really thought you were so calm and collected.”

Sharp’s expression turned serious. “It will be an excellent day for you. You’re getting married to a wonderful woman who you love.”

“I do love her very much.”

“You’ll be fine.”

Sharp’s words made him feel better, but then panic hit. “What about the weather?”

“I checked when I woke up. No rain, just a few clouds. It won’t be too hot either. You’ll be fine.”

“Thank you. You’re doing great taking care of me.”

“It’s an honor to get you there.”

“Man, you’re going to make me cry.”

Sharp’s laughter lightened the mood. “I cried so much on my wedding day.”

Jay chuckled. “That’s good to hear.”

“The guys will be here in about twenty minutes. Go get dressed.”

Sharp hugged him before he left the kitchen. He was wearing the board shorts under a pair of loose blue pants. Nichole had told him the color would look amazing with her dress. He had no clue what she was planning on wearing, but he was very excited to find out. He couldn’t wait to see her on the beach.

He heard the knock on the front door and excitement pumped through him. He was ready and was glad the guys had agreed to show up and caravan to the beach.

The weather was perfect, and the beach wasn’t too busy. Nichole would show up in about ten minutes. His heart picked up speed, and he had to take a few deep breaths, so he didn’t do something stupid like hyperventilate.

“You ready?” Sharp asked.

“So ready.”

“Awesome. Danika should be—” Sharp’s phone rang, and he pulled it out, flashing a smile. “Speaking of Danika.”

He answered but didn’t say anything as his eyebrows pinched together. Sharp’s gaze went unfocused before it zeroed in on him. Jay’s heart stalled at the look on Sharp’s face.

“What do you mean she isn’t there?”

Jay reached out and clutched Sharp’s forearm. Panic was out of control as it raced through him.

“Let me put you on speaker. Say it all again.”

Danika blew out a breath, and when she spoke, her voice sounded strained. “I ran out to grab gas in the car. I should have stayed here. I came back, and Nichole was gone.”

Apple leaned in closer to the phone. “Did she walk out?”

“I don’t think so. The door wasn’t broken or bashed in, but it was open when I came back. Like wide open. I don’t think she would have left on her own and not closed the door.”

Apple shook his head and then met Jay’s gaze. “I know I’ve been her harshest critic, but she didn’t run out on you.”

Griz was rubbing his hand over his chin. “No, something happened. We need to figure out what went wrong.”

Apple’s eyes went wide. “That guy watching her place.”

The words sent a chill through him. “Fuck. I never figured out who that was. Why didn’t I look into it? Fuck, this is my fault.”

“No way, man. This is the fault of whoever took her.”

Desperation slid through him. “What do we do?”

Griz was used to leading them, so he took the lead. “How do we find her? Who can help us?”

Squat pulled out his phone. “I’ll call Thario.”

Griz nodded. “Good.”

Squat stepped away to call Thario. The other guys were brainstorming ideas. He was screwed. They had no way to know who had taken her or where they were.

He wouldn’t survive if anything happened to Nichole. Whoever had taken her wasn’t going to survive. No question, he would get revenge and make it hurt.