Page 11 of Beyond Repair, Part One (Damaged Duet #1)

Ridge

" R idge..." Trevor's tone holds enough warning to draw my attention. "You need to calm down."

"Calm down?" CALM DOWN?! "The fuck you mean I need to calm down?" I snarl. It takes a tremendous amount of effort not to attack him right now and the only reason I haven't yet is because he's the one driving the fucking truck.

"We're almost there, man."

I hate the understanding in my cousin’s voice. He doesn't fucking get it. "We would already be there if you had let me drive, asshole! How are you going the speed limit knowing Nina's there?!"

It was almost four when Trevor's phone rang, and it was around 4:45 P.M. when we rushed out of the house with all of our essentials. Nina's in Provo, so that's where we will be for the foreseeable future. Fuck our house. We have resorts all over Utah, we can stay in those.

"And get us into an accident or pulled over?" Trev shoots me a look, then glances in the rearview mirror to check on Kai and Henry.

Taking separate cars didn't bother me since I would have double the opportunity to leave them behind and find my girl if they had a different opinion. What does annoy the living shit out of me is how slow we're going.

Finally, the Neen's Resorts sign comes into view. I have no headspace to admire what Trev and I have done with our business because as soon as we pull up to the valet, I'm out of the car in a flash with Henry hot on my heels.

At least someone shares my sense of urgency.

"Shit!" I hear Kai curse, most likely worried about his fiancé bolting away from him.

Bypassing the revolving doors, Henry and I shove through the normal ones. My heart pounds and I feel like I'm not getting enough air in my lungs, but it doesn't matter. All that matters is that Nina's in the cozy conference room down the main hall.

"Ridge," Henry gasps like he's struggling to control his emotions. I don't respond. Instead, I shove my shoulder into the wide wooden door as I unlatch the handle.

"Nina!" I stumble to a stop, not understanding what I'm seeing.

Will is standing by the coffee table and partially covering his wife who has a hand to her chest. They look startled, but I can't find it in me to care right now.

Just like I ignore the extra grays in Will's hair and the weathered look of Meg's trembling hand.

All I care about it the absence of Nina. "Where is she?"

Will frowns. "She's not here." His words are greeted with two additional snarls of discontent as Trevor and Kai rush into the room.

"Why the f?—"

"Ridge!" Trevor snaps, nudging me to the side so he can reach the people we once considered family. Then they went and left us hanging in hell years ago.

"Trevor," Nina's mom whispers, standing and staring wide eyed at my cousin. "You've grown. My goodness, I've missed you. All of you." Her attention shifts between all four of us and my anger with her fades a little.

Wrapping her in a hug, Trevor murmurs something in her ear.

When he pulls away to shake Will's hand, Kai swoops in for a hug and hushed words.

Henry isn't far behind, but he's a bit more hesitant than the other two.

When the three of them are done greeting, my brothers and Nina's parents stare at me, waiting for me to forgive and forget.

My rage has simmered, but the hurt still burns. "Where is she?" I ask again. The energy in the room charges again when Meg and Will exchange a painful glance. "Please. Please , fucking tell me."

I'll get on my knees if it means we finally get the truth. Anything to know where my Nina is, and what happened.

"Sit, honey," Meg murmurs, gesturing to the other couches. Grinding my jaw, I do as she asks and sit beside Trev. She doesn't waste any more time, seeming to have composed herself. "Nina's okay. We just moved her into her own home."

"Moved her in—what?" Kai's confusion matches my own.

Henry sits forward with a deep frown bunching the freckles around his nose. "Back up. She was missing for four years and suddenly she's moving into her own house?"

The parents glance at each other again . My temper sparks, but Will douses my flame with cold water. "It wasn't sudden, son. Nina was only missing for two years."

Chaos erupts around me, but my brothers’ horrified shouts have nothing on the way my heart plummets and shatters into a million tiny little pieces. My vision tunnels until all I can see are my white-knuckled fists.

"ENOUGH!" Will bellows, effectively yanking me out of the trance I was in. "You will not behave this way in front of my wife. Do you understand me?!"

"Fuck," Trevor mutters. " Fuck... I'm sorry, Meg."

He continues pacing the length of the room, only serving to heighten my anxiety. Trev's our calm one...our caretaker and leader. Seeing him so distraught does nothing to help my torrent of emotions.

The urge to throw up is curbed by Kai's next question because if I puke, we won't get the answers we need right away. "What...Where has she been for the past two and a half years?"

"Maybe we should revisit?—"

I can't hold back any longer. Jumping from the couch, I point my finger at Will and cut him off. "No!"

A hand slams down on my offending one, then Kai comes into view and nudges me back by my shoulders. I open my mouth to scream at him, but the tears in his eyes have me backing off. "Let Henry," Kai whispers.

Peeking behind him, I see Henry stand and repeat Kai's question. "Where has she been, Mr. Solace? Please. We have to know. To see her, at least."

I didn't think my heart could hurt after its brutal assassination not five minutes ago, but Henry sends a spark of pain through my chest with his broken plea.

So help me God, if they glance at each other one more time...

Nina's mom leans forward on the edge of her seat and steals our breath away with her explanation. "The first year she was in inpatient care. For the past year and a half, she's been at home. Healing."

Healing?

Meg lifts her gaze and looks me dead in the eye as she eviscerates my soul. "I called Ridge a few days after she was found, but you changed your number."

The ringing is back, and my knees suddenly ache. I barely hear the rest, but the words still hammer my brain like the torture I deserve.

"I planned to try Kai next, but once we saw the true extent of Nina's...struggles...we thought it was best to allow her to heal first before bringing more people in."

Two and a half years.

It's all my fault.

Every. Single. Thing.

The kidnapping.

Not being there to help her heal.

All. My. Fault.

"She needs you guys."

I don't know the context or who's even speaking. All I know is she needed me, past tense , and I failed at every turn.

Is there any coming back from my mistakes?