“With who, Cara? I need to know everything.”
“Dr. Snider said the cameras showed her talking to Clint in the hall before leaving with him.”
“And what about Clint?” I ask, pressing the accelerator downas I merge onto the interstate,wishinglikehell this was just a bad dream.“Did he come back to work?”
“No.” Her single-word response lands like an anvil on my chest, making it damn near impossible to breathe.
“Has anyone tried callingClint?”Unease over his involvement flickers to life inside of me. Is his presence a coincidence or something more?
“Yes, both of them. A few times.”
I deflate at her reply. What if they were in a wreck? “Thanks, Cara. If you think of anything else or hear from eitherof them, call me.”
“I will.” The line goesdead.and I give my full focus to the stretch of interstate before me.
The bitter taste of dread coats the inside of my mouth as Ieat up the miles separating us.
It only intensifies as an insidious thought creeps to the forefront of my mind.What if Clintisn’tmissing?What if hetookher?
“Fuck, no,” I mutter the words aloud, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. “Then again... his interest in her was definitely more than friendly.”
God,I’vedevolved to arguing with myself—out loud.But now that the idea’s taken root, Ican’tshake it. He felt likebad newsfrom the moment I first met him. Reading people is somethingI’m damngood at. In fact, the only personI’veever been wrong about was Scarlet.
He’sbeen off from the jump. Too invested in her. Tooeverywherewhen it comes to her.
I tap Silas’s name on my nav screen.“Update?” he asks, getting straight to business.
“Clint, the bartender from The Creek is with her.”
“Are you en route?”
“I am.”
“Good. The shoes were a bust. Bagged in a dumpsteron the edge of town.”
“Feel like I’mgonnapuke,” I mumbleas my vision swims, the road blurring before me.
“Get it together, Wilder,” Silas snaps. “Send me the address you’re heading to.”
“Yeah, okay.” I take a deep breath before grabbing my phone to share the location with him. “Just sent it your way.”
“You’ll make it first, but we won’t be too far behind.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “Yeah, okay.”
“Stay alert,” he orders, the sound of his bike roaring to life as he ends the call.
Within minutes, my phone starts alarming with a sound I’ve never heard before.
“Please, please, please,” I beg as I pull to the shoulder, popping on my flashersand grabbing my phoneonce I come to a stop.
Sure enough, it’s the panic feature on Scarlet’s necklace. She still has it, and she’s alert enough to send the ping.
I give myself two seconds to freak the fuck out before locking in and pulling back into traffic. “Hang tight, Princess.I’mon my way.”
THIRTY-SEVEN
SCARLET