Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164910 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 825(@200wpm)___ 660(@250wpm)___ 550(@300wpm)
But he lifts his head as if something occurred to him. “Where’s Anna-Katherine?”
I hesitate, thinking. She went with Aracely hours ago, but I haven’t seen her.
“She was with the girls,” I reply. “They’re outside.”
She must be with them. How could I not check?
We leave, and I grab my phone on the way out, the battery nearly dead.
Jogging down the stairs, we bolt through the kitchen and out the patio door. Clay, Liv, and Krisjen linger around the pool, relaxing after the long day of cleanup.
I scan for Aracely, but she’s not here. My sister is probably with her.
“Where’s Anna-Katherine?” I ask.
They stop, trading looks. Finally, Liv says, “Well, she was inside. Isn’t she now?”
My pulse throbs everywhere. Fuck.
Dallas jets inside, while I bring up the app on my phone to track her.
I hear him call her name, and I’m going to call her phone, but I need to make sure she’s in Sanoa Bay first.
As soon as he comes running back outside, I find her phone, recognizing the intersections immediately. “Marymount,” I tell him.
Without saying a word, we head for his car at the same time.
“Keep your phones on,” he tells his sister and the others.
Yanking open the doors, we climb into his Supra, and in seconds, we’re racing down the road toward St. Carmen.
How did she get to Marymount? Why?
She knows she’s not supposed to go anywhere without letting me know.
“Is your father tracking her?” Dallas asks, driving.
I shake my head, still distracted. “Uh, I pay for her phone,” I breathe out. “Ava and I monitor her settings, but…”
Who knows if he found a way to track it. We can’t make a move anymore without leaving a footprint.
He taps the screen of his phone on the mount, and I hear it ring several times.
He ends the call. “Army’s not answering.”
Should I call the police? Grady can be trusted. I think.
“Shit.” I roll down the window to get some air. My damn heart is about to explode. “Why would she leave without telling us?”
Did someone tell her I was there? Was she lured?
She knows to use Uber in an emergency, but she’s never had to. She uses her bike—which is at the house—or she uses…
Barnes.
Oh, shit.
Quickly, I call the driver. I would think someone would’ve noticed a sleek black car coming into the Bay, but you can’t see the road from the pool, and Dallas’s brothers are still out handling shit. Except for Trace, who’s at the pub.
Barnes picks up after two rings. I don’t wait for him to say hello.
“Did you pick up Anna-Katherine?” I burst out.
“Yes,” he replies. “We’re at the school.”
I wet my throat, thankful it wasn’t someone else who got her there under false pretenses.
“I’m waiting for her outside,” he tells me. “Something about checking her art after the storm.”
Right. The windows. She was probably panicked when she realized that St. Carmen probably had downed trees like Sanoa Bay.
“She called you, right?” I press.
“Yes.”
I almost smile, relieved.
Then it hits me, and my nerves fire again. I pull the phone away from my ear, looking to Dallas. “He’s not tracking her,” I whisper, “but he’s tracking the driver.”
If my father is in town, he uses the car. If it’s not at home, he’ll look to see where my stepmother or I’m at.
Sweat beads on Dallas’s neck. “Fuck.”
I hold the phone to my ear again. “I need you to go in and get her,” I say loud and clear. “Tell her I said it’s not safe. I’m on my way.”
“Your father just arrived,” he retorts. “He’s with her now.”
My heart sinks into my stomach. Goddammit!
“Go get her!” I growl.
I hang up and grip the doorframe. “He’s there,” I tell Dallas. “Floor it!”
We race into St. Carmen, kicking up puddles and mud as we speed to the school. I’m glad we don’t see any cops. They’re probably all busy settling up whatever trouble happened during the storm, but at the same time, a cop might be nice.
Racing up the street, we barrel into the school’s parking lot until I see Barnes’s car. Screeching to a halt, Dallas and I both run out, and I spin around, noting my father’s silver car parked along the fencing.
We swing open the side door, both of us keeping our eyes peeled as we run as fast as we can up to Dallas’s classroom.
Racing through his door, we find the lights on but no Anna-Katherine. We search every corner, the nook, and I even yank out Dallas’s desk chair. She’s not hiding under his desk, though.
He holds up her backpack from the windowsill, her phone underneath.
My lungs empty, and I want to fly off the handle, but we don’t have time to lose.
“Spread out,” I tell him, moving for the door.
He chases after me. “No fucking way.”
I twist around and catch him, kissing him. My father’s car is still here, so she’s still here.