I hang up and hit redial, barely avoiding a sedan as it changes lanes.
Ringing echoes in my helmet. My pulse throbs in my temples.
Why isn’t she answering?
"Cecilia!" I shout when her voicemail picks up again. "Call me back. Please! Holt made bail. Where are you? I need to know you’re somewhere safe.”
I redial again.
And again.
And again.
Each time, it goes straight to voicemail.
Fuck. I shove my phone into my pocket, hands gripping the bars of my bike so hard that my knuckles blanch.
She has to be okay. She has to ...
I lean forward on my bike, pushing it to dangerous speeds. Lamp posts streak by in a haze. Every one of my nerve endings is alight with fear.
Hold on, Cecilia. I'm coming.
I race into the night, the city flying by in a blur. There's a thrumming urgency in my veins screaming that if I don't find Cecilia soon, it'll be too late. The thought makes my chest constrict. I have to find her.
I can’t be too late.
PART THREE
THE REPLAY
CHAPTER 70
GABRIEL
Present
My frustration mounts with each second that passes. “What do you mean, you won’t go out and look for her?” I demand, my voice echoing through the sterile lobby of the Richland Police Department.
The asshole behind the counter doesn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation right now.
My girl is missing.
She didn’t wander off. She’s not hanging out with friends and ignoring her phone.
She. Is. Missing.
I’ve searched all over campus. The pool. The Wolf Den. The soccer field. Julio spoke to Adriana. She’s not with her. Atticus and Deacon checked all the common spaces at PacNorth U and came up empty-handed. We’ve all taken turns calling her phone. And still, nothing.
I’m spiraling here and running out of places to look.
Felix checked in with Cecilia’s parents right before we came to the station. She hadn’t gone home yet, either.
Dread settles low in my gut.
I have to find her.
“Sir, it’s been less than twenty-four hours since your friend was last?—”
