Page 64

Chloe

Gone too long

As usual, I’d woken just as Lincoln came out of sleep with a startled gasp. I knew, even though he was open with me about his nightmares, that he didn’t love it when I asked him how he was. I sensed it unsettled him.

So I’d waited there in the quiet, and he seemed to relax a little. I dozed back off, only to wake again at the sound of the door clicking shut. I knew sometimes he just needed fresh air.

“It’s fine,” I said to myself in the darkness. He would be back. He always was.

But I couldn’t fall back asleep, I was too unsettled. So I lie there, trying not to worry, sort of dozing in and out, but checking the clock again and again. After a full hour ticked past, it was impossible to go back to sleep. An hour was too long. Usually Lincoln was back in bed after about half an hour.

I scrambled out of bed, got dressed quickly, and walked into the hallway, looking around. There was no sign of him at all. Not in the kitchen, not in my office, not in any of the gear rooms. I wondered if maybe he’d gone back to his own bedroom in the suite where Asher and Grady stayed. Uncertain what to do, I tiptoed in quietly, but his bedroom door was wide open. Now, the panic started in earnest, kicking up a storm in my chest.

Not knowing which bedroom was Asher’s or Grady’s, I finally spoke aloud. “Guys, it’s Chloe. Lincoln went for a walk and it’s been an hour. It’s never been this long. I came in here because I thought maybe he came to his room, but he’s not here. He’s nowhere in the resort. What should we do?”

I was surprised when one door and then another swung open, Asher and Grady appearing. Asher was tugging on a t-shirt and Grady already had one on. “What?” Grady said, rubbing a hand over his eyes before focusing on me.

“Lincoln had a nightmare and he likes to walk outside when that happens, but it’s been over an hour.”

Both of them were alert instantly. “We need to go find him,” Asher said.

“We need to round the troops,” Grady added practically.

Without waiting, they called Haven and Jude, and even Maggie. Within about ten minutes, everyone was gathering in the gear room, making decisions about where to go and what to do.

“Do you know where he usually walks?” Maggie asked, twisting her hands.

“Mom, you are not going out in the snow,” Grady said firmly.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I can wait here. Everybody take your cell phones and the satellite phones in case you lose reception. He can’t have gone far.”

“I want to go,” I said.

“Of course, you should go,” Elsa chimed in.

She helped me get into the right gear, and we all fanned out into the darkness with a plan. Kendall paired herself with me, along with her two huskies.

“I’ll be fine,” I insisted.

“I know, but we’re going to go in the same direction until we get to the top of the trail. Okay?”

I held her gaze and nodded. Even though I wanted to be tough and act like I had this, I didn’t have as much outdoor experience, and it was dark. Still, it felt good to be outside, to be doing something.

We walked quietly for the first few minutes, my nerves wound tight and my fear for Lincoln a weight in my chest. “I’m sure he’s fine,” Kendall said at one point.

“I know, but what if he’s not?”

“I understand. I’d be freaking out if it was Jude.” She looped her hand through my elbow and squeezed as we continued walking. “You’ve been on this trail, right?”

“A few times. It’s got that pretty view up at the top. Aside from the falls, this is the one I’ve walked the most.”

“Good. When we get toward the top, there’s one trail that branches further off to one side. I’ll take that, and you keep an eye out over the valley. There are a few slippery stretches he could have fallen on.”

“Fallen?” I tried not to panic.

I wanted to fix this. I wanted Lincoln back safe. I wanted him to stop having nightmares. I also felt a twist of guilt that I’d let myself get so tangled up in my own insecurity over the distance between us lately.

Every step through the darkness felt weighted with fear. The occasional call of an owl nearby did nothing to ease it. I was scared. I’d never been scared for Lincoln before. He was so strong and protective and steady. Now, I was more worried than I could’ve imagined.