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My vision blurred, and the edges grew dark, my head spinning, so I hung up because I needed to make one more call. A desperate call, but one I know might just be the miracle I need to find my man.
I didn’t know how long I’d been passed out, but the sun was rising, and the rain had stopped as if last night had never even happened.
Shivering, I crawled out of the car and peeled off my soaking clothes, looking down at the damage to my body. I had a large cut on my stomach that had gone through my stitches from the shooting. Blood was still seeping from it and the area was bright red. I touched it tentatively, finding it felt warm, despite the fact the rest of me was freezing. Pulling Matt’s bag from the footwell, I tugged on one of his hoodies and his boxer shorts, rolling them over so they’d stay up, before pushing my feet back into my soggy trainers. Taking one of the t-shirts, I tied it around me, grateful that he was as huge as he was so I could use it like a belt to stop the bleeding. I bit down on my lip as I arranged it over the cut, watching the blood seep into the white material.
“I’m coming, Bear. Please be okay.”
I began to make my way along the river, hoping to find Matt somewhere safe, but I knew if he was okay, he would have found his way back to me. I must have walked for about an hour before Tanner called.
“Frankie, where are you?”
“Looking for Matt.”
“Where exactly? I thought you were in the car?”
“I couldn’t just sit there and wait like a damsel in distress. I need to find him. I’m following the river from the house. I’m walking the way the current is flowing. He would have come this way.”
“Are you still bleeding?” I looked down at the fresh blood that had soaked through the shirt and hoodie and was now covering my hand where I’d pressed it to help ease the pain as I walked.
“No, I think I’m all good. It’s stopped,” I lied. “Just focus on finding Matt, please.”
I heard muffled voices as Tanner talked to someone else. “Okay, we’re all here and we’re all looking, too. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, big brother,” I replied, hoping he couldn’t hear the pain in my voice.
“Kay. We’ll see you soon.”
I go to hang up, but I heard him yell my name, making me pull the phone back to my ear.
“I love you, Frankie,” he murmured as if he wasn’t sure if I was listening anymore.
“Love you too,” I replied, listening as he let out a huge sigh before I ended the call and carried on my search.
As the day wore on, I searched the river for Matt, praying he was hanging on to a tree or a root in the riverbank, but there was no sign of him and I knew every minute that passed meant less chance of finding him. A dripping sensation kept hitting my leg as I walked and when I looked down, I saw the blood. My hoodie was now a dark red color, and it ran down my thigh, dripping off my knee with each step.
The warmth of the sun, the fact I’d not eaten or drunk anything for hours, and the blood loss… it was all too much. My head spun, the world got darker, and my legs gave way.
Chapter 26
Tanner
Frankie’sphonecallwasdesperate. We’d come to surprise them both, but the weather was horrendous and then we’d heard that the bridge to the cabin had been washed away. I didn’t understand how they’d ended up in the river until we saw that a huge chunk of the riverbank had simply vanished, collapsing into the water that now swelled where it had been.
The rain had eased to a light drizzle, and we started searching. Mav, Gray, and I running ahead while Emmy and Addi walked slower, searching across to the other side of the river, knowing Frankie was somewhere over there.
My phone rang with an unknown number. Usually, I wouldn’t answer, but my gut told me to I needed to.
“Hello.”
“Tanner Hastings? This is Kain Oakley from the BBC. I had a phone call from your sister asking us to come and help search for her and Matt. What do you need? I’m in a helicopter. Look up.”
I looked up and saw him hovering further up the river. I wanted to yell about exploiting the situation, but Frankie had called him and the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a perfect idea.
“What did she offer you?” I asked because these sharks didn’t do anything for free.
“An interview. An exclusive interview, but I’m not that heartless, Tanner. Frankie and I have become friends over the years. I was there when her and Matt were attacked by that fan with a knife. I didn’t exploit her then and I won’t now. I want to help. She knew I could fly this thing and that eyes in the sky would mean you can search further, quicker. Tell me where you need me.”
“The other end of the river. I don’t know how far down he could have got, but I guess pretty far. He’s been missing for hours. Can you search and circle back to us?”
