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“Yeah…okay. Thanks.”
I turned away and trekked quickly to the locker room, my heart in my throat.
He knew. Goddamnit he knew. The conversation I had with Finn really was a setup. Why else would the three of them randomly disappear like that?
Maybe not,my subconscious strongly argued back at me, which sent an extra dose of extreme paranoia flooding through my veins.Don’t overreact. Everything is fine. Jace is fine.Youare fine.
Panic ran over me like a freight train. My chest tightened, making it painfully hard to breathe.
When I made it to my locker, I twisted in the combination and opened it, retrieving my phone. Other than two unread messages from Sky, nobody had contacted me. My phone was literally drier than a piece of stale toast.
Sky: I know you’re home for the weekend but the Ravagers are throwing a party tomorrow night…
And the second text.
You should come…
I immediately snorted and switched over to my texts with Jace. My body shook as I typed out a quick message to him and pressed SEND.
Where are you? Are you okay?
I sat down on the bench behind me and waited, my bare legs anxiously bouncing. Another five minutes went by with no response.
My thumb hovered over the phone symbol, my body shaking harder as I considered my decision. It was a risk, but I was worried and needed to know Jace was okay. As soon as I heard his voice, I’d hang up.
Yeah, well…so much for that because the call went straight to voicemail.
Sucking in a breath, I pulled off my mask and placed it beside me, closing my eyes. I breathed in and out slowly to calm myself, albeit it did nothing to stop the tears slipping out the corners of my eyes.
Please don’t be dead. Please don’t be dead.
I got to my feet then and slid my phone back in my locker, slamming it shut a second later. As I grabbed my mask and turned to walk out the door, it opened. A huge gush of air whooshed out my chest as I took in Ginger and her horribly smudged eyeliner staring back at me.
“Hey…your section is cleaned up and you’ve got—” She froze, her dark, raccoon eyes widening as they swept over my face. “What’s wrong?”
“Damien,” I said weakly, sniffling to myself as my feet guided me back to the bench. I sat down, knuckling away a tear. “I-I think he knows about me and Jace.”
“What?”Fear swept over her face. Ginger rushed to my side and plopped down, facing me. “What happened?”
“I was a little upset Jace wasn’t there when Finn picked me up from the academy. I had a weak moment and Finn noticed. He said he knew Jace and I were hooking up.”
A muscle thrummed along Ginger’s jaw. “Did he, now?”
“Yes. And now he, Jace, and Damien are gone and nobody around here seems to know where the fuck they are or what they’re doing. Jace’s phone is off. I’m scared half to death that Finn ratted us out and that Jace is dead in a ditch somewhere with a bullet in his head.”
“Oh, Samara.” Ginger’s voice was soft as she tightly wrapped her arms around me. “Jace is fine. He and Finn are on an assignment. Damien is tagging along so he can assess their performance. Jace didn’t tell you?”
I pulled away from her and observed her expression. There wasn’t a whiff of dishonesty present on any crease of her face. I relaxed, allowing the tension to die out in my shoulders.
“No. Last time he and I engaged in verbal interaction was this past Sunday, when he and Finn dropped me off at the academy.”
Memories of that day flashed through my head. Of Jace confessing his true feelings for me. Of him foolishly asking me to run away with him. The hurt on his face when I refused. It ate at my heart in ways I didn’t understand.
Or maybe I did and I was just too goddamn stubborn to admit it to myself.
No…I wouldn’t. Icouldn’t.I stand by what I’d said before. It broke my heart, it really did, but it was time to move on. Deep down I knew this was for the best.
“Oh, yeah.” Ginger frowned at me. “I heard about that. Jace told me.”
