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When I turned back to follow my trail back to Celine, I stopped in my tracks and stared. It was so dark, I couldn’t see any of the trees, any of the marks I’d left.
I’d been such a fool! I’d gone on after dark, frantic to find help, to push as long and as hard as I could, and I’d forgotten all the facts. I shouldn’t have traveled at night. I should have waited until morning. I should have…
The sound of my phone pinging snapped me out of my thoughts. I grabbed it out of my pocket. The only reason I still had battery power was that nothing had drained our phones—without signal and a reason to use it, the battery had lasted.
Messages poured in that hadn’t been able to get through the last couple of days, but I didn’t give a shit what they said. I had signal!
I dialed Gino’s number, and when the dialing tone sounded in my ear, I cried.
“Lorenzo?” Gino answered. “Fuck, I thought you were dead.” He was crying too. “Where the hell are you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But I can send you a location now. Celine is hurt. We need help as soon as possible.”
“We’re coming for you,” Gino said.
When we ended the call, and I’d sent the location, I sagged against a tree.
The nightmare was finally over.
Chapter 23
Celine
I dreamed. Lorenzo was somewhere in the darkness, and I called out to him but he couldn’t hear me. I tried to wave, but he couldn’t see me. When I tried to get to him, my leg hurt so much I couldn’t move.
“Lorenzo!” I cried out.
He was laughing, talking to someone. Why could I see him, hear him, but he couldn’t see or hear me?
“Lorenzo!” I called again.
“Celine,” someone called to my side, but I ignored them. I didn’t care about anyone but Lorenzo. I needed him to look at me. If he could just look at me, smile at me, I would know that things were going to be okay. This darkness wouldn’t last forever, and—
“Celine,” someone said, and something warm touched my shoulder. I blinked my eyes open. Everything around me was gray, and I could barely see, but someone kneeled next to me. A light went on, and I saw the face.
I didn’t know him.
“Celine, we’re here to help you,” he said. He wore a red jumpsuit and gloves.
“Where’s Lorenzo?” I asked.
“He’s safe,” the man said. “I’m Brian, and this here’s Kate. She’s going to check you out, okay?”
“Where’s Lorenzo?” I asked again, looking around frantically. The movement made my head ache, and I winced when Kate touched my ankle.
“It hurts,” I cried out. “How did you find us?”
“Lorenzo called us. He found signal, and we located him before we found you.”
I shook my head and regretted it. I was dizzy and my mouth was like cotton. My phone lay on the floor. When I picked it up, I saw a message typed in my notes.
Gone to get help.
How had he done it?
How long had he been gone?
“Where is he?” I asked.
