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45
Solene
"Oh, my god! I came as soon as I heard." I rush into the townhouse I left in a hurry just a few hours earlier. The girls and I had been on our third miniature bottles of alcohol each, when my phone rang with a call from Cade. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t well on our way to getting wasted, but the news he gave us had the effect of sobering us up right away. We each downed a cup of coffee, brushed our teeth, then Rick drove us over.
I make my way toward the living room, Penny and Mira on my heels. Sinclair’s whippet Max clatters toward me, his nails scrabbling on the wooden floor of the hallway. I pause to pet him, then glance up at Summer. "How is she?"
Summer shakes her head. "It was all so chaotic. The base called Abby first, and when they couldn’t reach her, tried Declan, then Cade, who picked up the call. They’re in the living room." She gestures in that direction.
Max moves onto Penny, who fusses over him.
I’m familiar with the layout of the house, for obvious reasons. I head down the hallway and toward the spacious living space. I walk in and, once more, appreciate the floor-to-ceiling sliding doors at the back which open onto the back garden where the reception was held earlier. The space is now dark, aside from some subdued nighttime lighting, and the wedding tent has been cleared, as has the table and chairs where we ate earlier. Hidden lights illuminate the bushes and trees and beyond that, in the distance, the lights of London twinkle.
Inside, there’s a fire in the hearth, and on the wide sofa opposite, Abby is curled up with her legs under her next to Cade, who’s holding her close. Abby no longer has her veil, and Cade has pulled off his bowtie, other than that, they are still in their wedding clothes. Abby’s hair is down from the twist she put it up into earlier, and her eyes are swollen. She glances up at me, and her lips trembles. I rush toward her, sink down to my knees in front of the sofa, and take her hands in mine and whisper, "I’m so sorry, Abby."
"H-he’s not dead. I know they’re not holding out much hope, but they haven’t found his body, so he has to be alive, right?" Tears roll down her cheek.
All I knew was that he was missing. This is the first I'm hearing it may be much more serious than that.
"The aircraft he was in went down inside enemy lines. They lost contact five days ago," Cade says in a low voice.
"Five days?" I swallow down the emotion that crowds my chest.
"They would have liked to wait longer before they called us, but there’s been a leak to the press." Cade sets his jaw. "The news will be out—"
"It’s out now." Declan holds up his phone from where he’s standing propped up against the bar on the far right of the room.
Abby makes a noise at the back of her throat, and Cade pulls her even closer. "I know, baby, and I’m so sorry this is happening." He cups her cheek. "If I could do anything to take away the pain this is causing you, I would."
Abby swallows. "It must have happened just after we spoke to him. He wanted us to go ahead with the wedding. He wouldn’t hear of us waiting for him. He must have had an inkling about… About…" Her features crumple. She pulls away from me and buries her face in Cade’s chest.
"Shh, baby." Cade runs his hand down her hair. He’s pale under his tan. "Please, don’t cry. It kills me to see you like this."
She only sobs louder. Cade lifts her into his lap and begins to rock her. The tenderness in his gestures, the way he tucks her head under his chin, the way he holds her like she’s the most precious thing in his life, makes the ache in my heart grow stronger. My ribcage feels too tight. A heaviness knocks at the backs of my eyes as I recall when Declan held me just like that. When he pushes her hair back from her cheek, it feels like I’m intruding on what’s a very private moment.
I rise to my feet and back away. The hair on the back of my neck stands to attention. Before I can tell myself to stop, I turn my head. Cold blue eyes meet mine. The eyes that have graced the big screen and been celebrated by gossip magazines and his fan clubs. Eyes that have sent women around the world into a swoon. Eyes that glare at me like it’s my fault Knight is lost in action. I blank my features before I hold his gaze and his jaw tics. All of the muscles in his body are coiled so tightly, he positively vibrates with rage. He pockets his phone, and that breaks the spell.
I turn and walk into the corridor, where Penny and Mira are talking with Summer. Max is no longer with them.
"Sinclair is with Michael and JJ in the study." Summer glances between us. "They’re reaching out to their sources to get as much information as possible about Knight’s situation. Her baby was fussing so Karma went home. The others, too, had to leave. I’ll add you three to our girls’ chat group so you can stay updated about Knight."
Another baby’s cry sounds from the floor above. She looks upward, then at us. "I’m sorry, I have to—"
"Go, please, your little one needs you." I touch her shoulder. "We should probably leave, as well."
"Oh, please stay. I’m sure Abby appreciates you three rushing over; you all are such good friends." The baby’s cries grow more strident, and Summer pulls away. "It’s a year, and I’m still breastfeeding. I really do have to wean her away, but I’m not ready, you now?"
I nod. I haven’t been in that position, but I’ll take her word for it.
"There’s food and drinks laid out in the kitchen." She turns to leave. "Feel free to stay as long as you want."
"Don’t mind if we do." Mira tips up her chin.
Penny and I scowl at her, but she raises her hands. "What? All I’m saying is, it might be good for us to hang around a little longer—" She glances about the plush space. "If you remember, she said there were enough guest rooms—"
"There are." Summer smiles at us over her shoulder. "I’ll get Jeeves to show you to them. Feel free to stay over. I know Cade and Abby, as well as Declan are."
Well then. If he’s staying over, then I’m not. No way, do I trust myself under the same roof as him.
