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“—invisible car,” Abbe said, snickering.
Bianca giggled with her. “But that’s a big deal, isn’t it? A car like that— and I looked it up, it’s worth about two million dollars.”
“What!” Abbe exclaimed, snarfing her pumpkin latte. She still wasn’t used to being around super wealthy people.
Bianca nodded and continued, “For a car like that to have no registration, no identification?”
“Well, I don’t think hot cop was there to bust drunk drivers,” Charles said, peering at her over the tops of his glasses. “It sounds like your friend Eden might be caught up in something pretty serious.”
Dread started to build in Bianca. “I have to find her.”
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out to find a blocked number on her screen, and a bolt of energy galvanized her. She forced herself to wait until it rang three times before answering.
“Bianca,” Elias said, and that was enough to make her shiver. She clasped her legs together and stood up, jolted by a memory of him in the boat.
“Hi,” she replied, realizing that her voice was too breathy.
Seconds passed. “You were trying to contact me?” he asked, sounding business-like. It threw her.
“Ah, yeah,” she replied, trying to not sound too trampled, though she felt that way. “You remember my friend Eden?” She rolled her eyes at herself. Of course, he remembered Eden. Why was she being so awkward?
“Yes, I remember her,” he said briskly.
“She’s gone missing.”
There was another long pause. “Yes, Detective Roberts mentioned that you were concerned for her. Did you try contacting her next of kin?”
She had no idea what the hell was going on, but she was starting to get angry. “Did you just saynext of kinto me?”
“If you want to file a missing person’s report, you must do so at your local police station forty-eight hours after the last known sighting of the individual,” he said, sounding like a stranger.
None of this felt right. “I—wait, this is coming out wrong,” she said, trying to start over. “I checked at the hospital and they said that someone else had checked Eden out, but her mom didn’t even know she’d been to the hospital. Look, please. I don’t know what’s going on, but she would nevernotcall me after what happened. Can you help me?”
“Look, Miss Loring—” he began.
“Miss Loring?” she practically screamed back at him. “I’m Miss Loring now?”
“You have to wait a full forty-eight hours after she was checked out of the hospital—"
Anger engulfed her. “You know what? Go fuck yourself.” Bianca hit the end button. Her whole body felt hot and her hands were shaking.
“Bianca?” Abbe said, putting a hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she lied, still visibly shaking. She picked Jinx up off the ground and held him as she paced. “I think I can safely saythat’sover.”
Abbe and Charles shared a look. “By that do you mean that you hadstartedsomething with him?” Abbe asked gently.
Bianca laughed, but it wasn’t funny. Nothing was funny to her right now. “Such a bastard.”
“Here’s to bastards,” Charles said raising his toffee coffee frappe.
Bianca forced herself to laugh around the sinking, spiraling feeling in her chest. It was nothing. They’d had nothing. It was one kinky, substance-addled Halloween encounter, and it obviously didn’t mean anything to him so she should just get over it before she embarrassed herself.
She stayed at the shelter and helped Abbe clean kennels and play with the dogs outside, careful to pay the most attention to Jinx so he didn’t take his inferiority-complex-fueled jealousy out on the other animals. Before she knew it, hours had passed, and her brother Rafe was there to pick up Abbe.
She pressed the side of her face against her brother’s keeping the rubber gloves she was wearing away from his impeccable suit.
“What are you doing here?” he asked her, not unhappy to see her, just surprised.
