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Tugging the blanket up to cover my chest, I’m thankful for refusing to fall asleep naked. Just in case Brinley came back … or we learned where she was and had to rush to save her.
“Ames?”
“Yes,” I answer, attempting to finger brush my hair into some semblance of control.
The door pops open, then a face peers in.
“I’m Luca, Tanner’s girlfriend.”
Thank god she introduced herself. I’ve already forgotten all their names.
Stepping in, she opens the door wider so that another woman can walk in. Emily. Ezra’s girlfriend. We’ve met a few times now, so I recognize her, at least.
“Mind if we come in and talk?”
I take it they aren’t waiting for an answer to that question since they’re already halfway into the room. Both take seats at the end of my bed.
Once the sleepy haze dissipates, panic rushes in.
“Is Brinley okay? Have they found her? Where’s Damon?”
The questions rush out before I can stop them.
Sympathy is written in Luca’s eyes and careful expression. She’s a decent person, quiet but observant. I noticed that much about her at the meeting we had when the rest of Damon’s friends arrived. Emily is just as sympathetic, but something about her rubs me the wrong way. She watches me a little too closely.
“They found Brinley.”
My heart pounds at the good news, and I want my arms around my best friend, holding her so that I know she’s safe.
“Where is she?”
Why didn’t Damon bring her to me immediately?
“Where’s Damon?”
Luca places her hand on my shoulder. “They’re on their way back home. We’ll take Gabe’s plane later today when it returns.”
I hate to feel anguish over this.
I should be relieved that Brinley’s alive, that she’s okay and we have her back.
But Damon promised to let me know if they found her.
Maybe…
Leaning over the bed, I grab my phone. No notifications pop up on the screen. Hoping there was a glitch, I log in to my phone, checking the texts and calls … Nothing.
Glancing over at Luca, my shoulders slump and the disappointment must be clear in my expression.
“They had to leave,” Emily explains, her words rushed because they’re trying to excuse what Damon has done.
My eyes snap to Luca. “But you got a call, right?”
“Well, it was Tanner’s phone. Shane called.”
Eyes over to Emily. “And you got a call?”
She looks away, unable to face what I’m implying. “Yes, well, kind of,” she says, her fingers twisting and tugging at an errant string on the bedspread. “Ezra texted.”
