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That’s what I’d thought, but I wasn’t so sure anymore.
“Thanks for your help,” I said in a rush. “I’ll try to give him another call.”
“No problem. I hope you get this figured out.”
“Me too.”
She said a quick goodbye, and I hung up the phone. Immediately I dialed Xander’s number. It went to voicemail.
I scowled at the phone. Something wasn’t feeling right here…
My phone started to ring, startling me. It wasn’t Xander, though.
“Yeah,” I said, voice sharper than I intended.
“Reid? It’s Emersyn.”
Her voice sounded wrong; it was tight with worry. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
“What’s wrong?” I didn’t know Emersyn that well, but I’d never heard her sound so…terrified. She sounded on the verge of tears.
“I’m at Callie’s Tavern.” In the distance, the sound of music drifted through the line. “I was here with Lark, but something happened.”
My head spun. My chest constricted, my lungs locking up around a breath. “Is she okay?” I said, my voice pinched with fear.
“She ran outside to get some air, and when she didn’t come back for a while, I went out to check on her and—” She cut herself off as her voice broke.
My world seemed to shatter with it. “Where is she, Emersyn?”
Emersyn’s breaths shuddered. “I can’t find her. She’s gone.”
36
Lark
The scent of something sharp hit my nose, making me jerk awake.
My head was slow and groggy. The sound of sloshing liquid confused me, but as I tried to look around, the room spun. I blinked to try to clear my vision, and my eyes caught the light fixture beaming bright above my head. I winced, screwing my eyes closed. A throbbing pain pulsed near my temple. I focused on orienting myself. The pain in my head became more acute and localized, like someone had hit me there.
I let out a gasp. My eyes popped open as the memory crashed over me. I had hit my head. I’d been thrown hard into the side of a building by…
“Xander.” I said his name on a breath as his form swam into focus.
I had no idea where we were, but I recognized nothing. It was a long, dingy room that looked like it hadn’t ever been cleaned. Garbage littered the brown shag carpet; fast-food bags and beer cans and empty chip bags were left sitting on the worn furniture. I stared at the windows and the walls. There was something familiar about them. I had never been here before but…I think I was in a trailer home of some kind.
Xander stilled at the sound of his name, and I realized he had something red and large in his hands.
My stomach twisted in a knot. It was a gas can. The smell that had woken me hit me again, permeating the small space so thickly that I coughed. I tried to cover my nose with a hand, but a pressure around my wrists stopped me.
With a shot of pure dread, I looked down at myself. I was seated in an old chair. The back and seat were padded, but the arms and legs of the chair were solid wood. My wrist and ankles were secured to them with zip ties so tight, it obstructed the circulation.
I tried to remain calm as I drew in a deep breath, but my mind flooded with fear and anxiety.
My head snapped back to Xander. He stood on the other side of the room, the gas can in his hand. He barely looked like the man I knew. This Xander was…something else entirely. His eyes were red-rimmed and wild. His hair was tousled and messy, sticking to his sweat-slicked forehead. His chest heaved in heavy breaths.
“Xander,” I said, trying with everything I had to keep my voice even. “What’s going on?”
His brows drew together, his face crumpling with emotion. “I’m so sorry, Lark.” His voice cracked. “This wasn’t what I wanted to do. This wasn’t what was supposed to happen.”
