Page 28 of Ice-Cold Obsession

I cross to where she pointed. She follows, repositioning herself, and I lean back against the tree trunk.

“Cross your arms.”

I fold them across my chest, and she snaps the photo. Then she moves closer, her eyes narrowing.

I glance down at my wrist, and I gasp.

The bracelet’s gone.

“One more,” she says. “Back in the grass.”

I don’t move. My eyes scan the ground near my feet, my pulse spiking.

“Gabriel?”

It’s not there. It’s not fucking there!

“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asks.

I spin around, searching the grass near the tree. Nothing. I crouch and run my hands through the blades, my chest tightening.

“Gabriel?”

“My bracelet,” I say. “It’s gone.”

“Oh,” she says. “It should be here somewhere. We didn’t go far.”

I move to the spot where I was lying down earlier, my hands shaking as I comb through the grass.

It has to be here.

It has to be.

“Slow down. We’ll find it,” Scarlett says.

But I can’t slow down. I can’t breathe. My lungs feel like they’re shrinking, and my vision starts to blur.

It’s the only thing I have left of Lucas.

The only thing.

My hands are moving faster now, tearing through the grass, but I can’t see anything. I can’t focus. My chest is so tight it hurts, and my breaths are coming in short, shallow gasps.

“Stop.”

I can’t. I have to find it. I have to.

My throat feels like it’s closing up. I try to pull in air, but it won’t come. The edges of my vision are going dark, and my hands won’t stop trembling.

It’s gone. My brother gave it to me, and now it’s gone.

I press my palms into the grass, trying to steady myself, but nothing works. I can’t get enough air. I can’t think. I can’t do anything, because my hands suddenly won’t cooperate.

Chapter 16

SCARLETT

I’M NOT SURE WHAT TOdo. Gabriel’s on his hands and knees, tearing through the grass like a man possessed, and his breathing is all wrong. He’s having a panic attack, I think.