Page 133 of Lucas

“His bike,” I breathe, the pieces clicking into place. “Maybe he went for a ride to clear his head.”

I race outside to the bike shed, my bare feet slapping against the cold flagstones. I wrench open the door. I scan the rows of gleaming bicycles, my heart in my throat until I stop short.

“There’s... There’s an empty rack here,” I tell Cora over the phone. I reach out to touch the bare metal.

I open the equipment closet. “Yes, his helmet is missing, too. I think he went out on his bike.”

“He went cycling alone? At night? And he’s not back yet?” Cora’s voice pitches higher with each question, edging into full-blown hysteria now. “Ava, it’s pitch black out there! What the hell was he thinking?”

“Oh, God. What if something happened to him?” I whisper the terrible thought, the words scraping my throat raw. The vise around my chest tightens another notch until I’m sure my heart will implode under the pressure. “What if he crashed or got lost or...”

“No. No, don’t go there. He’s probably fine. He just got a flat tire or something minor and got stranded without reception,” Cora tries to reassure me, but her voice wavers and cracks, betraying her own escalating fear. “Listen, I’m calling Liam, and we’re coming to the estate now, okay? Just wait for us. Don’t do anything stupid.”

I nod, forgetting she can’t see me. “Okay,” I choke out past the lump in my throat.

I run back to the bedroom and throw on some clothes, my hands shaking as I tug on jeans and a sweater. “He just gotstuck somewhere, and he’s waiting for morning so someone will pass by. That’s all,” I mutter to myself, trying to stave off the panic clawing at my nerves.

It will take Cora and Liam at least an hour to get here from the city. I can look for him in the meantime.

I leap into my Jeep and head out, driving through the fields behind the estate and into the hills where he likes to ride. I drive slowly, my high beams cutting through the inky darkness, but it’s hard to see anything.

I roll down the window and yell into the night. “Lucas! Lucas!”

Only silence answers me, the words swallowed by the rustling leaves and creaking branches.

Where could he be? God, I’m so glad I did this route with him. That I know the way.

I creep along at a snail’s pace, but there’s no sign of Lucas anywhere.

My phone rings, and I jump, a scream lodged in my throat. “Cora,” I answer, my breath coming in sharp pants.

“We’re here. Where are you? The house is empty.”

“I went out to look for him in the Jeep.” My knuckles are white on the steering wheel, my whole body thrumming with tension.

“Did you find anything?” Hope and dread war in her voice.

“Nothing.”

“Send me your location. We’re coming to you.”

I pull up the GPS app and share my location pin, my fingers trembling so badly I nearly drop the phone. “Okay. I sent it,” I confirm, my words wooden and distant to my own ears as if they’re coming from someone else entirely.

“Good. We’ll be there in a few minutes. Just stay put, okay? Don’t move.” The call ends with a click, leaving me in ringing silence once more.

I pull the Jeep to the side of the narrow dirt path and cut the engine, plunging myself into complete darkness. For a moment, I just sit there, staring blankly into the night, my mind a screeching white void of static.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

He’s okay.

He has to be okay. There’s no other option because I haven’t told him yet. I haven’t told him I love him.

After a few minutes, which feels like an eternity, a large vehicle pulls up beside me, and the window rolls down.

“Get inside,” Cora says, her face pale.