Page 67

Colton

Answering Xander’s call and hearing him say that we lost Haven is like being stabbed in the gut a hundred times. I lose my breath for a second before I remember the tracking app we installed on her phone.

Xander is reminding me of it a moment later, and when my hands are shaking too badly to pull it up, Lucas takes my phone.

Get it together, Colton. She needs you.

“Putting you on speaker,” I say as I watch Lucas press the button before switching over to the tracking app. “Looks like they’re going east on Kingston. Probably headed for the interstate. They’re already a mile out, moving fast.”

“On it.”

Too far. They’re too far ahead.

The timing of it all makes it feel so much worse. We have our entire lives ahead of us, and we were going to take it all on together. I can’t imagine doing it without Haven anymore.

Athelia bursts into the hallway where we’ve all congregated, followed by Wesley, Cal, and Kellan. “What the hell is going on?”

“Haven was kidnapped,” Lucas says, not taking his eyes off my phone.

“What? By who?!”

“Isaiah,” I say numbly.

Athelia’s face pales. “But—but he…” She steps back, right into Wesley, who places a steadying hand on her hip. “No. No, she can’t be gone.”

“Xander is going after her now,” Lucas says. “We’ll get her back.”

Athelia turns to Wesley. “The people you work for. They can help, can’t they?”

Wesley’s face falls. “I don’t think so. I’m sorry, my soul.”

“Please. Please, Wes. Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“No,” I answer for him. “He has no power in the organization.”

Athelia turns her sharp gaze on me. “How the hell do you—” Then it hits her, and she sighs. “Of course. Your father owns it, doesn’t he?”

I nod. “They won’t be willing to expend resources for this.”

At that, Lucas and I exchange a loaded glance.

For now.

“Fuck,” Kellan mutters.

“But—but they could kill her,” Athelia says on a wobbly voice. Tears fill her eyes, and she claps a hand over her mouth to stifle a sob.

“Hey, hey.” Cal pulls her into him. “We’ll find her. I promise, Thelia.”

Wesley and Kellan both exchange a glance, seeming to communicate silently. Their bond is similar to mine with Lucas and Xander. Sometimes, it feels like we can read each other’s minds.

“Let us help,” Wesley says. “We’ll head out and catch up to Xander in case he needs backup.”

I nod, turning back to Lucas, who’s holding the phone up. “What type of car?”

“White Toyota Camry,” Xander responds. “Didn’t catch the license plate.”

“Okay,” I say. “Okay, that should be enough. Wesley and Kellan are heading out, too, just in case you need backup.”

Clapping a hand on my shoulder, Wesley squeezes. “You can call me Wes.”

Our gazes clash for a split second. I thought our rivalry would die out once we all graduated, left unresolved for the rest of our lives. But maybe that’s not the case. Maybe the love Athelia and Haven have for each other will be enough to fix all the resentment between us.

“Thank you.”

Wes nods before he and Kellan sprint off.

The next two hours are hell. I stay connected to Xander the entire time, even while we move back to my house. All of us—Athelia and Cal, Xander’s family, and me and Lucas. We stay in the living room since Phil can’t get upstairs, waiting for any update from Xander, or from Wes and Kellan.

But there’s nothing.

None of us want to admit defeat—that she’s gone—but by now, we don’t even know if Haven is still on the interstate. Hell, maybe I’m wrong and they never actually got on it.

Once it’s dark out, Lucas and I seem to have the same realization at the exact same time. We have no way of knowing where Haven is right now. All Xander is doing is wasting his energy.

“Xander,” Lucas says softly.

“Don’t,” he grits out.

Phil runs a hand through his hair, the pain on his face evident in his voice, too. “Son, it’s time to come home. You’ve lost her.”

“No! Dad, you don’t under—”

“You’re no good to her dead,” I snap. “You’re exhausted, and everyone’s emotions are running high. If you keep chasing after her, you’re going to lose focus and get yourself killed.”

“Kellan and Wes are gonna keep going for another half hour before turning around,” Cal says.

“Then so will I.”

“No, Xan. You need to come home.” It’s Lucas speaking, his voice firmer than I’ve ever heard it when he’s talking to Xander. “We’ll find another way.”

“But I could be so close. She could be right around the next bend, or—”

“Or she’s miles away,” I butt in. “Face it, Xander. They got too much of a head start, and without the tracker, we’re lost. There’s no way they’re still on the interstate. You would’ve caught up to them by now.”

“But—”

“We’re not giving up,” I tell him. “We’ll find her, I promise, but we need to be strategic about this. Come home, and we’ll have a plan by the time you’re back.”

“I can’t let her go.”

“You don’t have her anymore.” It’s Phil who says it, and while I can see how exhausted he is, his voice is gentle. “Not right now, anyway, and the fastest way to get her back is for you to listen to your friends.”

“Fine, but we need to act fast. If we’re right, then she could already be—”

“Don’t,” Lucas cuts in. “Rachel is here.”

“What?” Rachel asks. “Hey! I’m old enough! You don’t have to hide things from me.”

With a heavy sigh, Lucas wraps his arm around her. “You’ve been through enough.”

Rachel protests, but I tune her out and turn to Athelia. We need as much information about where Haven grew up as we can get.

“Did Haven ever tell you the name of the cult?” I ask her. I don’t even know if it has a name, but if it does, Haven never told me.

Athelia shakes her head. “It never seemed relevant.”

“We have to figure out where it is,” I say. “It’s the only way we’re going to find her.”

Athelia gives me a hopeless look. “How are we going to do that? Haven never even told me what state she’s from! She hated talking about that place.”

I almost join in her downspiral before I remember how I met Haven—no, orchestrated our meeting.

“I can think of one person who knows exactly where it is,” I say.

“Who?”

“Julie.”