Across the Vanishing Sky (Starlight Grove, #1)(96)

Vincent crumpled to the pavement, rocking in pain.

“That’s what you get for touching a woman without her permission. Stay the hell away from me. And stay the hell away from Owen. Or you’ll get a lot worse than pepper spray.”

I hurried into my SUV, my hand shaking as I dropped the key fob and pepper spray into the cupholder and took the wheel. Putting the vehicle in drive, I peeled out of the parking lot. The second I hit Mountain View Way, I forced myself to ease off the gas.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re safe.”

I spoke the words over and over to myself. But I wasn’t sure that was true. Physically, maybe. But as my wrist throbbed, I wasn’t even sure of that.

A fresh wave of panic sliced through me as I thought about Owen. The little boy I’d shielded from everything to do with his father. Now that I’d refused the offer of money, I had no doubt Vincent would take me to court. And he’d use his family’s name, resources, and power to sway any judge we got.

“Breathe. Just breathe.”

I remembered what it felt like to feel Dex’s chest rise and fall under my hand. “Breathe with me.”

My eyes stung, but my breathing slowed. And my heart warred with itself. Because I could see the beauty of Dex and me in that one phrase. Breathe with me. The way we said it to each other when we needed it because we understood. The panic. The fear. The source might be different, but the pain was the same.

I knew I was falling. Because of the understanding. Because of some pull I couldn’t name.

And that scared the hell out of me, too.

But I kept breathing. All the way back to the cabins. But as I made that final turn toward home, I caught sight of Dex striding down his front steps. His forearms rippled with the force of him fisting his hands, and his expression had gone thunderous.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

I didn’t even pull the SUV into a spot. I didn’t turn off the engine. I threw it in park. “What? What happened?”

Panic coursed through me. Something was wrong. Nova? If it were about Owen, the call would’ve come to me. But I still found myself checking my phone’s screen, letting out a shaky breath when I saw no missed calls.

And then words I never would’ve expected spilled out of Dex’s mouth. “The camp. They can’t find Skylar. She’s missing.”





39





DEX





My pulse thrummed in my ears as we drove a good ten miles over the speed limit. Yeti leaned against one of the doors and let out a bark as Brae made a hard turn. Yeti probably thought it was a game.

But all I could hear was Kol. “I need you. It’s Sky.” His voice cracked on her name as if breaking. But it was Kol who was breaking. And the rest of us would shatter right along with him if anything had happened to that little princess. Sometimes, it felt like Skylar was the only light in our worlds.

Brae swerved into the lot, pulling right up into a fire lane but not giving a damn. She threw it in park and leapt out.

“You can’t park there,” a counselor yelled.

I sent the boy no older than twenty a look that likely had him pissing himself.

“N-never mind,” he stammered.

But Brae was already running toward Owen, who stood next to the camp director and a stone-faced Kol. And Owen was crying.

Brae ran faster, spurring me into action. The moment she reached him, she sank to her knees and pulled him to her. “Hey, hey. What’s going on?”

Owen let loose a sob. “Max was picking on me again. He shoved me down and broke my glasses. Sky got real mad and chased him toward the woods, but then they didn’t come back, and I don’t know where they are.”

The words were a jumble of tripping syllables, but I could make out the gist. “How long ago?” I gripped Kol’s shoulder as I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

“Forty minutes,” Kol ground out.

I understood his fury. He’d called me less than ten minutes ago, right after the camp had called him, which meant they had stood around with their thumbs up their asses for half an hour before calling anyone.

I glared at the director. “That was real fuckin’ stupid.”

“Language,” the woman snapped.

“That’s the last thing you should be worried about,” Kol snarled. “Maybe you should be worried about my daughter. Who you lost.”

The woman paled as if finally realizing just how bad this was. “I’ll call the sheriff.”

“You do that,” Kol sneered. The last person he trusted was Sheriff Miller.

Brae pulled back from Owen but kept hold of his shoulders. “It’s going to be okay, O.”

“You gotta find her, Mom!” Owen was frantic now. “She was trying to help me. I got her lost, and now no one can find her. But you can, right? You’ll find her. She’s my best friend.”

I knew Owen’s words had to jab straight into Brae’s heart. She struggled to keep her composure. “We’re gonna find her. Do you think you can be really brave while I help Kol and Dex look?”

Owen sniffed, his cheeks streaked with tears. “I-I can be brave.”

A woman I didn’t recognize stepped forward. “Jude and I can stay with him.” She tried to smile. “I’ve even got some video games for emergencies.”