29. Declan
DECLAN
My eyes flutter open, a shiver wracking through my entire body.
The chill in the air clings to me like a second skin, seeping into my bones.
I was so warm when I fell asleep, sunshine wrapping around me in thick ribbons.
She was wrapped around me. Skylar. My wife.
I know before I even look that she’s gone.
I wish I could be surprised, but I’m not.
Being with her again after all this time was like a dream come true, but that’s all it was.
A dream that will have to sustain me because once again, I fucked up.
It felt like goodbye when I was inside her. Even though I could feel her surrender the second she let me wrap my hand around her throat, I knew the moment wouldn't last. It was her way of tying up loose ends. But then why did she choose to wear the ring?
It’s not a cage if I choose to wear it.
That’s what she said, isn’t it?
I rub the sleep from my eyes. She says she doesn’t need me to protect her, that she’s strong enough, but she doesn’t know what my dad is capable of.
I’m not even sure I know the full extent of it.
Claire was a dead end. She claimed to have no knowledge of my dad’s unsavory business practices or any arrests.
Then she promptly told me to get fucked.
Chester has been useless, and honestly I’m beginning to wonder if he really is any good at his job.
Despite my better judgment, I even turned to Nate, thinking his job at a cybersecurity company could prove useful, that maybe he could get some dirt on my dad that would help put him away.
Then there’s the arrest record I stumbled upon a few months ago.
Clearly, he paid someone off to get out of it, but there’s no information other than his name and the fact that he was arrested at some point.
That’s where Nate comes in. I was shocked when he agreed to help me, but not na?ve enough to think it wouldn’t come at a cost. Now I owe him a favor, although he’s proving to be almost as useless as Chester.
He told me the record was completely sealed, and that the only way to get any other information involved highly unethical and mostly illegal practices, which was fine by me, but apparently too risky for Nate Caldwell.
He said if Claire was willing to be a whistleblower, it could cause a chain reaction and more people who know about whatever is going on would be willing to come forward.
I know she knows more than she’s letting on, but she made her stance on helping me pretty clear.
A bright light flashes outside the window, pulling me from my thoughts, followed by a clap of thunder.
My chest tightens. Skylar is out there somewhere and now there’s a storm. What if she’s driving in this? She’s only just started feeling confident driving again after her accident.
Fuck.
Grabbing my clothes from the floor, I throw them on in record time, stepping into my boots and shrugging on my jacket. I swipe my phone from the coffee table as I run out the door, calling her. The call goes straight to voicemail.
Fuck fuck fuck.
Where would she go at this time of night? Allie’s restaurant will be closed by now, and Emory has a baby, so they’re probably all sleeping. She doesn’t have any family in town anymore.
Come on, baby. Where would you run to?
Reality slams into me like a truck. Where would she run? The same place she ran after I broke her heart the last time.
I’m sure I break every single speed limit as I race to Ashton’s house.
I don’t bother shutting off the engine as I bolt out of my car and start banging on their door.
I don’t give a shit that it’s almost midnight or that they have neighbors.
Rain clings to my hair, falling in rivulets with the force of my fist against the wood.
Finally Allie answers the door in one of Ash’s T-shirts. Her dark hair is messy, her eyes slightly bloodshot behind her black-rimmed glasses.
“What—” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.
“Where is she?”
She takes her glasses off, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “Not here.”
“That’s not what I asked, Allie. Where. The. Fuck. Is. She?”
“I don’t know, Declan. It’s not my fault you can’t keep tabs on your wife.”
“Allie, I swear to God,” I roar.
“She’s a grown woman. I’m sure she’s fine, but if I had to guess, I’d say she needed some space from you.”
“Needed space? At night? In the fucking rain?” I press, moving in on her, crowding her. I would never hit a woman, but she’s testing my fucking patience right now.
“Declan,” a calm voice calls from behind her. He doesn’t call me out for yelling at his girl or deck me in the face as he probably should. He and Allie have an agreement where he lets her fight her own battles.
Instead, he walks toward the door, placing a subtle protective hand at the small of her back.
“Fuck you, Ash,” I spit. “Tell me where my wife went before I fucking lose it.”
“Have you not already lost it?” Allie mutters, and Ash shoots her a pleading look.
“Did you try calling her?” he asks.
“No, I decided to show up here in the middle of the night for the fun of it. Of course I tried fucking calling her. It went straight to voicemail like ten times.”
Ashton’s face falls, his features tightening with worry as he looks at his wife, whose eyes go wide.
I look between the two of them. “What the fuck are you not telling me?”
“Don’t,” Allie mouths, and if I didn’t before, now I really want to punch her in the face.
“She texted about an hour ago that she was heading into the office. The alarm sends me an alert when it’s disengaged after hours, so she didn’t want me to worry, but…”
“But what?” My patience is wearing thin, and I might smash his face in on behalf of both of them.
“She told me not to tell you.”
Allie huffs, and Ash looks like he wants to say something else, but I don’t wait around to hear it. I’m out the door and flying down the road within seconds.
By the time I get to the Emberfield Lantern and run up to the door, it’s pouring and I’m soaked through.
I jiggle the handle, but it’s locked and the lights are off.
I try calling her again. Normally the sound of her voice calms me, but right now, listening to the recording of her outgoing message fills me with nothing but dread.
I almost throw my phone on the ground, but think better of it. Where the fuck is she?
I’ve never prayed. Not once in my life have I spoken to God, the universe, anything, but right now all I can think to do is fall to my knees right in there in the parking lot as thick drops of rain stream down my face.
I don’t know who I’m speaking to, but I beg for her to be okay.
I’ll let her go. I’ll leave her alone. She’ll never have to hear from me again, just please let her be okay.
Please.
When I finally heave myself off the ground, I spend the next twenty minutes riding around looking for any signs of her, but there are none.
I call Luke just to check, but he tells me he hasn’t heard anything from Skylar and Emory took on a night shift at the hospital.
She’s been there since eight. He tells me he’ll call Emory to see if she’s heard anything, and a few minutes later a text comes through.
Luke
Sorry, man. Em says she hasn’t spoken to Skylar all night. But she’s been in the ER so she would know if Sky had an emergency. That’s good news.
I shake my head. Something is wrong. I know Luke means well, but Skylar not showing up to the hospital doesn’t mean she doesn’t need help, it just means she’s not getting it. What if she’s alone? Or scared? All of a sudden, a thought crosses my mind. What if my dad has done something?
Completely out of options, I pull over and call my father, but once again, it goes straight to voicemail.
He must have me blocked. It’s the only explanation.
He never turns his phone off. I’m not sure what makes me do it, just a feeling I can’t put my finger on, but I call my mom next.
I haven’t spoken to her in weeks. She’s tried to reach out a few times, but my relationship with her is complicated. She answers on the second ring.
“Declan.”
“Hi Mom.”
“What’s going on? Are you okay?” Her voice is rough from sleep and it’s only then that I remember that it’s after midnight.
“No, Mom. I…”
“What? What is it?”
“I lost her, Mom. I don’t…I don’t know where she is.”
There’s a beat of silence and then my mom’s panicked voice fills my ears. “Declan, listen to me. When did you see her last?”
My brain is so scrambled that I don’t catch on to the fact that she didn’t ask who I was talking about. She just knew.
“Declan.” Her voice is strained now.
“I don’t…it was a while ago. We were at home and we fell asleep. When I woke up, she was gone. It’s raining, Mom. She doesn’t like to drive in the rain.”
“Shit.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard my mom curse. Not when my dad used to berate her. Not when he accused her of ruining our family. Not even when she walked in on him countless times with various women. Hearing that word come from my mother’s mouth sets off all sorts of alarm bells.
“Mom,” I whisper.
“I’m going to text you an address, Declan. You have to go there, okay? You have to see if she’s there.”
“What? You’re not making any sense.”
“Declan, please listen to me. You have to go there. Now.”
I don’t have time to ask her anything else because the call ends and my phone chimes with an incoming text.
Mom
27 Shadowbridge Rd.