CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
2:00 p.m.
Kathryn
Shame, embarrassment, loss—they hit Kathryn in waves. She relived it all, every word shot back and forth.
Andrew had transformed the instant the depths of her betrayal seeped in; his eyes grew hard, ice blue, and she hardly recognized him. For a moment, she thought he might do something—smash a lamp or punch the wall, or worse, hurt her—but he hadn’t. Instead, with all the anger knocked out of him by her confession, he’d walked away from her life for the last time. She’d finally lost him, just as she’d always known she would.
The sharp chime of her phone jarred her from her thoughts. A flicker of hope as she reached across her bed to collect it. Maybe Andrew was willing to let her explain.
Javier Quintero. Apprehension swelled, and she cleared her throat. “Hello?”
“Kathryn?” Javi’s voice, hesitant.
Kathryn’s pulse doubled. “Javi? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not trying to scare you; I just wanted—is Max home? He got pretty messed up. I haven’t seen him like that in a while, and when I woke up, he was gone. His car is gone. He’s not answering his phone. I’m worried.”
“I’ll call you back.” Kathryn hung up and rushed down the hall, where she threw Max’s bedroom door open, hoping to see him sleeping off a hangover under his comforter, but his bed was neat, his room eerily still. Her heart thudded. Javi would never betray Max; if he was concerned enough to call, she needed to find Max quickly.
Her call went straight to voicemail in her trembling hands.
“Emmy!” Kathryn dashed across the hall and swung the door open. “Have you heard from Max?” she yelled over the TV.
Emmy scrambled for the remote, muted the TV. “No, why—what’s wrong?”
“He took off from Javi’s early this morning.”
Emmy’s eyes widened.
“His phone is off.”
Emmy covered her mouth, the fear in her expression fueling the sinking feeling in Kathryn’s gut.
“I’m going to drive up Ocean to look for his car. And I’ll call the hospitals.” Kathryn pointed a finger at Emmy. “Get Javi, go anywhere else you think he might be.”
Emmy jumped from bed and pushed her feet into her sandals.
“If you find him, if you hear anything, call me immediately.” Kathryn walked away, leaving Emmy’s bedroom door ajar, then darted down the staircase and ran out the door.