“That’s so kind of you,” Autumn said, as Lucas opened the passenger door and she climbed inside. “But I want to be there when they find him, you know?”
“I know. When this is all over I’ll tell you about the time Lucas disappeared for days fighting forest fires. I had to be there when he came back. My heart couldn’t take it if I wasn’t.”
Her heart. That’s what the strange aching in Autumn’s chest was. It felt like the muscle had expanded to fill her ribcage, pushing on her lungs until she could barely keep a breath.
Arthur let out a wail. “He’s teething again,” Ember said, making a cooing sound. “I should go, but call me as soon as you know anything, okay?”
“Of course.”
“And tell Lucas to be safe. He’s usually so calm, but he didn’t sound it a minute ago.”
Autumn glanced to her left. He was holding the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were blanched, and that tic was still pulsing at the edge of his jaw. “I promise,” she said before they ended the call.
The streets were empty as they headed out of Angel Sands, Lucas driving his truck past the Silver Sands Resort toward the rockier coastline where Griff’s sweater had been found. She twisted her fingers together and stared out of the window, trying not to notice how dark and foreboding the ocean looked.
It was just her imagination. It always looked that way at night. But she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Griff being out there somewhere.
“He’s a strong swimmer,” Lucas murmured as he parked his car on the grassy lot that led down to Cutter’s Cove. It was like he was reading her mind.
“Yeah. And he knows the water like the back of his hand.”
“He’ll be fine.” Lucas climbed out, Autumn scrambling after him across the rocks toward a group of people standing at the beach. Somebody had set up a row of spot lights, enough for her to see the faces of the people standing there.
Jackson and Breck looked up at them as they walked across the sand. Lucas left her standing with them while he went to talk to a man wearing a blue uniform, his cap pulled down over his brow.
“You okay?” Jackson asked Autumn as she watched Lucas walk away.
She shook her head.
“Me either. When Lucas called I couldn’t stay at home and wait, you know? I needed to be here, see if I could help.”
She nodded, knowing exactly how they felt. Her jaw was tight, her teeth gritted together as she felt her body shiver. It was so cold out here tonight.
Lucas walked back, his face grim. “The Coast Guard is still patrolling the water. They’re gonna send a chopper out at first light.”
Jackson shook his head. “I feel so fucking lame waiting here. We should be out there, looking for him.”
“No you shouldn’t. You’ll just give the Coast Guard more people to search for.” Lucas checked his watch. “It’s only a couple of hours until the sun comes up. If we don’t find him before, we’ll form a search party then.”
“He was out with his old man’s friend, right?” Breck asked. “Sam Hawkins?”
“Yeah.” Lucas’s eyes were on the dark water. “That’s right.” One of the lieutenants from the fire department called his name, and Lucas walked over to talk to him.
“What the hell were they thinking, sailing a wreck like his boat at night?” Breck asked. “Anybody who looks at it could tell it’s an accident waiting to happen.”
“I heard Sam lost it in a poker game,” Jackson said, his eyes narrow. “He probably wanted to stash it before the winner got ahold of it.”
“Griff said
they were taking it to the boatyard for repairs,” Autumn said. They all turned to look at her.
“You spoke to him?” Jackson asked. Three deep lines were furrowed in his brow.
“He texted me yesterday to say he was crewing for a friend.” Her lips tasted salty from the spray in the air. “He was supposed to be home by midnight.”
“So he was definitely on it,” Breck said, his voice low. “I was hoping he’d just fallen asleep somewhere.”
“His sweater was in the water,” Jackson said. “Do we need any more proof than that?”