Micah
“Where could she have gone? Why isn’t she answering?” Frustrated, I throw my phone down, hurling it onto the sidewalk in front of Daphne’s home with a deafening crack. Splintered pieces lay scattered on the concrete. I don’t fucking care. I look up to the sky and let the ice-cold rain pelt my face, its sting like little needles biting into my skin. What the fuck did we do to deserve this?
Beau has been driving me all over town for the last two hours searching for Daph while I’ve been chugging water in an attempt to sober up. We’ve been in communication with Xander and Scarlett the entire time. They haven’t located her either.
“Dude. Breaking Alora’s phone was one thing. Why’d you break your own? Now Daphne can’t contact you if she tries.”
I grip my head in my hands. “I can’t fucking believe Alora.” I’d wanted to throw up when I realized what Daphne must have thought she’d walked in on. The reality was far different. I’d been so out of it I hadn’t even known Alora was there until Beau burst into the room. She’d had her phone all set up to record what I assume was another racy video, only this time it would be of me and her. And I’m sure her intent was to show it to Daphne to make her leave me once and for all.
Only that’s not what happened. Instead, the cards still played in Alora’s favor when poor Daphne showed up in time to witness Alora in action. My eyes slam shut, and I pace, rain dripping down my face, soaking my clothing. My poor girl. Where has she gone? I know she must be hurting. I have to find her. A deep growl rumbles in my chest. “Fuck!” I shout into the night before rubbing my hands over my face in agonized frustration.
“The look on Alora’s face when I flipped on those lights, and she knew she’d been caught …” Beau shakes his head. “I hope she knows better than to show up at my house ever again.”
I laugh, the sound disturbing. “She’d better not come within ten feet of me or I legit might fucking choke her.”
Beau’s phone rings, and he yanks it from his pocket, frowning at first, but then hitting accept on the incoming call. He listens for only a second before all the color drains from his face. “What?” His voice is low. Disbelieving. “We’ll be right there.” He ends the call and his eyes flick up to mine. “That was Max. He’s at the hospital. Daphne—” He blinks rapidly. “Micah, Daph was in an accident.”
My entire world comes crashing down.
I have no recollection of getting back into Beau’s car. No memory of the drive to the hospital. Everything has been a blur since the second Beau uttered the words Daph and accident in the same sentence. My life as I know it has ceased to matter. Nothing will be right until I can see her with my own two eyes and know she’s going to be okay.
In the ER parking lot, Beau cranks the wheel around quickly, turning his Lamborghini Urus into an available space. I’m out before he has the engine off, sprinting the distance to the ER entrance, only stopping when I realize the sliding doors are not going to open quickly enough. Once they do, I burst inside, looking frantically around the room.
There’s a woman at the desk who looks up, her face showing mild concern. “May I help you?”
Before I can say anything, Max hurries over to me, pulling me aside. “Come sit.”
I look at him like he’s grown three heads. “I don’t want to sit. Where’s Daphne?” My voice sounds raw. I’m scared and my emotions are running high.
He blows out a heavy breath. “She’s having some tests run. You couldn’t see her even if they’d let you back there.”
“Even if?”
“You’re not family. Her parents asked me to notify anyone who I thought should know she was here. Then a nurse came and took them through those doors, but made me stay here.”
“Is she okay?”
“I have no idea. They wouldn’t tell me much of anything. I only know she went into a ditch on a road outside of town.” Max holds his hands up, his expression defeated.
My brows pinch together. Where the hell had she been going? “Her parents called you?”
He nods and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah.” He grabs my elbow and pulls me over to the waiting area. I finally sit, dropping my head into my hands.
The doors slide open again, and Beau rushes in. His gaze lands on us and he makes his way over, dodging an old guy in a wheelchair. As he sits down, he murmurs, “I don’t deal well with stuff like this. Is she okay?”
At the same time, Max and I both say, “We don’t know.”
Grimacing, my focus returns to Max. “I want to know why her parents called you and not me.”
He frowns and shrugs. “I don’t know, but don’t be an ass about it. Probably because I’m her friend. And maybe also because when the paramedics brought her in, they handed off her phone to her parents.” He clears his throat. “Nothing like seeing ‘Daph’s Dream Dick’ lighting up your daughter’s phone with text notifications and missed calls.” He shrugs. “I think they figured I’d call you anyway. Not that I have a fucking clue what happened … and now we’re sitting here with our thumbs up our asses not knowing what to do.”
Beau shakes his head, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his thighs. “Dude, it was a complete shitshow.”
“Obviously something happened. You want to tell me what?”
The automatic doors slide open again, revealing Scarlett and Xander this time.
Beau holds up his hands when their mouths open, presumably to ask about Daphne. “We don’t know anything yet.”