“You made cucumber water?”
“Don’t give me shit. It was healthier than the handle of tequila I reached for first.”
“Excellent point. It is late. Maybe I’ll have some cucumber water too.” Carrying my phone and his glass, I walked to the kitchen and backed into the only corner not visible from the den. Then I typed out a message.
Me: Hey, I should probably confess now that I’m really bad with locked doors. I just realized the settlement emails were sent today. If you ever feel the need to knock, I’m here.
Bowen: I don’t give a shit about doors, locked or not. If you need something, I’ll rip it off the damn hinges. Are you okay?
I smiled down at my phone. That was a little…aggressive but also super sweet.
Me: I’m fine. Aaron’s struggling a little tonight. I wanted to make sure you were good before I disappeared to hang out with him.
Bowen: Don’t worry about me. I spent my evening with a beautiful woman who is utterly intoxicating. It’s going to take far more than a settlement email to get me down. Take care of your friend, and call me if you need anything.
My chest warmed. It was good to see Bowen put the same energy into being charming as he had into being cranky.
Still grinning, I refilled Aaron’s glass and made one for myself before once again joining him on the couch.
“I hope you made it stiff,” he said dryly, taking the drink from my hand.
“Double cucumber. I even picked out a slice of lemon just for you.”
“Oh, goodie.” His voice was full of contempt. “Open yours and let’s see how many orphaned kids you’ll be able to put through college.”
I hated every part of this, but the sooner it was over, the better.
For all of us.
I opened the email and clicked on the link. It took a few minutes for me to verify my identity, but as soon as I hit enter, both of our jaws dropped.
Two-point-nine million dollars.
“Oh my God,” I breathed.
He let out a groan. “It’s still not enough.”
He was right, but the damage had been done. This money would make a difference in the lives of a lot of people. Including my own.
Unfortunately, the future was the only thing I could change.
Bowen
Eight months before the plane crash…
The shriek of my phone ringing on full volume startled me awake. A week of exhaustion clung to my mind, and it took several beats before razor-sharp reality rained down over me, slicing me to the core. I had no concept of what time it was. After yet another long night of fruitlessly searching the city, I’d only lain down for a minute. But the sun, which had been tucked behind the horizon, now poured in through my bedroom windows.
“Hello,” I rasped, scrubbing a hand over my face.
“They found her,” Tyson said, his voice barely above a whisper.
That was all I’d needed to kick-start my heart again. A tsunami of adrenaline flooded my system. “Is she okay?”
“She’s…alive.”
Sally. Oh, God, Sally.
An avalanche of relief crashed down over me.
It had been five days since she’d disappeared.
Five agonizing days of losing my mind and assuming the worst.
Five whole damn days since I’d been able to breathe without it feeling like my lungs were full of broken glass.
“You gotta give me more than that, Ty.” I stabbed my feet into a pair of running shoes and headed toward the front door.
“She was brought in by ambulance. Her vitals are good, but they found her in her car, down by the trails on Grove Hill. The EMT gave her Narcan, but—”
I froze mid-step. “Wait. What the fuck are you talking about?”
He blew out a hard breath. “Did you know she was an addict?”
I shook my head, nothing making sense. “That’s impossible.”
“I would have said that too, but you haven’t seen her. She’s covered in track marks. If she wasn’t using regularly before she disappeared, that’s all she’s done since.”
“There’s no fucking way. I would have known. I would’ve noticed something.”
“Would you? You’ve been together for, what, a month now?”
“I would have fucking known!” I boomed, my voice echoing around my living room as I marched into it.
No, we hadn’t been together long. It was the same bullshit her friends and family had given me over the last few days while I’d flipped the city on end trying to find her. But I fucking knew her in ways no one else ever would. We were two halves of the same whole, and I didn’t need to spend a Goddamn decade with her to know it. She was my forever; the rest would come later.
“There must be another explanation,” I told my brother. “I’ve searched Grove Hill every day this week. If she was there this morning, then where the hell has she been for the last five days?” I slapped a hand down on the counter as I rounded it on the way to the door, grabbing my keys. “What hospital are you at?”
