Page 47 of The Royal Flame
“Are you hungry?” River asks as he reaches for the shifter.
I shake my head, but apparently, he’s catching on to my lies, and says, “We’re going to go get something to eat. And I know you’re going to argue, so you can pay me back whenever you can.”
I want to argue, but I’m so hungry my, I feel sick.
He pulls out of the parking lot and steers onto the road, flipping wipers on as it begins to rain again.
“So, when I took off today,” I start, angling the vent toward me as the air warms up. “I mostly did it because I thought I was going to get expelled for punching Eli. I rode the bus for a while, trying to figure out where to go. I kept thinking about how you and I were supposed to be looking into Ellie’s and your mom’s disappearance today and then an idea came to me, hence the reason I ended up in north side.”
He flicks me a side long glance. “Okay.” Puzzlement creases his features. “What was the idea.”
“Well, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Will acted like he might know something.”
His expression plummets. “Maddy, please tell me you didn’t track him down.”
“Hell know, that’d be stupid,” I assure him. He starts to relax when I add, “I had him come to me.”
His eyes widen. “What?”
“Relax. Nothing happened. And I had this friend of mine—Avery—help me out. She used to date Will and she had this video of him dealing behind his bosses back, which would so get him into trouble.” I ignore the incredulous look he’s giving me. “But anyway, we used that to get information from him.”
He thrums his fingers on top of the shifter. “And did you?”
“Yep. I just don’t know what it means.” I fish my phone out of my pocket as I tell him about the yacht.
Then I show him the photo Will sent me.
“Does it look familiar, by chance?” I ask with hope.
River keeps one hand on the steering wheel as he drives down the highway, the lights of the city growing closer. “No, but it’s also pretty blurry.”
“I know. I was thinking we could have Noah clear it up.” I close the photo and set my phone on my lap. “If we can figure out who the owner is, maybe we can figure out what happened to Ellie. And that could also lead us to your mom.”
He bites on his bottom lip as he stares ahead at the road. “Maybe. But with what you told me… I don’t know, Maddy. It sounds like we could be walking into something really dangerous.”
I arch a brow at him. “More dangerous than having a bloodline that puts a huge target on my back?”
“Good point, but still….” He presses his lips together, pausing for a raindrop of a second. “Have you texted Grey to let him know you’re okay?”
“No. I didn’t even think about it.” I glance down at my phone on my lap as it busses. “I’m not used to having a parent that cares.”
“You should text him,” he says as he changes lanes. “He’s probably freaking out.”
Collecting my phone, I open my messages and send Grey a quick text.
Me: I’m fine. I just had a bad day at school. Sorry I took off. I’ll be back at the academy soon.
Grey: Where are you?
Me: I’m with River. He picked me up from the bus station. We’re going to grab something to eat and then we’re headed back.
Grey: Maddy, I don’t like that you’re unprotected right now. It’s dangerous.
Me: I’m fine. Nothing’s happened. And I’ll be back soon.
Grey: Okay, but I think we need to talk. Can we have lunch together tomorrow? I know a discreet place where we won’t have to worry about anyone spotting us.
“Damn,” I mutter.
