Page 91 of The One Night Match
Colten finally forced Lexi to get some sleep, an argument that was amusing enough to distract me for a handful of seconds before the dread seeped in once again.
I’m trying not to lose hope, but it’s getting harder the closer we come to sunrise. I’m dressed for the weather, and I’m cold. I’m struggling to see how she could have survived the night in these conditions.
“Any update on the weather?” I ask.
Silence greets me on the other end of the earpiece, and I tap it a few times to make sure it’s still working, only to hear Colten sigh. “The radar doesn’t indicate any chance of this easing up.”
“Fuck,” I growl into the dark night.
“We have the doctor on standby, and a hospital bed reserved if it comes to that. As soon as you find her and get her back here, we’ll be able to get her warm and treated.”
“That’s not going to help if she dies of hypothermia before we find her,” I snap.
“I know, man, I know.”
I force down the anxiety and anger. It’s not doing me any good, and if anything, it’s only going to pull me away from whatI need to be focused on. “Has the other team made any headway on Monica?”
“No. We think they doubled back, but we’re not sure. The cameras aren’t doing shit while it’s raining like this.”
As frustrating as it is, I’m not surprised. I can barely see a few feet ahead, so it stands to reason that the cameras can’t, and in a weird way, it’s comforting.
If the cameras can’t see them, and we can’t see much, then hopefully it means they won’t be able to see Riley.
Or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking.
FORTY-EIGHT
RILEY
Consciousness returns to me slowly, and it takes a few moments to realize what it is that woke me.
It wasn’t the violent shivers that racked through my body as it desperately tried to keep itself warm.
It wasn’t the water that dripped on my shoulder every few seconds, or the sticks and stones pressing into my bare legs.
It wasn’t the sound of the rain hitting the forest floor or the thunder rumbling in the distance.
“You got anything?” a feminine voice asks. “It’s cold as shit out here. Surely she can’t still be alive.”
Monica.
I hold my breath and curl further into myself. The pipe I hit her with is beside me, but I don’t want to risk making a noise by reaching for it.
“Obviously, I don’t have shit,” he snaps. “You’d be the first to know if I found the little bitch.”
She huffs. “You’re an asshole, you know that? I didn’t have to help you.”
He grunts. “Oh yes, the gold digger is doing it out of the kindness of her own heart, and not because I told her I’d ensure she married De Luca once I have what I want.”
What he wants?
Now that he’s closer, I’m certain I know his voice from somewhere, but I can’t place it. Almost as if it’s in the deep recesses of my mind. Like I’ve actively tried to forget it.
My breath catches in my throat as a memory slams into me, almost tearing a gasp from my throat.
“What do you mean you’re not a virgin?” Jeremy snaps, his fists tightening at his sides. “You lied to my father!”
“I didn’t,” I sob. “I told him about my high school boyfriends. I can’t help that he didn’t tell you!”
