Page 7 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)

It hurts. I cry out as I relive it.

Someone grabs my arm, threading their fingers through mine. They squeeze my hand, but I’m inconsolable. The truth is blinding, but I finally have answers.

I remember.

4

Caleb

I curl my fingers into the black hat on my lap. It’s hard not to critique Eli’s driving, because we’ve been going in circles for hours. Literally and figuratively.

Eli pried the entire story out of me, piece by piece. At some points, I let information go willingly. But others… He slowed the truck, and out my secrets came.

They float between us, suffocating me.

“So your folks hate Margo because of something her dad did.”

“Basically.”

“And your mom just… left.”

I sigh. “She went upstate. To some sort of… I don’t know. She called it a grieving retreat, but I’m pretty sure it was a resort.”

“Oh, Lydia.” Eli scowls. “And meanwhile, you were being used as a punching bag for your uncle.”

“He’s a twisted fucker,” I mutter.

“Karma will get him.” He’s confident in that assessment, but he’s wrong. Rich men don’t often bow to fate. They’re the exception to the rule.

My phone beeps.

Matt: Got it. Call me.

I flash the screen at Eli and dial Matt’s number.

Without saying hello, he says, “I found her location. Or, last known location. There’s no way to know if she’s still there, since her phone is off, but—”

“An address,” I snap.

“Easy, man, I was getting to that. You know the old bunkers on Columbus?”

Eli scoffs. “Who would take her there?”

Matt pauses. “I didn’t know you had company.”

“It’s Eli. Just get on with it.” I rub at my face. I feel as helpless as ten-year-old Caleb, letting someone else find Margo.

“I think she’s there. It makes sense when I analyze the data, you know? Her last cell ping was actually pretty close to that—which doesn’t make sense—but then her phone went off. And it’s the only remote place in the area. Plus, I hacked into a satellite, and it’s showing that there’s a car parked outside one of the barns.” He clears his throat. “So, yeah. I’d start there.”

“Fuck,” Eli says after I hang up. “What if we actually find her?”

“What?”

“The detective seems to think you’re involved, so…”

I lurch. “Oh my god, I didn’t even think to ask about her foster dad. She’s going to kill me.”

The truck speeds up, flying out of Rose Hill and toward a sort of no-man’s-land between there and Stone Ridge. Rumor has it this area is haunted, but every story is different. Some say the owner of the bunkers went crazy and locked people in, convinced it was the end of the world. Others are convinced we had a cult on our hands, and it was mass suicide.

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