Page 80 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

My stomach flip-flops.

My brother has been… erratic. It’s the only way to describe his behavior. We got a call from his school a few weeks ago, and they said he wasn’t welcome back. So we dealt with it. Went up and loaded the car with his things, apologized, and left.

Noah didn’t go with us. He was supposed to, but an hour before we were set to leave, he disappeared.

My junior year is starting soon, but I don’t think Mom or Dad even realize how close we are to summer being over.

I shiver and run through the list of… behaviors.

Dear god, I almost called them symptoms.

Erratic.

Angry.

Fidgety.

I’ve caught him in a lie a few times.

And his friend…

“Kaiden might know where he is,” I suggest.

“I called him. No answer.” Dad turns onto the two-lane highway, the fastest way to Stone Ridge.

“Maybe he’ll answer mine.” I hit his number and hold my breath. It rings twice.

“Little Appleton,” Kaiden answers.

“Hey.” I clear my throat. “Um, do you happen to know where my brother is?”

He sighs. “Nope. We were at a party up in the state forest last night.”

“You were partying in the woods?” I narrow my eyes and put it on speakerphone. “Did you leave with him? Or see if he even left?”

“He left.” Kaiden pauses. “I think he was with a girl. Maybe he shacked up with her?”

I wince. “Lovely. You’re a big help.”

“Wait,” he says.

It’s like he could sense that I was about to hang up on him.

“His phone is probably dead. The girl lives in Stone Ridge.”

Dad grimaces.

I can imagine the type of girls he’s been hanging out with—either they’re his age, lowlifes stuck in one spot forever without a future, or younger.

And I seriously pray he hasn’t been partying with high school girls.

“Text me the address,” I tell him.

I hang up and look at Dad. “You were right.”

“I didn’t want to be right, honey. But he’s been going through a lot since we moved here. He fell into the wrong crowd, and we just didn’t have enough time to deal with it. I thought he might make better choices…”

My phone beeps, and I set the GPS. Fifteen minutes later, we’re parked outside a run-down house. It’s set so close to two other homes, if it felt the need to lean on one, it wouldn’t have far to go. There must be only a few feet between them—enough for some brown grass and broken glass.

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