The question hits me out of left field, and my eyes widen in just such a way that I probably look guilty as fuck. To be fair, I actually don’t know where Parrish is. But I know he’s alive. I know he isn’t safe. I know he’s hurt. I stare at Maxx for so long that his face starts to change, turning into a look of alarm that must be reflected in my own gaze.
I turn away from him, but he won’t let me go, grabbing onto my shoulder and forcefully turning me around. He leans down and looks straight into my face, and I swear, I forget how to lie. It dissipates like water on hot pavement. Nothing but steam.
“What happened? Where is he?” Maxx breathes, and I see this terrible spark of hope in his eyes. He’s worried, but he’s also glad that I know something, that his friend hasn’t just disappeared into the ether. “Dakota, you can tell me.”
The sound of someone coming down the stairs give us both pause. Maxx releases me and steps back as Tess appears in the foyer beside us. The way she looks at me … I’ll never forget her expression for as long as I live. My cheeks—yes, and my boobs—turn a brilliant red as I remember the feel of the heavy typewriter in my hands, the sound of shattering glass as it made contact with the BMW.
She says nothing as she moves past me, like a ghost has possessed Tess’ body and taken away all the fight she had left.
Using Maxx’s brief moment of distraction, I slip into the garage, noticing that the safety glass has been cleaned up, and head for Chasm’s idling car.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Maxx calls out, grabbing my arm before I can complete my escape. “Dakota, you know something. You do. I can see it in your face.”
“Can you please arrange for me to see Maxine?” I repeat, because I can’t tell Maxx. It’s too risky. I shouldn’t even have told Chasm. I reach up and carefully remove Maxx’s hand from my arm before climbing into the car. He says nothing, just stands in the garage and watches us until we disappear up the road toward the academy.
School is fucking torturous.
Everyone wants to talk to me, but not for the right reasons. They’re all salivating to get the scoop on Parrish, but not because most of them are concerned, because they find the entire situation amusing.
Maxx did warn me about Whitehall, after all.
“He suspects something?” Chasm asks me at lunch, standing in the theater while Lumen and Danyella run off to grab us lunch. They both genuinely care, at least, and they’ve been trying to take care of us both all day. Chas taps his toe against the floor, his back against the front of the stage, arms crossed.
“He won’t tell anyone, will he?” I ask, but even as the words are leaving my mouth, I know the answer. Maxx isn’t like that. We might not know each other very well, but I get the feeling that he wouldn’t give up my secrets so easily.
“Maxx? Please.” Chasm snorts again and looks away. “He has these annoyingly rigid morals. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out what they are, but once you know, you can be assured that he’ll never break them. He won’t tell anyone unless he thinks it’ll benefit both you and Parrish without a doubt. Until then, he’ll keep it to himself. But, he’s going to be suspicious as shit until then.”
“Fantastic.” I rub at my cheeks and close my eyes, wondering how Tess could even think to send us all to school while her son is missing. Then again, it’s nearly the end of the school year; we can’t miss more than a few days without falling behind.
That, and she was probably foaming at the mouth to get rid of me. Can’t say I blame her.
I drop my hands to my lap before sliding my phone from my blazer pocket to check for messages. There’s still nothing. It’s infuriating. No matter how many times I text, it seems I’m not going to get a reply until the kidnapper is damn good and ready. The kidnapper … my father. I mean, it could be true, but it could also be a bunch of bullshit. It really could be one of Tess’ crazed fans; I know there are people out there who are like that.
Googling the number didn’t help me either. It’s likely a burner phone, so there isn’t much I could do with it. The next thing I looked up—with my phone under my desk in second period, mind you—was search for local wineries and houses with wine cellars that are or were for sale sometime recently. Nothing there either. But I’m just getting started.
I nibble on my thumb nail, pausing when Danyella and Lumen head back into the theater with food for the four of us.
“I bet Parrish is in Cancun,” Lumen muses, handing me my tray. I’m not hungry, but I force myself to unwrap the baked potato, dumping the butter and sour cream into it and taking a robotic bite. I’ll need fuel, right? Hit points. Hearts. My health bar. A life gauge. “Or maybe Saint Croix with Maria Cortez. I hear she’s vacationing there until her sister is found.”
I stop with my second bite halfway to my mouth, my eyes flicking to Chasm. He’s giving me a look like he thinks it’s a weird coincidence but nothing more. That influencer, Francisca Cortez, is missing … Parrish Vanguard is missing. Come to think of it, the Vanguard’s maid JJ is missing, too.
I set my fork down, my stomach twisting with nausea. There are coincidences, and then there are clues. These are clues. Francisca and JJ have very, very loose connections to me, but connections nonetheless.
“Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s—” Danyella starts, but I can’t take so much deceit dumped in my lap all at once. I’m not someone who enjoys keeping secrets. Honesty is refreshing as fuck.
“Parrish and I slept together the night he went missing.” There it is. It’s out there now. Chasm groans, but doesn’t comment. Lumen is standing there with a bottle of green smoothie in one hand, the cap in her other. She’s frozen with the cap halfway back to the bottle, like I’ve pressed pause on her.
“Pardon me?” Danyella begins, blinking heavily behind her pink-rimmed glasses.
“We slept together, and it was the first time. We never slept together before. I just … let people believe a lie.” I stare at my food and refuse to look at either of them. “I’m sorry for that now. Really, really sorry.”
“Babe, what?” Lumen starts, screwing the cap onto her drink. “You think I didn’t realize I’d made a mistake at the party? I was drunk as hell. Talking to you for five minutes sober, I knew you’d never slept with Parrish. I mean … until now.” She makes a face as I finally look up and catch her gaze. “I’m honestly not upset just … jealous.”
“You slept with Parrish?” Danyella repeats, leaning in toward me. “Is that why he left? I’m not asking to be mean, but … is it a possibility?”
“No,” I say firmly, thinking of that night, of how amazing everything was. Being with Parrish like that was fulfilling in a way I’ve never experienced before. “That’s definitely not it: trust me.”
Danyella and Lumen exchange looks as Chasm lets out a scoff.
“He wouldn’t do something like that: he’d know that I’d have to kick his ass if he did.” He stands up and grabs his tray from the stage. “Enjoy your girl talk. I’ll be outside in the hall.” He does what he says, leaving me alone with the girls. Somehow, he figured it out.