Alle. Christ, yes. Xane hadn’t given so much as a thought to Spook’s girlfriend. Hard to think of her as that, after watching his friend actively avoid relationships for the best part of a decade. Someone ought to tell her what had happened. “I have her number in my phone, if you want to call.”
“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Ronnie passed the umbrella to Paul then hunched against the shelter of the nearest shipping container to see his phone screen. It was more likely that Alle would pick up a call from Ronnie. While she’d taken what had gone down between him and Spook back in Gothenburg a darn sight better than his girlfriend, that didn’t mean she wasn’t holding a grudge. Fuck, it was all a right bloody mess in an all too literal sense.
“I’m not getting a reply. I even tried calling—went straight to voicemail.”
“Could just be shitty reception,” Luthor griped.
An electronic chirp sounded nearby. “Did you hear that?” Xane asked.
“Hear what?”
The answer was evidently no.
Rock Giant mushed his lips together, which lent his jawline an extra granite-like quality. “Wasn’t she hanging out with Dani and Mrs Gore today? Maybe give one of them a try.”
“Luthor?” Xane prompted his lover. Dani had barely said a word to him in the last twelve hours. It was unlikely she’d take his call, and being used as a messenger service to reach Spook’s girlfriend was going to go down like a lead balloon regardless of the emergency.
“I’ll try.” Luthor rose and backed away from their little huddle. His absence left a chill down the side of Xane’s body. The shakes hit him again as a continual tremor. “Paul, will you try Ginny?”
“Would do,” the big guy said. “If I had her number.”
“Why don’t you?” He had been in possession of it. They all had.
“Ash purged it from my contact list before the wedding. Something about unnecessary schmoozing. Seriously, he’s lost his marbles since they cut that cake. All I asked was whether she had a spare pair of fishnets I could b—”
“Not now, eh?” Luthor cut in. “I’m not getting a response.”
“I’m still not having any joy either,” Ronnie remarked. “And I’ve set it to auto redial.”
Xane swore he heard another electronic chirp.
Luthor re-joined Xane on his knees, having stuffed his phone back into one of his many pockets. “Dani’s going straight to voice mail. Wherever the ladies are, it’s obviously a reception dead zone.”
“Maybe Ash—” Rock Giant began.
“Let’s not distract him.” It was far more important that Ash directed the paramedics to the right place. Xane didn’t want them delayed, even by a second.
Time drizzled on. Xane wound his fingers around Spook’s wrist. There was a certain measure of relief in feeling the steady rhythm of Spook’s pulse. He’d frozen in place by the time the paramedics arrived, breaking the stillness that had settled around them like a shroud. He had to uncurl each finger separately, then his legs protested him rising too. Bits of gravel clung to the skin of his knees. He knew he ought to feel sore, but he couldn’t feel much of anything anymore. He’d stopped being cold, though evidently, he was still shaking as someone wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.
“Is he okay?” Xane asked.
One of the paramedics shone a light into his eyes.
“I want to go with him,” he blurted as the ambulance crew were hopping into the interior with Spook strapped to a trolley.
“Maybe get dried off and follow.”
“No.” Xane threw off the blanket. “I need to be with him.”
Luthor wrapped him up again. “It’s important,” he told the woman.
She inclined her head as if to sayyour call, but you’re gonna stay wet. Like he cared about that. Steve had died because he’d let him go. There was no way he was leaving Spook. “Fine, just stay out of the way. She pointed him at a seat. Buckle in, don’t move.”
Luthor slipped Xane’s phone back into his hand, then kissed him goodbye. “Keep us updated. We’ll find Alle.”
“And you’ll explain to Dani.”
“She’ll get it, Xane. No explanation necessary.”
