Christian turned around to make sure no one had touched his bike. “Will you tell me where the feck she is?”
“Hold your ponies. I’m trying to pull up the street view on the internet. Did you know they pay people to drive around with a camera mounted on the car so they can film every single street? Back in my day, you had to do real work to earn a coin. It’s pretty nifty though. I can look at neighborhoods without leaving the house.”
“You’re a canker sore. You know that?”
“I’m the life of the party. You can’t deny it.”
“Be that as it may, you have the attention span of a midge.”
“Are you comparing me to a bug? You have more in common with a mosquito than I do a gnat.”
“I can’t fathom why the dead would seek your company.”
“You need to lighten up. Eternity is a long time to be miserable. All right. I’m looking at the street view, and there’s nothing there. The picture was taken in February, so unless they built something in the past three months, she’s hanging out on the corner of nowhere. The street’s called Rustic Pines, just east of Walnut Grove. A field on one side with a bunch of overgrown grass, and… Yep. Same on the other. Maybe she threw out her shoes. Why does Walnut Grove sound familiar?” His fingers snapped. “Oh! What’s the name of that old TV show—the one with the little girl running down a hill?”
“Wyatt, listen to me carefully. Raven’s missing. It’s not like her to disappear.”
“Oh really? I seem to remember her skipping off to stay with her dad for all that time. Did you say something to piss her off? Wait, don’t answer that. You piss everyone off.”
“Keep your phone nearby. I’ll call you back.”
Christian didn’t tarry.He weaved through traffic like a bullet until he reached Rustic Pines. While he hadn’t necessarily been down every road in the city, he knew most of the main ones and a few of the alternate routes. Despite the headlamp from his bike lighting the way down the unlit street, he couldn’t get his bearings. This area was unfamiliar to him, and when he reached Walnut Grove, he slowed his bike and looked around. The weeds were high, to be sure. If Raven had wandered out of range, it would be time consuming to search the wide stretch of land. What he needed was a tracker.
He called Wyatt. “Get your arse over here immediately. Bring anyone who’s sober enough to search, but I want Claude. I need his nose.”
“I think his nose is in a wineglass.” Wyatt simultaneously hiccupped and burped. “Fine, fine. We’re on our way, just as soon as I locate a designated driver.”
Christian tried not to crush the phone in his grip. “I’m not playing around. Raven might be in danger.”
“Wyatt Blessing to the rescue.”
“Jaysus wept.”
Chapter 36
Rustic Pines was so rural that traffic was nonexistent. Nary a car in sight for the length of time that Christian had waded through the tall grass. His worst fear? Finding Raven’s body. Maybe that was the reason he didn’t hear a heartbeat other than his own and a few wild animals. He violently knocked the weeds aside, imagining what he might do if he stumbled upon those boots still on her feet. He’d seen firsthand how immortal love never lasted. When one of them died, it left the survivor bereft of feeling. Their lives often went in a downward spiral. Christian refused to let that happen to him. He would channel that rage into a destructive force that would lay waste to everyone responsible for her death.
A horn blared from the road.
Gem poked her head out of the window of the driver’s side of the Keystone van. “Taxi! Someone said you needed a ride. What are we doing in the middle of nowhere?”
Christian rested his arms on the window and peered at Wyatt, who had his laptop open from the passenger seat. “Who’s in the back?”
Claude stuck his head between the seats. “Did you find Raven?”
Christian shook his head. “I don’t hear anything.”
Gem’s eyes widened. “Raven’s missing? Why doesn’t anyone ever tell me anything? You could have said something, Spooky!”
“You’re driving, buttercup. I couldn’t have you under the influence of panic.”
“I’m getting out.” Claude disappeared and jumped from the back of the van. He staggered before falling completely on his face.
“I’m out here with the Three Stooges,” Christian murmured.
Claude bent his knees and reached out his hand. “I’m the soberest. Everyone else had to stay home. Blue passed out, and Niko said everyone’s energy was mixing into one fantastic light show.”
Christian jerked Claude to his feet. “And Shepherd?”
