I spotted some of Pearl’s mates a short distance away, huddled together beneath foil blankets, crying whilst the police attempted to speak with them.
“Come on, clear off,” a police officer shouted to the crowd, attempting to get people to disperse. “Let us do our job, please.”
Ronan touched my forearm, and I snapped back to reality, glancing down at him. He jerked his head in a silent request for me to follow, and I trailed obediently behind. Just as we passed by Pearl’s friends, I heard one of them shout.
“That’s what happens when ya befriend feckin’ buffers!” I met her eye as she glared at me. “They stab ya in the back!”
She hadn’t addressed me by name, and yet I knew she was talking to me when she’d said that. The police officer glanced over his shoulder at us and Ronan expertly steered us away from the chaos.
“Jaysus,” I muttered. “She did it. She really did it, like.”
“Aye, lookin’ like it,” Ronan replied.
I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking a little as I navigated to Declan’s number. Ronan and I came to a halt, hiding in the shadows behind one of the caravans as I listened to the ringing tone. Just as I began to wonder if Declan was going to answer, he picked up.
“Dec, it’s bad,” I said. “Tess is the one who did all that t’ Pearl. There’s feckin’ blood everywhere. I don’t even—”
Declan remained silent, though I could hear his ragged breaths on the other end of the line.
“She’s not here, lad. I dunno where she’s—”
“Her car is gone,” Declan suddenly interjected, his voice eerily calm.
I sucked in a breath. “Shite. Y’want me t’ get the van? Maybe we could—”
A bitter laugh came in response that sent a shiver down my spine. “What’s the feckin’ use, like? We gonna hunt the length an’ breadth of the country, now?”
“Dec?” I felt my hand gripping my phone. This wasn’t good. I’d never heard my mate sounding like this.
“She didn’t run t’ me. If she’s in trouble, she knows she should always run t’ me…” Declan muttered, almost mindlessly.
My legs moved of their own accord, and I strode off towards my van. Ronan practically jogged to keep up with me.
“Stay there, now. I’m comin’ t’ get ya. We’ll go f’a wee drive. It can’t hurt, aye?”
“Nah,” Declan sighed. “Nah. It’s over.”
“Feck, Declan. Y’can’t just be givin’ up now?” I snapped.
There was a long pause, and just as I began to wonder if he had hung up on me, he spoke. I stopped beside my van, holding my breath.
“Nah, not givin’ up. Tess is mine. She belongs ta me. I will find her… But I’m gonna make her wish I hadn’t.”
“Dec, I—”
This time Declan did hang up. I pulled my phone from my ear, staring at it for a moment.
“What’s goin’ on?” Ronan asked.
“Jaysus, I don’t—” My voice cracked and in an instant Ronan dragged me into a hug. I shuddered, closing my eyes as I buried my face in him, embracing him so tightly I wasn’t sure how he was able to draw a breath. God, it was so good to have him here. I wondered how I would have coped otherwise. It didn’t bear thinking about.
Eventually, Ronan pushed against me, and I let him slip from my arms. He gazed up at me with a fiery determination.
“So, what’s next, like? Where’s Declan? Let’s go grab him, talk him down a wee bit an’ make a plan.”
I smiled and for the second time in one night, kissed Ronan without sparing a thought to who might see us. It was brief, but I hoped it conveyed just how grateful I was to have him here with me.
We didn’t speak. I just snatched my keys from my pocket and climbed inside the van whilst Ronan jogged to the passenger side and joined me. The engine roared to life, and we headed out onto the road. I wasn’t sure where Tess’s house was and with Declan refusing to answer his phone, I wasn’t likely to find out, but I would drive around Appleby all damn night until I found him. I needed to know he was safe, and he wasn’t about to do something fucking stupid.
