“It’s coming this way!”
Elias frowned. “You mean it’s circling, right?” He twirled his finger. “Overhead?”
“Nuh-uh!” Kevin skidded to a halt on the grass where Wren had demonstrated flying the drone less than an hour before. He bent over, hands braced just above his knees, trying to catch his breath. “It’s going straight. It’s gonna land here. I wanna see it.”
This isn’t right. He pulled out his phone to call Wren.
Waylon caught his brother’s unease. “What’s happening? Why’d she send it back here?”
Elias held up a finger as her phone rang.
“Hello!”
“Wren, what’s?—”
“Thanks for calling Wren Stapleton Photography. I’m busy on a shoot right now but if you’ll leave your name and number I’ll get right back to you. Have a picture-perfect day!”
It doesn’t mean anything. She always sends calls straight to voicemail when she’s working.
His fingers flew as he texted her to call or text him back ASAP.
He heard the drone before he saw it. Elias scanned the sky in the direction of the other house and spotted a little black dot growing bigger.
“Elias, what is it?”
“Kevin’s right. It’s coming in for a landing here. Just like it’s supposed to if the battery runs low and the pilot doesn’t bring it in, which Wren would do. Or if it loses contact with the controller.”
He looked at Waylon. “Code six, brother.”
“Fuck. I’ll get the others. Go! Go!” Waylon pulled out his phone as he started toward the back patio and the majority of the guests.
Elias ran toward his truck. He passed Kevin, then April as she caught up. He thought she called his name.
But all he could think was how as kids he and his brothers had come up with their own secret codes, ones that they still used to this day.
Code six. Eminent danger. Come at once.
TWENTY-TWO
Elias reached his truck. He nearly tore the door off its hinges, jumped in, shoved the key in the ignition, and flew down the tree-lined road.
“Fuck-fuck-fuck. Please, Wren. Please let this be a stupid misunderstanding. Please call me and say your stupid controller isn’t working and did the drone land all right? Please, Wren, be there. Be okay.”
Up ahead, he saw her car and Chase’s parked along the road to his left, directly across from the house. He pulled off to the side of the road while still out of view of the house and killed the engine. He checked his phone. No call, no text.
There’s a good explanation.
He checked the timestamp. Five minutes since he’d tried to call her.
You’re going to embarrass her in front of Chase.
He put his phone on silent.
Look at my overprotective fiancé, she’ll say.
Elias grabbed his gun and its shoulder holster from under the seat.
“She’ll just have to deal with having an overprotective fiancé.”
