Of course.
I stare at the last frame of Elias’s figure disappearing into white.
He didn’t look back.
“Mara,” I say without turning.
She’s in the doorway clutching her coat like it gives her hope.
“He went into the woods.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. “In this?”
“Yes.”
The weight of that presses against my ribs like a vice.
“I’ll go,” she starts.
“No,” I cut her off immediately. “You’re going home.”
“Lucian—”
“You’re going home. Tell Riley what’s going on. Have him send a rescue team to trail me,” I say, voice iron again. “I’ll call you when I have him.”
She studies me for a long moment, reading the edge beneath the calm.
“You’ll find him,” she says quietly.
“I will.”
Because there is no version of tonight where I don’t.
I turn back to the screen one last time, memorizing the direction he took.
North side of the park.
Left of the main path.
Toward the deeper tree line.
I leave the security room already pulling my coat back on.
The town car is already running by the time I step outside. Snow hits my face hard and cold, wind slicing through the air like a warning.
“Park entrance,” I tell the driver. “Now.”
The ride is short and also endless. The park is nearly deserted when we arrive, streetlights glowing faintly through heavy snowfall. The tree line looks darker than usual, the woods beyond swallowing light whole.
“Wait here. If I’m not back in two hours send the rescue team in,” I tell the driver.
He nods.
The cold is fucking brutal, biting through fabric and into bone. The snow has thickened to the point of near-whiteout conditions.
I move fast. The entrance path is still visible under a thin layer of accumulation. I scan the ground, searching for disturbance.
There.
