“He’s been trying to get in touchwithyou.”
I instantly pulled out my phone and saw numerous missed calls and messages from Luke. Fear cycled through me. It was not normal for him to call me in the first place, but this many messages? Something wasn’t right. Hurrying away from the side stage to Jake’s dressing room, I dialed Luke’s number with shakinghands.
“Casey?” he said, his voice cracking withemotion.
My bones chilled, and instantly I feared the worst. “Yes. It’s me. Is Momokay?Dad?”
Luke broke down, and that in turn upped myterror.
“Luke,” I screamed into the receiver. “Whathappened?”
“It’s Miles and Darcy. There was an accident.” Luke broke off his sentence and unintelligible sobs came from theotherline.
“Luke! What happened?” Irepeated.
“They didn’tmakeit.”
“What do you mean, they didn’t make it?” My voice was shrill with anger. How dare he play such a horrible trickonme?
“Their car was hit head on. Darcy died on impact and… and Miles… he… he made it to the hospital, but… Casey… he justpassedaway.”
A chill barreled through my body, blanketing my insides with ice. My teeth began to chatter as I tried to make sense of the words Luke was speaking. There had to be some mistake. Why was itsocold?
“Casey, are you still there? I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t want to be the one to tell you, but neither Mom nor Dad coulddoit.”
Luke broke down again, and while I listened to his heavy sorrow, the reality began to seep in. My fingers had frozen over, and the grip they had on my phone was crushing. Gone. No. It couldn’t be. And then the most horrible realizationhitme.
“Sydney and Riley?” I screamed out, now shaking so violently that nausea wastakinghold.
“They’re safe. It was Miles and Darcy’s anniversary. They went out to dinner. The kids were safe with Mom and Dad when ithappened.”
Too many emotions… too cold… the ice had numbed my brain, and very soon the hypothermia would set in, and I’d be a frozen corpse. Only then would I be exempt from facing the pain that reality had just forced upon me. Not Miles. Not the big brother I’d adored my whole life. Not Darcy, as much a sister to me as I’d ever known. And their kids. What was going to happen totheirkids?
“Do they know?” I asked, beginning to understand the implications of what was now happening to myfamily.
“Sydney does. She was still awake when Mom and Dadfoundout.”
“Is she? I don’t know. Issheokay?”
“She hasn’t said a word. She’s just… numb, like the rest of us. They’re going to let Riley sleep and tell him tomorrow. None of this feels real. Miles can’t be gone. He justcan’t.”
“Where are Mom and Dad? Can I talktoMom?”
“I don’t think she can talk, Casey. You just need to come home. Right now. Weneedyou.”
After hanging up with Luke,I scanned the barren room, unsure how to feel or even what to do. Jake was in the middle of a performance. I didn’t have the time to wait for him to finish. If he knew, he’d cancel the rest of the show, but that would still take too long. I needed to get to the airport. I needed to book a flight. Ineededhelp.
Sean, Jake’s manager. He would handle it. He could handle anything. I shot off a text, and minutes later he was in the room, scooping me off the floor. I hadn’t even realized I was downthere.
“I’m so sorry, Casey. I don’t know what to say. I texted my assistant, and she’s securing you and Jake aprivatejet.”
“I can’t waitforhim.”
“You won’t need to. I’m going to call off the rest oftheshow.”
“He’s only halfway through it. I don’t want to disappoint his fans. You can’t tell him untilit’sover.”
“That’s not going to work. Jake will want to be by your side. He needstoknow.”
