I nod.
“My brothers are looking into her disappearance, too,” he assures me. “If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.” He grabs Landon’s shoulders, not gently, and shoves some water in his face. “Drink this, fucker. Then it’s alone time.”
He muscles the big guy out of the room while Ashlyn follows, flipping off Lan’s back.
“There!” I point to the car strolling down Northview Way in front of campus. The timestamp on the city cam shows just a minute ago. “Why’s a NU maintenance vehicle outthere? Where’s he taking her?”
“Just wait— Shit.” Valen flips the view to the end of the street, but there’s nothing. “Must have turned before the end of the road…”
Something cold crawls up my spine. Not fear.Recognition. Or maybe it’s just goosebumps from the drug. Either way, I get a sense that I know where this guy is heading. “Check the cameras outsideDeltaHouse.”
Valen switches to the garage view.
“Sanguine Manor. He just pulled into the driveway.”Metal meets my hands when I check my waistband for my Glock. “Let’s go.”
Before we reach the door, Bo Turner shoves in and stands silently assessing us.
His wide-eyed fear is barely masked behind a stoic facade. “You coming?” I ask, and he simply nods. “We’re leaving.”
As we approach the valets in front ofThetaManor, I remember one slight issue. We’d shown up in Scout’s slow-as-fuck car. As if sensing my problem, Valen scans the area and then hands me his bike key. “Take this. We’ll follow in something else.”
Bo taps my best friend on the shoulder and points toward a truck. The two run that way as I steady my heart and slip a leg over Valen’s Suzuki hyperbike. I hope I don’t die before I reach Scout.
The engine hums under me, too much power for me to give it full throttle, but enough that I make it onto campus faster than I would in anything else. My pulse keeps pace with the engine. It’s almost a silent ride. Which is perfect for when I approach the driveway of the crumbling house.
Jumping off, I scan the area, wondering if I should bust down the front door or go right for the cellar entrance. A flash of white stops me. Glowing in a window high above.
I lose my breath.
Blink several times to make sure it’s real.
It’s my wife!
Framed in the attic window.
She seems to be creeping backward.
Back.
She’s going to jump…
I act fast. Ripping off my sports coat, I frantically search foranythingthat could help me get to her before she falls.
There’s a ladder inDelta’sgarage, but it would take too long to grab.
Adrenaline takes over. I sprint for the column. Scurrying up, I pray it doesn’t shatter under me. I focus my gaze on Scout as she places her hand on the frame.
“Don’t come closer!” she yells. The terror in her voice spurs me faster.
With a grunt, I hoist my leg over the roof of the patio, two floors below her. There’s a drainpipe clinging to the bricks like it hates to see me coming. I use whatever I can to scale the wall. Nails dig into the ancient cement. Every time I place my shoe on a brick, pieces crumble below me.
I don’t dare look down.
The trim along the next level is at least high enough I could snag her if I need to. Not sure it would hold both of us, but perhaps I could break the fall.
“Who’s there?” a deeper voice calls through the open window.
Scout turns. Her mouth gapes wide, releasing a silent scream. When she realizes it’s me, she starts scrambling out of the window toward me.
