Page 112 of You Saw the Best In Me

I pull the shirt over my head as I find Mav’s name on my phone.

I dial, and he answers on the third ring.

“You son of a bitch. Where is Karina?” he screams, and I can hear him the pain in his voice.

“Mav. It’s me,” I say, immediately breaking down into tears.

I watch as the ambulance drives away, and the officers take items from my car and bag them for evidence. They dust for fingerprints and take photos of everything.

I’m frozen in this cop car, unable to move a single muscle.

I broke free. I escaped.

I survived.

MAVERICK

It’s been twelve hours since the last time I heard anything about Karina. I’m an absolute wreck, and everyone around me is stressed. We’ve tried to retrace Asher’s steps, but Reilly's videos were inconclusive.

We’ve essentially run out of options aside from sitting around and waiting.

Harper’s still in school, and Juliette offers to pick her up. I can’t see her like this. I’m barely holding on, taking turns between crying and breaking things.

Every time someone’s phone goes off, I freeze. Praying it’s Karina. It never is, and I can’t hide my disappointment.

“Maverick, why don’t you rest? You’ve been going at this all night,” Hunter pulls me aside, but I refuse.

“There’s no way I can rest while she’s out there,” I fight back, but he shakes his head.

“What if they find her? What use are you going to be if you haven’t slept?” he asks, and he has a point.

“I’m too wired,” I say, and he hands me a joint.

“I don’t smoke,” I hand it back, but he’s pushy.

“Even better. It’ll knock you right out,” he assures me, and I take his advice.

Even if I don’t sleep, resting will help me gain clarity. Karina needs me to be strong for the both of us right now, so I light the joint and lay on my bed.

I hear everyone whispering outside my door, and eventually, I drift asleep.

I dream about Karina. We’re running down the shoreline, playing in waves while the sun sets. She’s so far away I can't reach her, no matter how hard I try I can’t touch her.

Suddenly, she slips further away, into the ocean, and I can’t see her anymore.

I’m jolted awake by Willow, and she’s screaming at me to answer my phone.

“It’s Karina’s number, answer it!” she yells, tossing it to me from the doorway.

“You son of a bitch. Where is Karina?” I scream, the tears falling.

I’m so angry, I can’t take this anymore. I need to know she’s okay.

“Mav. It’s me,” she says, almost whispering.

My heart stops beating. I shake my head, making sure I’m not dreaming.

I put the phone on speaker, and everyone gathers around my bed.