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Although the rest of us probably aren’t the best at being the voice of reason in this situation.

“Yeah, I can see what you mean,” I agree after a moment where I try to put my work head on and pretend that Ever is just someone who is lost in the woods. Not the love of my existence.

“Let’s go then,” Rafe says. “We’ll go slower. She may not have stuck to the path.”

“Good idea,” Riot replies.

“It looks quite close in there,” Pete starts. “We need to watch out for any low branches or broken ones. There could be debris on the path and all sorts.”

I nod. “Good point, stay alert, guys.”

We head back to the four-wheelers and then take the path that Luc suggested.

Come on, Ever.

We go slowly, dodging branches and driving around ones that have been broken off and have landed on the path.

I’m about to suggest that we turn around and start again, see if there’s another path that she could have gone down, when Jensen shouts from ahead of us.

“I’ve found something!” Jensen yells as he stops by a tree and pulls something from the branches.

We all pull up next to him.

“What is it?” Rage asks, worry and determination darkening his features.

Jensen holds it closer to the lights of his four-wheeler and says, “I’m pretty sure that it’s a piece of the shirt that Ever was wearing when she left the house,” he explains. His eyes widen, “Shit, it’s got blood on it.”

“Let me see?” Luc asks, and Jensen hands it over to him. Luc frowns. “It looks like blood, but there’s not a lot. It’s more of a smear than the whole piece being soaked in it, so hopefully it’s just from a scrape or something.”

“I really hope you’re right,” Cash says, his eyes tight and his expression troubled.

“I think she went this way,” Atlas says as he studies something in the branches of the trees.

We don’t waste any more time talking as Atlas takes off and we follow him.

Jensen

We carry on driving, having followed Atlas off the main pathway and deeper into the surrounding trees. It wouldn’t really make sense for her to come this way, but if she’s injured, then she might not be thinking clearly, and Atlas knows what he’s doing. If he thinks she’s gone this way, then she most likely has.

We drive on.

Finally, I see a dark shape huddled on the floor. It’s pure fluke that I saw her. I thought I saw a light or something to my right, so I glanced over and saw her lying there.

Thank fuck my headlights hit her at just the right angle to glint off whatever it was that caught my attention and allowed me to see her.

My heart flies into my throat as I jump off the four-wheeler. I only just remember to honk my horn to let the guys ahead of me know that she’s back here.

Rushing over to her, I swipe some wet hair off her face.

Please don’t be dead.

Please don’t be dead.

“Ever, Angel?” I ask. I want to move her, but she’s obviously hurt somewhere, and I don’t want to risk making it worse or causing more damage by picking her up.

“Jensen?” She asks as her eyes pop open and stare up at me. “That better be you. If my concussion is bad enough that I’m imagining you, then I am really fucking screwed.”

“Fuck, she must have hit her head,” Cash mutters as he comes to crouch down next to me.