Nothing useful.
Just a text from Wrecker asking where we went.
I stared at the screen for a second longer than necessary, then shoved the phone back into my pocket.
Kingston rolled up beside me and killed his engine.“Anything?”
“Just your daddy checking up on us.”
Kingston chuckled.“Easy, brother.You don’t need to be pissed at me, too.You gonna text him back?”
I texted him one word.Riding.
He studied my face, his eyes sharp.“You good?”
I nodded.“I just need to keep moving.”
Kingston didn’t argue.
We rode again.
I took us down roads I didn’t usually bother with.Gravel backroads, dead ends, stretches that led nowhere.Places people went when they didn’t want to be seen.Places that felt temporary.
I looked for signs.
Fresh tire tracks.Trash that didn’t belong.Anything.
My thoughts kept drifting back to Clove whether I wanted them to or not.
Her laugh, soft and a little surprised every time, like she didn’t expect to be amused even when she was.The way she always tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous.The way she watched everything quietly, filing things away without saying much.
She was smart.
She would already be thinking about how to get out.
That thought settled something tight in my chest.
She wouldn’t panic.She wouldn’t waste energy screaming or fighting blindly.She’d conserve.Observe.Wait for the right moment.
I trusted that about her.
The problem was, I didn’t trust whoever had her.
My phone buzzed again.
This time, I answered it.
“What?”I said, not bothering to soften my tone.
Wrecker didn’t react to it.“Where are you riding?”
“Around.”
“I figured.”A pause.“You need to come back.”
“I will.”
“Ender.”