always, he didn’t know who he was supposed to rescue and who he was supposed to destroy.
Your talents don’t make you better than the other Elementals. They make you worse. Just look what you’re doing right now.
He bit the inside of his lip until he tasted blood.
Then he fished his phone out of his pocket and tossed it to Kate. “Text Michael Merrick and ask if he’s heard about Noah Dean.”
“You want me to text Michael Merrick and ask for help?” Her voice was slightly incredulous.
“Not ask for—look, Kate, just do it, okay?” He ran a hand through his hair and wondered if it would be easier to drive his car straight off a cliff.
She slid her fingers across the face of the phone. “Okay. I asked if he’s heard the news.”
“Let’s wait and see what he says.”
They waited.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
“Text Gabriel,” said Hunter.
She did.
Hunter only waited seven minutes this time.
“Try Becca.”
Nothing.
Nothing.
What did that mean? Had something happened? Were they missing, too?
Or were they just partying on the back deck and no one was looking at their phone?
Either was possible. “Find Bill Chandler’s name. Ask him if he’s talked to Becca.”
She scrolled. Texted.
“Are you sure this is the right number?” she asked after a moment.
“Yeah, I just talked to him last week.”
“The text bounced back and said that line belonged to an account that has not yet been activated.”
“What?”
“Here, I’ll text Silver and ask what his status is.” She paused, typing. The response must have come back immediately, because he saw her scowl out of the corner of his eye.
“What?” he said.
“I said, ‘Checking in. What’s your status?’ He said, ‘Interesting question, Kathryn. What’s your status?’ ”
Now Hunter understood the scowl. “He’s kind of a dick.”
“Tell me about it.” She was typing furiously at her phone. The wind was making a mess of her hair. She looked incredible.
Then she said. “I’m telling him I’m with you.”
“Is that a good idea?”
“Honestly, I’m out of ideas. I don’t know what this means, and we’re in the middle of nowhere.”
He didn’t have anything to say to that. He’d driven her out here, and now something was happening and they were too far away to do anything about it.
He kept hearing Michael’s lecture from last night, about running from confrontation.
Now it was biting him in the ass.
“Huh,” said Kate.
She was killing him. “What?” said Hunter.
“Silver says, ‘My question was rhetorical.’ ”
“So he knew you were with me.” This wasn’t getting them anywhere.
He drove, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. He didn’t have enough information. Could Noah have run away? What was the crime scene?
Did Silver have something to do with the boy’s disappearance?
Then Hunter had a startling thought. Did the Merricks? Hunter’s files were at the house. They could have gone after Noah Dean themselves.
Without telling Hunter?
Gabriel had kicked Hunter in the stomach last night, had laid into him with true fury.
No. They wouldn’t have told him.
“Finally got Internet,” said Kate. “Local news says the mom went to the grocery store, leaving Noah at home.” She whistled low, through her teeth. “When she got back, he was gone and there was a pentagram on the door.”
“Silver?” said Hunter, his voice grim.
“Maybe,” said Kate. “He’s not responding to my texts now.”
Hunter froze. “Did you tell him about what happened yesterday?”
“Yes.”
“So he knows Calla is still alive?”
“He said he’s had no indication that her death was not final, and the word of one child is not enough to distract him from his mission.”
Hunter tried to remember that moment during the carnival. He’d seen Calla fall, had seen the blood pour from her shoulder. Fire had caught at her clothes.
And then he’d run.
Focus. Keep thinking.
There hadn’t been any more fires. But Noah had been so assured that Calla was still alive—but his mom, Calla’s aunt, had seemed stressed when Hunter saw her. Even the news report talked about Calla’s death in the carnival fire. If Calla was alive, she was hiding, or she was gone.
No, she wouldn’t have left town. Not with her army of kids.
But where would she be hiding? She was a popular student, captain of the girls’ volleyball team. She obviously couldn’t go to school, and she was way too eye-catching to move around town without being noticed.
“Where should we go?” said Kate.
Hunter blew out a long breath and ran a hand back through his hair. “Who’s more likely to help us?” he said. “The Merricks or Silver?”
“I’ve got a better question,” said Kate. “Who’s less likely to kill us?”