Pieces of Us - Carrie Elks Page 0,58
people missing.”
Missing. She covered her mouth as Lucas talked with a low voice into his crackling radio. His usual easy-going demeanor was completely absent, replaced by tight lips and narrow eyes, his back stiff as he held the handset to his lips.
“Okay, I’ll meet you there.” He clipped the radio back on his belt and blew out a mouthful of air. “They found Griff’s sweater in the water about a mile away from the wreck. I’m heading down to meet them. They’ll need an EMT crew if they find him or Sam.”
“If,” she repeated the word, tasting the bitterness on her tongue.
Lucas ran his palm over his buzz cut. “I meant when,” he said, his voice tight. There was a dimple in his cheek from where he was grinding his teeth together. “I’ll call you when we hear anything, but try to get some sleep. Hopefully everything will be cleared up by morning.”
“I’m coming with you,” she told him. “Just give me a second to get changed.”
His eyes flickered over her silky robe and bare thighs. “Okay.”
She turned on her bare heel and ran to the bedroom, narrowly avoiding tripping over the new shoes she’d planned to wear for Griff. Only one side of the bed was messy, a new occurrence for her. After her separation, she’d made it a point to sleep starfish in the middle of her king size mattress. When had she started sleeping on the left again?
Ugh. She didn’t have time to think about that. Shucking off her robe, she grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a tight hooded sweater, pulling them over the stupid lingerie that wasn’t going to see any action tonight. Then she twisted her hair into a messy bun and slipped her feet into a pair of sneakers.
Lucas was by the door when she emerged from the bedroom, talking fast into his cellphone. “No, sweetheart, you stay at home. Arthur needs you, and there’s nothing you can do here.” He glanced up at Autumn. “Yeah, she’s here.” Another pause. “Okay.” He held the phone out to her. “It’s Ember. Can you walk and talk?”
“Yep.” She took the phone from his gentle grasp and lifted it to her ear. “Hi, Ember. You’re up late.” She followed Lucas out of the house, slamming the door closed behind her.
“Arthur was awake so I thought I’d check in with Lucas,” Ember said, her voice trembling. “Oh god, Autumn, I can’t believe what’s happening with Griff. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she lied. “I know he’s going to be fine. This is Griff we’re talking about.” She tried to laugh, but it came out strangled. “No ocean would mess with him.”
“Are you sure I shouldn’t come and meet you? Or you can come and wait here with me while they search. You shouldn’t be alone.”
“That’s so kind of you,” Autumn said, as Lucas opened the passenger door and she climbed inside. “But I want to be there when they find him, you know?”
“I know. When this is all over I’ll tell you about the time Lucas disappeared for days fighting forest fires. I had to be there when he came back. My heart couldn’t take it if I wasn’t.”
Her heart. That’s what the strange aching in Autumn’s chest was. It felt like the muscle had expanded to fill her ribcage, pushing on her lungs until she could barely keep a breath.
Arthur let out a wail. “He’s teething again,” Ember said, making a cooing sound. “I should go, but call me as soon as you know anything, okay?”
“Of course.”
“And tell Lucas to be safe. He’s usually so calm, but he didn’t sound it a minute ago.”
Autumn glanced to her left. He was holding the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were blanched, and that tic was still pulsing at the edge of his jaw. “I promise,” she said before they ended the call.
The streets were empty as they headed out of Angel Sands, Lucas driving his truck past the Silver Sands Resort toward the rockier coastline where Griff’s sweater had been found. She twisted her fingers together and stared out of the window, trying not to notice how dark and foreboding the ocean looked.
It was just her imagination. It always looked that way at night. But she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of Griff being out there somewhere.
“He’s a strong swimmer,” Lucas murmured as he parked his car on the grassy lot that led down to Cutter’s Cove. It was like he was reading her mind.
“Yeah. And