Swept Away (Wildfire Lake #3) - Skye Jordan Page 0,66

and lifts a water bottle. “Thanks for covering.”

Lucero isn’t fooled, nor does he mince words. “She’s going to surgery.”

Ice spreads through my stomach. “How serious is it? What are her chances?”

“It’s serious enough to send her to surgery before her mother is here to okay it. But they don't think she hit any major vessels, and I’m told the surgeon is a miracle worker.” He glances at Dale and back to me. “What’d he have to say?”

“Claims it was some kind of dare. Guess it started recently.” And I didn’t know shit about it.

“And Chloe?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“Nothing to do now but wait. Get yourself some coffee. When I’m done here, I’ll meet you in the surgery waiting room. Fourth floor.”

I leave the waiting room with my head spinning. How did this happen? How had I missed the signs? I knew Keith was secretive, and I knew Piper was acting that way too. I should have pushed harder.

In the hall, I stop and lean my back against a wall and scrub my hands down my face. I pull out my phone, and my finger hovers over Chloe’s contact info. But the thought of hashing this out with her when I’m already at my limit has me shoving the phone back into my pocket and heading for the cafeteria.

17

Chloe

Laiyla, KT, and I sit on one of the docks, swinging our feet. The night is a perfect seventy degrees, the lake and marina quiet now that everyone has returned to their houseboats. We’ve been chatting about the guys and the resort and Laiyla’s wedding, but I can’t relax.

I glance at my phone again, checking to make sure the sound is on and that I haven’t missed any messages.

“You’re really worried about this,” Laiyla says. “You check your phone every five minutes.”

“Yeah,” I admit. “I expected one of them to call by now. I’ve left several messages for them both. Maybe I should have offered to mediate the discussion. I mean, in a way, it’s really none of my business, but I know Xavier isn’t going to take this news well. He can be so rigid when it comes to rules and ethics, shoulds and shouldn’ts. Everything for him is so black or white. I hope he’s letting her talk and not shutting her down.”

“What time does Xavier’s shift end?” KT asks.

“It ended over an hour ago.”

“They’re probably just having a heart-to-heart,” she says. “Take it from me, sometimes dad and daughter’s heart-to-hearts can last days. And Xavier is as close to a father as Piper has.”

“Yeah, probably.” But I won’t feel better until I know the result. Only a few more days and this will be over. Maybe Xavier and I can slow down and really start to enjoy our relationship.

KT’s phone rings. She pulls it from her pocket. “Speak of the devil.” She taps the speaker and says. “We were just talking about you. You’re on speaker.”

“Is Chloe with you?” Ben asks.

A chill rolls through my stomach. Maybe it’s the words or the tone or just my amped sixth sense, but I know something bad has happened. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”

“Have you spoken with Z tonight?”

My hands fist. “No, I’ve been waiting. What happened?’

“I’ve got this confidentiality thing to work around,” Ben says, “but I can tell you that Z’s walking these halls like a caged animal.”

“Is he okay? Is Piper with him?”

“He’s fine—physically. That’s about all I can tell you. Not sure if you want to come down or not, but I wanted you to know, well, as little as I can tell you. If you come, check the waiting room on the fourth floor first. If he’s not there, text me, and I’ll page him overhead.”

I’m already on my feet. I push into my flip-flops and run to my boat to grab my keys, then back to the parking lot, muttering, “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” the whole time.

Laiyla and KT are waiting at the car.

“Let one of us come with you,” Laiyla says.

“No.” I slide behind the wheel with a brief “I’ll call you” before launching out of the parking lot.

The drive is quick, maybe eight or ten minutes, but in those minutes, my mind has conjured up terrible scenarios. Scenarios that are crazy and unthinkable. Xavier would never hurt Piper. He’d step in front of a bullet for that kid.

Had there been an accident, leaving Piper hurt? Had Piper anticipated the tough conversation and tried to hurt herself? I haven’t seen any signs of