Page 62 of The Malibu Secret

I fix Max with a glare that could freeze hell. "I'm not saying 'I do' while Tally is out there missing. Do you think I could live with myself if something happens to her? Especially knowing I was sipping champagne instead of helping?"

Max shakes his head, his green eyes clouding with resignation. He knows what's coming—I'm bolting, leaving skid marks on this marble floor. My phone feels heavy in my pocket; I'll call Willow from the car, stammering through explanations she won't accept.

Max is right about the consequences—this lavish affair cost half a million, crystal champagne flutes and peonies and roses everywhere, guests who crossed oceans to be here. But the weight of the platinum ring in my pocket means nothing compared to the image burning in my mind: Tally out there somewhere in the wilderness, her lips cracked from thirst, maybe curled under a tree for shelter.

Three days without proper water in that merciless sun would leave anyone delirious. Three nights in the 30 degree weather would induce hypothermia. And Tally would have packed light—just enough for day hikes before returning to a proper campsite with facilities, not for surviving alone in the backcountry where cell signals die and trails disappear into nothing.

I'm already on the highway when I call Willow.

"Cameron!" Her voice crackles through the speaker. "The ceremony starts in a few hours!"

"Something's happened, Willow."

The silence stretches between us. My knuckles whiten around the steering wheel as I count one, two, three heartbeats.

"What is it?" Her voice shrinks to a whisper.

"Tally's missing." My throat tightens. "She's my daughter's mother. I have to find her. That comes before any wedding."

"You want to postpone?" Disbelief edges into her tone. "People flew in from three continents for this. The costs alone⁠—"

"I know about the band," I cut in. "The cake, the catering, the guests being seated right now. But Tally's out there somewhere. Search and rescue is looking, but I need to be out there too. I just—I have to do this, Willow. I have to."

"Cameron, for God's sake—there are professionals looking for her. What do you think you can do out there?" Her voice cracks with desperation.

I grip the steering wheel as I hop on the 395, my jaw clenched so tight a muscle jumps in my cheek. "I'm going to find her. I don't give a damn about search and rescue protocols. Every second counts." I merge into another lane, almost cutting off a car, so I wave an apology out the window. "You think I could stand around tonight in a tuxedo, drinking champagne, nodding at Silas's toast while Tally is out there? Freezing? Hurt? Dying?" My voice drops to a dangerous whisper. "That's. Not. Happening. And if you think I'm the kind of man who could smile and make small talk while the woman I—“ I stop, breath ragged. "Then you don't know me at all."

Willow's voice rises with each word. "Cameron. Please. You can't be serious. It's our wedding day."

I grip the wheel tighter, still seeing that sedan I nearly sideswiped. My knuckles go white. Arguing with Willow while I'm already this emotional and flying down the highway at eighty? Recipe for disaster.

"I have to go." I end the call and press my foot harder on the gas, watching the needle climb.

Five hours. Five goddamn hours by car. My hands grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. I need to get to her faster. Roman. Roman could fly me.

I talk into my infotainment panel, “Call Roman.” He answers on the second ring.

"Rome, I need you," I say, my voice tight.

"Name it, bro."

"Tally's gone missing up at Convict Canyon Trail—Mammoth Lakes area. I'm looking at a five-hour drive to the Sierras, and I⁠—"

"Chopper's fueled and ready," he cuts in. "Meet me at Hawthorne. I'll have her warmed up."

I race back to Hawthorne municipal airport and sprint toward Roman's private hangar. He's waiting by his helicopter, bow tie undone against his white collar, tux jacket slung over one shoulder. Lilith stands beside him in her evening gown, checking her phone.

"Where's the baby?" I blurt, noticing Aria's absence.

Roman runs a hand through his wind-tousled hair. "Celeste insisted on babysitting. She wanted to join the rescue mission, but when we explained she'd be more hindrance than help, she volunteered to watch Aria instead."

I rake my fingers through my hair, trying to keep it together. "Okay, so once we reach Convict Canyon Trail, then what?"

“We fly to Mammoth Yosemite Airport then rent an SUV. Then we go on the trail with my equipment and yours.” I have several things that will be needed to search for her, including Personal Locator Beacon and GPS Satellite that can transmit our signal to rescuers and a bright light that goes on my forehead. I also have a 1,000 Lumen lamp that’ll illuminate miles of forest, and a whistle.

Roman slides his headset on as we board—me riding shotgun, Lilith taking the back.

I feel Lilith's hand on my shoulder, surprisingly steady. "She's out there. I know it." When I glance back, she's already laid out her tarot deck across the seat. Normally I'd roll my eyes, but right now, I'll take whatever hope I can get.