Page 205 of Nyx

Another wave of fear runs down my spine.

"Wait," Kincaid snaps, making me realize that I was already walking toward the door. "You'll waste time if you head out there with no information."

I know he's right, but just standing here doing nothing doesn't seem like a very good use of my time either.

"The foster parents live only a few blocks from the hospital," Max says as he continues his search.

"She's lying about the sick kid," I snap. "I had a bad feeling about that woman."

I realize as the words leave my mouth that it's true, despite never having voiced any concerns before now.

"It's possible that they have her there and haven't had time to enter her into the system," Kincaid says. "Kayla Rowe was fully vetted like everyone else. There wasn't a hint of a red flag in our research."

"The tracker on her car indicates that's exactly where she's heading," Max says, and my feet are moving.

"Let me know if there's a change in her location," I tell him as I head toward the front door.

No one stops me. Kincaid doesn't speak up or voice a difference of opinion, and I don't know whether he trusts me to make the right decision or knows there's nothing that can keep me from going to her.

My hands are shaking uncontrollably as I walk through the common area of the clubhouse and out the front door. I pull my keys from my pocket as I take the steps down to ground level two at a time, making the quick choice to take my bike rather than one of the SUVs because I can travel more safely at a higher speed on it.

The growl of my bike when I turn the key doesn't give me the same level of relief as it used to. This isn't the time to enjoy a bike ride. This machine is a means to an end and nothing more at this point.

The gate is open when I approach, and I don't even bother looking at Recon as I speed by him. I'll deal with him later for letting them just leave. I know they can't keep them on the property against their will, but at the very least he could've called me so I could follow them. I don't have to be attached to Juliet's fucking hip to keep her safe.

I do my best not to let all the horrific scenarios of possibility fill my mind as I race toward the hospital, but there's a sinking feeling swelling inside of me, trying to convince me that horrific things are happening to her, and I'm miles away and unable to help.

The fatalist inside me considers all the terrible things that could happen to her, while the smaller part of my psyche, the one who wants to believe that good things can happen in life, tries to battle against it.

The drive is quick, but it still feels too slow. I know there's at least a ten- to fifteen-minute space of time between her leaving and me discovering her gone, and that gap could be even larger.

I blow through a stop sign, my eyes briefly scanning the area to make sure I'm not going to get T-boned. It's late enough in the evening that most people are home and asleep, so the likelihood of putting anyone else in danger is lower.

It would be an absolute tragedy if I caused an accident and injured someone else on my way to find her, but it would also be right on par with my life.

Chapter 50

Juliet

The drive to the hospital took longer than I liked, but I refused to run red lights or speed through town the way Kayla demanded I do. It would take us longer to get there if we got pulled over by the police for breaking the law.

I understand her being upset and wanting me to rush, but I know that to get there in one piece and without another delay, I had to follow the law.

"I'm sorry," she whispers as I pull into the parking garage.

"It's okay," I tell her. "You're worried about Aleah. It's understandable. I would be worried and scared as well."

I pull into a parking spot, finding one easily at this time of night.

"Do you want me to stay here or go inside with you?" I ask as I park the car.

"Would you come with me, please?"

"Of course," I tell her as I pull off my seatbelt.

With the way she acted at the clubhouse and how scared and agitated she was on the drive here, she's hesitant to get out of the car.

I shift in my seat, turning my attention in her direction.