I breathe out a breath I’d been holding captive. If I was in a book, this would be the moment I could tell them all to go to hell…or finally put our differences aside. The thing is, that’s assuming this whole thing is going to end up as a happy ending, and in real life, there are just no guarantees that’s ever going to happen. My life isn’t destined for that prize at the end. No matter how much I’ve tried to make it happen, I’ve come to grips with the outcome. The only thing I can hope for is getting my father back, so that’s what I’m going to focus on. “Let’s do it.”
22
The guys and I settle down in the pristine living room to eat our pizza. It seems wrong to eat in such a beautiful room. I’m almost afraid to touch the fabric for fear of getting stains on it.
However, the guys are less worried. They dig into the pizza like rabid animals. Even though Stone seems firmly like a knife and fork type of pizza eater, he eats it with his hands like a regular person. I’m almost impressed. It’s like he’s thrown caution to the wind.
Me? I steady my calzone on my lap. The first piece is delectable. I almost moan. So much cheese. So. Much. It’s like heaven in my mouth.
As we eat, Lucas decides he’s going to be the mediator, starting the conversation where we need to. I gaze at him while he eyes all of us and wonder if he’s used to this role he’s filling. I thought him silent before, and he kind of is. He doesn’t speak much when one, he doesn’t care about you, and two, when he doesn’t have anything to say. It’s refreshing after listening to the idiots in Clary talk all their lives. They never cared what kind of ignorance came out of their mouths.
“So,” Lucas starts. “We need to plan our first trip into the mountains.” Each of the guys eye me. If they’re wondering if I know where to start, the answer is yes. I think. Though I could kick myself for keeping my distance from Dad in the last few weeks before he took his last trek into the mountains. If he was on a hot trail, I’m not sure I would actually know about it. The key in my pocket burns. I have to get to the safe sooner rather than later, and I still don’t trust these guys to show them where it is or what’s in there. “What do you need, Dakota?”
I swallow. When my dad went missing, I made trips into the mountains, but without the right gear. It was always tough. Whatever my dad had was with him. “I need the works,” I tell them, shame heating my face. “Backpack. Tent. Boots. You name it, I need it. My dad’s stuff went with him.”
It’s one of the reasons why I was never able to find him right after. I didn’t have the proper equipment, and I sure as fuck didn’t have the money to go buy it. I had to make do with Dickie’s old stuff, but it was ancient and worn. Not really suitable for my needs. I couldn’t even spend the night up in the mountains, which I know hindered my progress.
“We have most of the stuff you need, but we’ll get you some boots,” Stone promises. He even sounds decent about it. Not a hint of annoyance that he has to buy the poor girl things in order to take her into the mountains. “Also, I’ll have someone go into your father’s house and pack up all of his research. If it’s okay with you,” he tacks on. “I don’t think it’s safe there anymore.”
“I agree,” I say. “I can do it though.”
Stone shakes his head. “We have more important things to do.” He swallows thickly, eyeing his pizza. He sets his plate down on the coffee table and leans back, clutching his stomach. Wyatt glances over at him. “You feeling off?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I eye my calzone and wonder if the heavy head I’m feeling isn’t a headache coming on like I thought. The plate doubles then triples. There are three calzones which then merge back into one. I shut my eyes, and the world starts to tilt. “Guys, there’s definitely...” My tongue thickens in my mouth. I press it against my teeth, trying to get it to work correctly.
Wyatt, who’s been focusing more on eating than on the treasure conversation, slumps forward. He bangs his head on the coffee table and falls to the floor.
Shit. From the corner of my eye, I see Stone and Lucas attempt to go to him. Lucas stands, but he tumbles to the floor like he can’t hold his weight. A haze filters over the room like heat waves distorting the landscape.
The last thing I remember is the calzone slipping to the floor. I don’t even hear it hit because I’m out.
I wake with a pounding headache. I don’t even want to open my eyes because when I do, it feels like someone is
