St. Clare slips out, and what felt like heaven only seconds ago is starting to ache, and not in a good way now.

Only a bit though. Only enough to remind me what happened and confirm that I don’t regret a thing.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

ST. CLARE

This comms feels weird in my ear. “Do we really need this?” I ask Tommy, who’s just walked me through how to use it. “We have our phones.”

“If you run into the type of people you don’t want to run into, they won’t wait while you whip out your phone to text us.”

“But you said yourself I’m not in any danger.”

“Walking around SODO at night is asking to be put into danger. Maybe they won’t kill you, but being beaten up or robbed is high on the list of fuck yous that place has in store.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad my brother didn’t pick somewhere dangerous and ill-advised to hang out.”

“Do you have any idea why he’d be there?”

I can feel them all looking at me, and yes, I do feel partially responsible for us all hauling ass out to the industrial district at night. It’s my brother who’s done a reckless thing, but I think he and Perry are currently tied for worst decisions where I’m concerned. “No. And it doesn’t make sense that he didn’t talk to me about any of it either.”

“Does he know anyone who works or lives down that way?”

I frustratingly shake my head again. “Colin doesn’t know anyone. He works. That’s it. He doesn’t do friends. He doesn’t have anyone outside of me and Lars.”

Perry’s forehead crumples. “No friends?”

“I know it sounds sad, but Colin has always been a bit … operating on another level to the rest of us. He likes to play and tinker and work. Saint Clare’s is his baby. I’ve always just been along for the ride.”

“You did a lot too,” Lars says, and I appreciate his support. “You built it together.”

“Not enough together if he went running off to some asshole like Carson Alexander.” It’s hard not to feel bitter about him making choices and not checking with me first.

Everett shudders. They’re all wearing black and brought clothes for us too, but Ever is the only one wearing a leather jacket. “I have no interest in playing with him.”

“Let’s hope Colin is super easy to find, then, and it doesn’t come to that.”

“Right,” Arlie says, checking her watch. “We’ll go in teams. Ever and Perry, me and Lars, Tommy and St. Clare.”

I breathe a small sigh of relief that I’m not with Ever, but splitting up from Perry and Lars doesn’t sit right with me either. “What if someone spots Perry? He’s still on Luther’s list, isn’t he?”