Page 276 of Hide and Keep

I scramble off my bed and burst out into the hall while trying to get one shoe on at a time, bouncing off the walls like a goddamn ping-pong ball.

“Where are you going?” my mom calls after me, but I’m already out the front door and remote-starting my Bronco.

The dot looks like it’s at the edge of the cliff but what if Ever’s not? What if she’s already at the bottom?

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.

Only a slight hesitation, then I’m up on the curb, plowing into the Munreauxs’ forest. I’m not parking on the street. It’ll take too long to run through the woods and I need to get to Ever now.

I don’t know what she’s thinking, if she is at all, but she can’t go over that edge. I stopped her once. I’ll stop her again.

Please let me get to her in time to stop her,I send up to whoever, or whatever, might be listening.Just keep her feet on the ground until I get there.

Eventually, the trees become too tightly packed for me to fit between, forcing me to have to park halfway to the cliff. Leaving my car running, I throw the door open and take off, my legs pumping faster and harder than any of my runs with Ever. All those sprints trying to catch up to her were preparing me for this moment. I have to make it to her in time. I can’t live in a world that doesn’t have Ever Munreaux in it. I would rather spendthe rest of my life hating her than one moment mourning her. I fucking reject that possibility.

Up ahead, I see a figure, and somehow dig deeper, making my legs go even faster. I explode out of the tree line with a frantic “Ever! Stop!”

Standingwaytoo close to the edge, Ever startles, nearly giving me a heart attack. A few more inches and she’ll tumble right over.

“What are you doing here, Crue?” Her voice is full of tears. And if I could see her face, I’m sure I’d find her eyes are, too.

Out of breath, I suck in two huge lungfuls of air before gasping, “You. I’m here for you.”

She looks over her right shoulder at me, confirming my suspicion. She’s been crying.

“Ever.”

I start for her, but she lifts a palm my way.

“Don’t. Don’t come near me or I’ll jump.”

“All right.” I put my hands up where she can see them, hopefully so she won’t notice my feet that haven’t stopped moving toward her and won’t because my fucking ass she’s jumping off that cliff.

“I mean it, Crue. Don’t get any closer.”

I freeze.

“Come to me then.”

She shakes her head. “I can’t do that, Major.”

“Yes, you can. You’re Ever Munreaux. You can do anything you set your mind to.”

Her laugh is like nails on a chalkboard, there’s nothing pleasant about it. “You havenoidea who I am.”

“I know you’re my flyer and the only flying you do is above my head.”

Rotating back toward the sea, she says, “Not anymore.”

I shuffle a few feet in her direction, my voice taking on a hardness I haven’t had to use with her in a while. “Get away from the edge, Ever.”

“I won’t.”

“Get away from the fucking edge, Ever! You are my fucking flyer, my fucking—”

“Nothing! I’m your nothing! I was your protectee, yourobligation, but now, I’m not. Now I’mnothing…to you.” She takes a step closer to the edge.

Panic propelling me forward, I shout, “I wish that was true!”

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