Page 66 of Under Pink Skies

“It’s . . .” Connor trailed off as I continued to stare at the scene in front of us.

I unlocked the glove compartment and slid my phone out, switching it off airplane mode. I didn’t know how I forgot to check my phone when I first got back in the car.

Dozens of missed calls immediately flooded my phone, with even more missed texts from Imogen:

SOS call me now

Where the hell are you???

Abbie please answer your phone it’s important

Call me as soon as you have your phone on.

My stomach dropped. Imogen never texted like this, and she certainly never called me twelve times in a row.

Not unless it was something urgent.

And there was no denying the color of the crunched-up car on the back of the tow truck.

“What’s wrong?” Connor asked. “You’re pale.”

“I think something’s wrong,” I whispered. It was all I could think to say.

I dialed Imogen’s number with shaky fingers.

Chapter 25

Abbie

Imogenansweredonthefirst ring.

“Where the hell have you been?” Imogen cried. “We’ve been trying to get ahold of you for hours.”

“Connor and I went for a hike. I left my phone in the truck, and Connor didn’t have service,” I said. “We just got back into town. What happened, Imogen?”

There was rustling in the background, like Imogen had covered the bottom of her phone with her hand while she spoke to someone else.

“Your dad was in an accident,” Imogen finally said. “Officer Ludgate and I both tried to call you. He’s at the hospital in Brighton.”

I closed my eyes.

The other shoe always drops.

I don’t know what I had expected.

Connor was already putting Lucy in drive as the phone slipped from my hand. I leaned forward and pressed my fingers to my temples, trying to wrap my mind around this.

“I’ve got her, Imogen. We’ll head there now,” Connor said after he grabbed my phone from my lap.

My fingers trembled.

“Call me when you get an update. John could only tell us it was . . . the scene didn’t look good,” I heard Imogen say, and I felt sick. I hung up the phone. I didn’t have the words to tell her I saw his car.

We barely made it a minute down the road before I clutched my stomach.

“Stop the car,” I said, my chest heaving.

Connor did so almost immediately, and I pushed the door open as soon as we were stationary. I stumbled my way into the tree line and threw up. I leaned against the nearest tree for stability, a sob escaping me.

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