It was similar to what we’d found out about Tracy Levine at St. Teresa’s Preparatory School this morning. Tracy’s friends said she was fun and loved music. She went to parties, but she never did anything reckless. Her friends said they’d all gone to a rave a few days before Tracy disappeared, but nothing out of the ordinary had happened at the rave.
I climbed into the SUV and looked over at Sara. “I feel like there’s something we’re missing here. Some link between Jessica and Tracy.”
“I know what you mean.” She looked thoughtful as she clicked her seat belt. “For two Catholic school girls to disappear within days of each other, there has to be a connection.”
Starting the vehicle, I glanced at the clock on the dash and bit my lip. I’d been hoping it would take us longer to check out the schools because I had no desire to go back to the house. I knew I was being a coward, but I wasn’t ready to face Chris yet.
Mason and Sara had suggested I stay home today after my emotional night, but I couldn’t do it. I’d gotten up at dawn and snuck out for a two-hour run, hoping the fresh air would clear my head. It hadn’t.
“Hey, you feel like grabbing a coffee?” Sara asked as if she’d read my mind. “I could really go for a mocha.”
“I’d love one.”
There was a coffee shop less than a block from the school, so we headed for that one. We went inside, and I wasn’t surprised to see girls in school uniforms. The place was bustling, so Sara grabbed us a table while I went up to order our coffees.
A tall blonde girl ahead of me in line turned to smile at me. “Hey. Didn’t I see you at my school a little while ago?”
I smiled back and gave her the cover story we’d made up to explain our presence at the school.
“Yes. My sister and I might go there, and I wanted to check out the school.”
“Oh. It’s a good school but kind of boring.” She rolled her eyes. “I wanted to go to public school this year, but Mom and Dad wouldn’t hear of it.”
The line moved, and we both took two steps forward. Then the girl turned back to me. “I’m Alicia, by the way.”
“Beth.”
“Are you a senior?” she asked.
“Yes.”
Her smile brightened. “Me, too. We’ll be in the same class.”
I lifted a shoulder. “I haven’t even started there, and I’ve already made a friend.”
Looking pleased, she went up to the counter to order her drink. I went next, and ended up beside Alicia again as we waited for our coffee. We talked for a few minutes, and I found her to be nice and very chatty.
We got our drinks at the same time, and I wasn’t surprised when she walked with me to the table where Sara waited for me.
“Sara, this is Alicia,” I said as we sat. “Alicia’s a senior at Our Lady of Mercy, and she’s been telling me all about the school.”
“Are you Beth’s sister?” Alicia asked Sara.
“Just a friend who tagged along.”
Alicia was easy to talk to and eager to tell us all about the school and what she and her friends liked to do for fun. I listened to her with half an ear because my mind was occupied with thoughts about last night. It wasn’t until I heard her say the word “rave” that I snapped back to the present.
“Rave?” I asked. “Where?”
“At this cool new club called Luna. It’s an all-ages club, and they have the best music. I went to a rave there with some friends last Friday and had a total blast. They’re having another one Saturday night, and a bunch of us are going. You should come.”
She opened her messenger bag and pulled out what looked like two concert passes. “A guy I know from the club asked me to give out these passes at school. I have two left if you want them.”
“Don’t you want to give the passes to your friends?” Sara asked her.
“We all have passes for Saturday, and they’re only good for one night.”
I sipped my coffee. “We heard about that girl Jessica who went missing. You’re not nervous about going out after that?”
Alicia shook her head. “Jessica went off alone to a movie. I only go out with friends. Besides, we were all at Luna last week, and nothing happened. Jessica was there, too.”
My chest fluttered with excitement. Jessica and Tracy had both gone to a rave before they disappeared. No way this was a coincidence. I shot Sara a glance and saw she’d come to the same conclusion.
Alicia looked from Sara to me. “What do you say? I promised the guy who gave them to me that I’d give them all out.”
I didn’t wait for Sara to answer. My gut told me this was the connection we’d been looking for between the two missing girls. “Sounds like fun,” I said. “Count us in.”
“Yay!” She handed us the passes. “The address is on the back.” She stood. “I have to get back to school. See you Saturday night.”
“We’ll see you there.”
She started to leave and stopped. “Oh, and those passes are for girls only, in case one of your boyfriends wants to come.”
I turned my pass over in my hands. “Girls only?”
“Yeah.” Alicia pointed to a pink stripe along the bottom of the pass. “See that there? That means it’s a girl’s pass. The boys’ passes have a blue stripe. They give out an equal number for each rave.”
“Smart,” I murmured.
I looked at Sara as soon as Alicia left. “What are the odds of Jessica and Tracy both going to a rave the week before they disappeared?”
Sara laid her pass on the table. “I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Me either.”
Sara was quiet for a moment. “About the rave, I can ask Jordan to go to Luna with me if you’re not up to going out after… you know.”
“You can say it.” I smiled to hide the anxiety that had been simmering in my gut since I woke up.
The kindness in her eyes made my throat tighten. I knew how close she was to Chris, and I waited for her to tell me what a great mate he would be. Or to say something about me running out last night. I was not expecting her next words.
“When I found out about my bond with Nikolas, I wouldn’t even talk to him about it for a week. Then I got drunk, threw up in front of him, and told him I was breaking the bond.”
I gaped at her. “You did not.”
“Yep.” She nodded, amusement flashing in her eyes. “Trust me, your reaction last night was nothing compared to some of the stuff I’ve done. Oh, and stealing his bike was a nice touch. Jordan and I agreed you get points for style.”
“You really tried to break the bond?”
Seeing Sara and Nikolas together every day, it was impossible to imagine them not being crazy in love with each other. I knew they’d been bonded a while before they mated and that it had been stormy at times, but she’d never mentioned trying to break it off.
“I told him I was going to break it because I thought he didn’t want it.” She laughed when my eyes widened. “I know, I know. I was totally clueless. Nikolas was happy to set me straight.”
“I had no idea.”
“I told you we had a rocky start. I didn’t trust a lot of people back then, and I tried to push him away so many times.” She grinned over her cup. “Lucky for me, he’s a very determined man.”
“Are you saying I shouldn’t break the bond with Chris?”
For a brief moment, I allowed myself to imagine being mated to Chris. My stomach did flips at the thought of having that kind of intimacy with him.
Sara set down her cup. “No. I’m saying you should break it only if you know in your heart that he’s not the one you want to spend your life with. If you have a single doubt, don’t rush into something you might regret. I loved Nikolas, but I almost let my fear and mistrust come between us. I can see you still care about Chris even after he hurt you. I’m not telling you to run into his arms, but don’t let the past dictate your future.”
I swallowed painfully, not sure what to say.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”