Shane (Damage Control 4)

Do what exactly is the question, but by then I’m standing in front of a slight, short girl with blondish, wild hair and big chocolate eyes. She’s dressed in a red mini dress and striped leggings and looks distracted, her gaze flicking right and left, her hands twisting together.

“Hi,” I say. “Look, Ev says I should talk to you, but what I really should—”

“Yeah, not the best time, is it?” She frowns at me. “For a palm reading?”

“Palm reading?” I turn toward Ev, incredulous, but Ev has already left me in Kayla’s paranormal hands.

“Oh relax.” Kayla huffs and rolls her eyes. “It’s for good fun. I don’t tell people they’ll die or anything like that.”

“Good, but…”

“But your world is falling apart, and the last thing you care about right now is to have your fortune told.”

Despite myself, I laugh quietly. “Something like that.”

“There’s loss in your life. A dark pit behind you, and you’re scared the same waits for you ahead. So you hold back.”

“That’s not…” Not true.

“You’re hurt. Someone has let you down. You think it’s clear, what happened, but it’s not. It never is.”

I shake my head. “I thought you had to see my palm to tell my fortune.”

“I don’t need to see your palm to know what you’re thinking. It’s written all over your face.” She sighs. “You’re in love. There was a fight. Your heart is broken.”

Jesus.

“What’s your name?” she asks, tilting her head to the side, giving me a once-over. “Maybe I should read your palm after all.”

“Cassie. And no, thanks, but I’m looking for someone.”

“You’re Cassie? Shane’s girl?”

“I don’t think I’m his girl.”

“Then you should tell him that.” She shrugs. “He was looking for you, and to be honest, he didn’t look okay.”

“What do you mean?”

“He looked… confused? He kept rubbing a scar on his arm.” She shrugs again, scrunching up her nose. “He said he wanted help to find you, and Seth, but then he took off and I couldn’t find you, or Seth.”

Shit. He looked confused. That’s so not good.

And he wanted to find me.

Ignoring the warm feeling in my chest from this last thought, I turn to go. “I’ll go look for him. Any idea which way he went?”

“Out.”

“Say again?” I glance back at her over my shoulder.

“He headed out. Going home, I thought.”

“He came with me.” Alarms are wailing inside my head. “We have to find him, right away.”

Her eyes widen a little, and I see my worry reflected in her expression. “I saw him a while ago. It’s snowing outside. You think something might have happened to him?”

“I don’t know, but unless he caught a cab home, he’s out there, in the cold, and…” Fear is cutting off my breath. “Tell the others, tell Amber and Ev and anyone you can think of. I’m going out to find him.”