When we get to Kat’s, there’s a handful of people hanging around, but Kat and Evan are nowhere to be found. I see Miles sitting on top of a cooler with a girl on his lap and make my way over to him.
“You see Evan?”
His eyebrows bunch together. “She left a long time ago.”
Eros and I share a look. “What about Kat?” he asks Miles.
“She went to sleep a few minutes ago,” he says, hooking his thumb toward the trailer behind him. Fuck. My gut twists. Evan wouldn’t go anywhere else.
“Nobody sleeps, nobody leaves until we find her,” I shout loud enough for everyone to hear. She can’t be far. We’re in a wooded area off the lot that doesn’t lead anywhere.
“I’ll go wake Kat,” Miles says, looking worried as he stands, sliding the girl off his lap.
“I’ll go grab the flashlights.” Eros runs in the direction of our trailer.
Kat walks out wrapped in a blanket, looking dazed and concerned. “She never made it back?”
“What happened before she left?” I ask, ignoring her pointless question. Obviously, she didn’t or I wouldn’t be here. “Was she drunk?”
“No,” she says resolutely. “She quit drinking before your show—” Her eyes widen before narrowing. “Selina.”
“Explain.”
“Selina cornered her, spewing her usual bullshit, but Evan looked like she was handling herself just fine.”
“Then what happened?” I press.
“Nothing.” She shrugs, helpless. “She left to find you. But Selina was pissed.”
Selina’s not here anymore, and a quick look into her trailer tells me she’s not there either. No telling where she went. Eros comes back with flashlights, handing me one, and we split up, searching the area. I take the path I think she’d take, calling her name.
“Evan!” I shout, my feet crunching over sticks and pine needles. The longer it takes to find her, the deeper the pit in my stomach grows. I rack my brain for any explanation as to what might’ve happened, coming up short.
“Evan!” I yell again. This time, I think I hear a faint voice call back. I freeze, shining my light in the direction it came. “Evan! Can you hear me?”
“I’m in here!” I hear her muffled scream just as my flashlight lands on a cargo trailer that isn’t hitched to a vehicle. I rush toward it, reaching for the handle, but it’s deadbolted shut.
“Evan? Are you in there?”
“Yes!”
“Hang on. I’m going to get you out.”
“Okay,” she says, and I can hear the relief in her voice. “Hurry, please.”
Eros comes running when he hears the commotion. “Did you find her?”
“She’s in here. Go find some bolt cutters.”
With all the ride jocks and roustabouts around, finding a pair shouldn’t be hard. Kat, Miles, and some of the Vixens surround the trailer, varying degrees of concern plastered to their faces.
“Whose trailer is this?” I ask, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. They all look to each other in question.
Finally, Eros returns, bolt cutters in hand. I snatch them from him. Wasting no time, I position them around the lock, making sure to get the right leverage before I squeeze hard and twist. The lock snaps, clanging against the metal of the latch, and then I’m throwing the deadbolt to the ground and lifting the door.
“Where is she?” Evan demands, charging out like a caged animal. I catch her by the waist, assessing for damage. Her hands and knees are dirty, but she seems to be fine otherwise.
“Who? What happened?” I grab her jaw, forcing her to look up at me as I inspect her face.