His stomach sank deeper and deeper toward his boots as he trudged back toward the tent, trying to find the words to explain to Marin what had happened. His heart sat like a lead weight in his chest, pressing on his lungs, making it harder and harder to breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do I tell her?\u201d he whispered to the misting rain. He stopped halfway between the forge and the tents, just standing there, breath ragged, chest tight.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s my fault. I should have made him stay with me instead of letting him run off.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThom, wait.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor what?\u201d He glanced over his shoulder toward Cameron, feeling a slight pang as he watched his friend limp toward him. \u201cWaiting isn\u2019t going to make this any easier.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Cameron agreed. \u201cBut you won\u2019t be alone that way, right?\u201d<\/p>\n Thom exhaled and shivered. He felt cold, chilled to the bone. Part of it was probably from the damp, but he knew it wasn\u2019t entirely the weather.<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d he murmured. He reached over and grasped Cameron\u2019s shoulder, managing a weak smile even though he felt sick to his stomach. \u201cThanks, Cam.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah. Just remember this when I need backup when I go to tell Neve something that may or may not be traumatic and upsetting.\u201d He threw an arm around Thom\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll try not to forget,\u201d Thom said, swallowing bile. He took another deep breath. \u201cI don\u2019t even know where she is.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThen we look,\u201d Cameron said quietly. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who marched out here to look for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d Thom sighed. \u201cI know, I know.\u201d<\/p>\n He turned toward the ravine, toward the bridge, and started walking. If had to guess, he\u2019d think that Phelan and Marin had probably headed in that direction.<\/p>\n Each step was an effort, like his boots were made of concrete.<\/p>\n This was the worst sort of news he could be carrying to his wife.<\/p>\n At least he\u2019s not dead.<\/em><\/p>\n A little voice whispered in the back of his head: Not that you know of.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" His stomach sank deeper and deeper toward his boots as he trudged back toward the tent, trying to find the words to explain to Marin what had happened. His heart sat like a lead weight in his chest, pressing on … Continue reading