Her grief slammed into him through the connection—Steele hadn't lied.
"Drake, it was you before, wasn't it? This is real? How?"
'A drug. It's a long story. What's happened?'
"He has her. My father somehow got to Ana. I'm so sorry. I thought she was safe. Oh, Drake, what are we going to do?"
'He's using the baby against me, Sam. I'm the one who's sorry. I abandoned you because I was weak. But I swear, I will get her back and I will destroy this man once and for all.'
"I need you, Drake. I need to get Ana back."
'I'll find a way to get to you, Sam. Wait for me. I'm coming.'
The connection faded, and Drake looked at Steele. "Fine. I'm in. But first, get me the hell out of here."
Steele grinned, shaking his head just a fraction.
Drake hoped the man couldn't read minds like his daughter.
Part Two – The Different Names of Love
Chapter 85 – Lucy
"Lucy, wake up! Lucy!"
That voice. She knew that voice.
"Lucy!"
The same voice had warned her when Luke was in danger. Her eyes popped open and the voice stopped. Sunlight blinded her briefly, and as her vision returned, she wiggled and stretched each body part to assess the damage, surprised even to be alive. Her entire body ached as though a truck had run into her—repeatedly—but everything seemed to work as it should. She pulled herself up, abs screaming at the effort, and blinked to clear her vision.
Maybe I have died and gone to paradise. Lush green trees dipped into a crystal blue lake. Flowers like she'd never seen grew around the edge, absorbing the water and sun. She plucked one and examined it—a bright, bluish-purple blossom shaped like a star, with silver glitter in its petals. It smelled like rain. Another flower transitioned through all the colors of the rainbow and was shaped like a heart. If she hadn't been in so much pain, she'd have thought she was dreaming.
A white mist drifted over the water and revealed that the same flowers that grew next to the lake also floated on the surface, as if growing from the water.
Then she remembered her brother and Hunter. Oh God! She dropped the flower and looked around frantically. Hunter lay washed up by a boulder. She ran to him.
"Hunter! Hunter, wake up!" His face was pale, but his chest moved at a steady rhythm. "Hunter!" She caressed his face and fought the tears that choked her throat.
A hand reached up and grabbed hers. Hunter's eyes peeled open. "I knew you cared."
She exhaled the breath she'd held in and punched his chest.
"Ow! What was that for?" He sat up, but didn't let go of her hand.
"You scared me. That's what." A renegade tear slid down her cheek, and Hunter used his free hand to wipe it off.
"Don't cry. I'm okay. Are you?"
She nodded, angry at her vulnerability. "Luke! We have to find him."
Hunter stood and helped her up. He still didn't release her hand, and she didn't pull away.
He's alive. She didn't want to let go in case he somehow disappeared again. The physical contact gave her strength and made her feel less alone in this crazy, messed up situation. Having to be the strong one all the time had worn her out. It was a relief to have someone else to share the burden.
They found Luke on the other side of the boulder. He'd already sat up and was picking sticks and twigs out of his hair and off of his clothes.
Seeing the state he was in, Lucy imagined how unattractive she must have looked at that moment. In a total girl freak-out, she would have given anything for a bathroom, clean clothes and a proper shower. She didn't even want to think about how she smelled.
She knelt next to Luke, and Hunter joined her, still attached to her hand. "You okay?"
"Yeah, sure." Luke glared at Hunter, but if Hunter noticed, he didn't let it bother him.
When Luke tried to stand, he groaned and leaned on Lucy. "My ankle is sprained or something."
Lucy helped him to the boulder so he could sit.
Hunter examined his leg. "Don't take the shoe off. The swelling will get worse and you won't be able to get it back on." He pulled a bottle of pills from his pack. "Here's some ibuprofen. Should help with the pain and swelling."
Lucy found a large, sturdy branch and used her knife to create a walking stick for him. Fortunately, the waterproof backpacks strapped to their backs meant that they still had all their gear. They would have been screwed had they lost their supplies.
After Luke downed the pills, Lucy handed him the walking stick. "Your ankle isn't too bad. You should be better soon."
"It shouldn't have happened at all! Jump off the log? Are you crazy? Did you even think?" Luke shot his words at her like bullets.
She stepped back, into Hunter, who once again grabbed her hand. "What other choice did we have? I saved us. You should've slowed us down more. You did before."
"Well, I couldn't. I've only done that once. Why would you even think...?" Luke took a deep breath. "Forget it. What were those things, anyway? They looked like Hercules beetles, but—"