I lower the phone slowly, staring at the blank screen as the silence of the penthouse crashes back over me like a tidal wave.
For a second, I can't move. My chest feels tight, my lungs refusing to expand fully, the raw, cold terror of the unknown wrapping its fingers around my spine.
Then, from the private foyer down the hall, the soft chime of the keycard scanner signals that the private elevator has reached the penthouse floor.
I let out a long, ragged breath, wiping the tear from my cheek with the back of my hand. I throw back the covers, swinging my legs out of bed.
Xena lifts her head from the foot of the mattress, her big ears flopping forward, watching me with curious dark eyes as I pull on a thick oversized sweater belonging to Locke. I’m desperate for his scent, his warmth,
