CHAPTER 72
SANTIAGO
DAY FIVE
One, two, three, four! And by the fifth day, the panic that surged through my being stopped begging loud. It progressed into something quiet, sharp and methodical. The kind that sits in your chest and counts seconds instead of screaming. And that was worse.
I stood in the kitchen staring at Callie’s mug—the ugly chipped one she refused to throw away because “it has character.” My fingers tightened around the handle until the ceramic creaked.
Five days.
Five f*****g days and not a single word.
“She’s not late anymore,” I said quietly. “She’s gone.”
Sienna looked up from the table so fast her chair scraped loudly against the floor. “Don’t say that.”
“I’m not being dramatic,” I snapped. “I’m being realistic.”
Matteo leaned against the counter, arms cros
