Page 104 of Vicious Desire (Fallen Royals 4)

She pulls back and stares at her screen.

“Someone answered, but they hung up.”

I shiver. “Maybe it fell out on the bus. Can I borrow yours…?”

She hands it to me, and I step away to call Dad. He answers in his brisk business voice.

“Dad, it’s me.”

“Riley. I tried calling you earlier. Where’s your phone?”

“I don’t know. Can we track it?”

He grunts. “Yeah, hang on.”

“How’s Noah?” I ask.

Not for the first time today, I’m a little pissed that I even went to the meet in the first place. If my future didn’t hinge on every single meet, I would’ve skipped it.

“Fine, fine,” Dad says. He’s distracted—probably from the Find My Phone app. “We’re heading home soon. Will you be there?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, it’s at the school. I can’t get much more detailed than that, unfortunately.”

I click my tongue. “Must’ve dropped it on the bus. Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you soon.”

He doesn’t ask about the meet, and I don’t offer any more information. I cross back to Skylar and Parker, who watch me worriedly.

“You didn’t say anything about Noah,” Parker says to me.

I shrug. I didn’t say anything about the stalker, either. “I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy morning. I’ve got to go get my phone, then go home. I’ll talk to you both tomorrow?”

They nod at me, and I climb back in my car. It’s a little weird without my phone—I’m disconnected from reality, almost.

Still, the drive back to Emery-Rose passes quickly, and I park next to the two busses that took us this morning.

I pry open the doors, casting a quick look around me, and hurry up the steps.

The bus is eerily silent. It’s wrong to be in here without permission.

Moving fast, I walk down the aisles and check on and under all the rows of seats.

Nothing.

I repeat the same thing on the other bus, then search around the parking lot.

And then I smack my forehead.

Skylar and I went into the school to return the big cooler and ducked into the locker room to use the bathroom.

“I’m an idiot,” I say to myself.

And lucky for me, I still have a key.

I let myself in the front door and make sure it locks behind me, then hurry down the hall to the athletic department. The wing is dark and creepy, but I keep my hand along the wall as I go.

Finally, I get to the girls’ locker room and yank the door open. The lights take a second to flicker on, and even then it’s just the automated sensor ones. They’re dim and sparse, just enough so people can find their way in and out.