~Elvira~
Something bad happened, Elvira.
The way she said those four words felt like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.
My heart literally stopped.
I looked closely at Lisa, and the joy of seeing my old friend vanished, replaced only by an agonising dread. She looked tired from the long trip and entirely empty.
"What is it?" I whispered, taking a step toward her. I ignored Gabriel’s shadow behind his desk.
"Lisa, you’re shaking. Where’s Carson? Why isn't he with you?"
I expected her to tell me he was waiting at the border, or that he was parked down the road in their old truck. I expected her to complain about how he did not want her coming into the woods alone.
Instead, Lisa gave a sob that sounded painful.
She reached out, her thin, trembling fingers fumbled with the
