CHAPTER 9
Timeline: 22 Days Until 18
“Where is he?”
Knox’s voice boomed through the hallway, sharp and furious, before I was even fully down the stairs. I froze, one hand gripping the banister, my heart sinking straight into my boots. I’d known this was coming. I’d woken up knowing the bed across the hall was empty, knowing Cole’s truck was gone from the driveway, knowing the silence in the house wasn’t peace—it was the calm before the storm.
“Gone.” Jax stood in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed, his jaw set hard. “Left before sunrise. Like the rules say.”
“Without a word? Without a goodbye?” Knox slammed his fist against the wall, the wood groaning under the blow. “That’s not him. That’s not how we do this.”
“He didn’t want to go.” I spoke up, my voice steady despite the way my han
