“Wait!” I say. “Did you check Life360?”
“I did. She turned it off,” he says, then suggests that I call Archie. “We saw them on the square right before we came to find you. She might have linked up with them.”
I nod and pull out my phone, wishing that I hadn’t blown off Archie’s earlier text messages—all three of them. I put that thought aside and call him. It goes straight to voicemail.
“Hi, Archie,” I say, my voice sounding as strained as Tyson’s expression. “Sorry for not replying earlier. Any chance you’re with Lainey now? Long story, but Tyson and I are looking for her. Please give me a call if you’ve seen her.”
I hang up, then watch Tyson furtively type with his thumbs.
“Are you texting her?” I ask him.
He nods.
“What are you saying?”
He finishes, then looks at me. “Exactly what you’d expect me to say…. ‘Where are you? Please come back. Be careful. Don’t drink too much.’ ”
I take a deep breath, then say, “Tyson. I’m really sorry—”
“Hey, Hannah?” He cuts me off.
“Yeah?”
“Stop saying you’re sorry. What’s done is done.”
I nod, watching him pace back and forth. He suddenly stops, then grabs a jacket and his room key.
“I’m gonna go look for her,” he says. “You stay here in case she comes back.”
—
Night turns into late night. As I call and text Lainey from the room, Tyson scours Capri’s nightclubs and restaurants, checking with bartenders and bouncers.
Nobody has seen her, he reports back to me, again and again.
Archie finally returns my call just after one in the morning. There is loud music in the background, and for a second, I’m hopeful. Then he tells me that he hasn’t seen Lainey since their conversation earlier this evening.
“Is everything okay?” he asks.
“Not really,” I say. “We had an argument, and Tyson and I are worried about her.”
“Oh, no,” he says, sounding genuinely concerned.
“I’m sure she’s okay,” I say, trying to convince myself. “But keep your eye out for her. And if you happen to see her—”
“I’ll call you straightaway,” he says.
“Thank you, Archie,” I say.
As I hang up, my stomach fills with dread.
Chapter 30
Lainey
I am shaking with anger as I storm out of the bar and exit the hotel. I glance over my shoulder to confirm that my friends aren’t following me. I guess they know better than to try when I’m this upset, but their lack of effort is even more hurtful.
I really can’t believe it. Hannah’s lies and betrayal are astonishing, especially given how much I’ve had her back. But the fact that Tyson was in on it, too, is even more devastating. I was feeling so close to him, and I foolishly believed he was feeling the same way.
How could I have been so stupid? I never make this sort of error. I know better. I think back to last night when I got out of the cab and followed Tyson into the hotel. I should have stayed with Ian.
I tell myself it’s not too late, quickly returning to the spot where I last saw him. But when I get back to the Piazzetta, he and Archie are nowhere to be found. The girls they were with are still lingering, though, and I walk over to them.
“Hi. I was wondering if you might know where those Scottish guys went?” I ask. “The ones you were talking to?”
“Don’t know. They probably went back to their hotel,” the shorter girl says in an accent that sounds Eastern European.
“Do you happen to have their number?” I ask. “Or know where they are staying?”
“No. Sorry,” the short girl says.
“It’s okay. Thank you, anyway.”
I start to walk away, then stop myself, feeling desperate. I turn back to them. “Look. I won’t get in your way if you’re interested in them. I was just looking for something to do tonight—and my friends and I had fun hanging out with them last night.”
“No worries,” the short one says, finally loosening up. “I’m Petra.”
I nod, attempting a smile. “I’m Lainey.”
