Chapter 47

Those are the words that finally filter through the phone, though what I hear is closer to “Damn, it’s the middle of the night.”

Of course, I might be projecting. Cass and Zee—short for Zelda—have been dating for about five minutes, and I’m already seeing anxiety and insecurity flicker in my best friend. And, I’m sorry, but Cass is beyond amazing. If Zee doesn’t realize that, she’s nuts.

“What’s going on?” Cass asks without preamble, not a trace of sleep in her voice.

She’s good in a crisis—always has been—and moments like this make me even more grateful she’s on my team.

“Marcus,” I say, then give her a quick, bare-bones rundown of what’s happened. I don’t need to tell her Marcus is Nick’s stepbrother—he already told her. He was desperate to find me and went to Cass, then left everything in her hands, knowing that if anyone could help him find a way back to me, it was my best friend.

“I know he goes to a gym to blow off steam,” I say. “One with a ring