T W E N T Y - O N E

ARABELLA.

"There you are. I left a message. " I say to Dex when we meet halfway through and he rubs his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't check my phone. "

"Are you okay?" I ask when I take notice of his scowl and he hums. "I am. "

"Are you sure? Did something happen? You couldn't find Veronica?"

"Oh, I did. " He murmurs, dropping his hand from his face. "Just not in the state I expected. "

"Is she okay? Where's she?"

"She left. With Sam. " He reveals with an irritating edge to his voice and I chuckle. "You don't like that?"

"No, that's not what–" Dex pauses when his eyes move behind me and I turn on my heels to see Alexander standing behind, only feet away with his hands tucked into his pockets and his eyes on me.

"You were with him?" Dex's question returns my attention to him and I nod. "I was. I—"

"Wait. What the fuck is that?" He interrupts my words, his finger pointed straight at my neck and I wrap a hand around it, a finger trailing over the skin, knowing he's asking about the red skin f