A faint ringtone roused me, echoing off the walls in the loft. Indistinct. Generic. I pulled the blanket to my chin.

Go away …

“Phone, babe,” Beckett grumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

Groaning, I patted the nightstand, searching for the source of my annoyance. When I came up empty, I cracked one eye open and spotted my jeans next to the bed, my phone hanging out of the back pocket.

Teetering on the edge of the mattress, I snatched up the device and issued a groggy “Hello.”

“May I speak to Taryn Ayers?”

The woman’s voice, all business, filtered through the hum of conversation in the background.

As I settled against the pillows, the room spun from too much wine at dinner and too much Beckett for dessert. “This is she.”

Beckett draped an arm around my waist, his thumb skimming my ribs. Smiling, I rolled over and brushed a thick lock of hair from his face. His lips quirked but he didn’t move.

“Miss Ayers, this is the Travis County Sheriff’s department dispatch calling.”

The thick fog of sleep receded, leaving me fully awake. “Who?”

“Miss Ayers … I’m a dispatcher with the Travis County Sheriff’s Department.”

Slowly, I rose to my elbow. “Yeah … okay. What is it?”

Beckett’s lids fluttered open and his cobalt eyes found mine.

“Miss Ayers, we got your name from Preferred Motor Coach. There’s been an accident outside Fredericksburg involving a tour bus. Your name was listed as the point of contact.”

Disentangling myself from the sheet, I sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed, my legs dangling over the side. “I’m sorry … an accident? What kind of accident?”

“A semi-truck crossed the median and hit the bus at a high rate of speed. The survi … the injured parties are being transported to Brackenridge Hospital via Care Flight.”

Beckett’s fingers brushed the base of my spine. “What is it, babe?”

When I didn’t answer, his footfalls sounded on the hardwood. And then he was in front of me, moonlight from the floor to ceiling window framing his broad shoulders and illuminating the tips of his dark locks.

He needs a haircut.

Shifting my attention back to the faceless woman on the other end of the line, I cleared my throat. “But everyone’s all right, though?”

After an eternity, she started to speak, but I couldn’t process what she said. Everything after “I’m sorry” faded to white noise. And then, like a crash of thunder, her last words exploded in my head.

“… officers’ on the scene reported two survivors and three fatalities at the crash site.”

In front of me, Beckett crouched, his lips moving soundlessly as a tiny fissure formed in my chest. And then something shattered deep inside and the phone slipped from my numb fingers.

Beckett scooped up the device and began to speak, but I couldn’t hear anything but the four-word refrain echoing in my head.

Two survivors … three fatalities.

Beckett cupped my cheek. “Taryn …baby …”

“Hmmm?”

When I didn’t look up, he slid his fingers into my hair and gently tipped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Baby … you’ve got to get dressed now.”

Tears rolled down his cheeks, and I tracked a tiny rivulet with my finger. “Why?”

Catching my hand, the crease in his brow deepened. “Why … I don’t …” Clumsy fingers circled my biceps. “Here … let me help you.”

Wobbling to my feet, I yanked free from his hold. “Why?”

Beckett scrubbed a hand over his face. “Babe, I don’t know why.” He snagged my jeans from the floor and shoved them at me. “Please, just get dressed. We have to go to the hospital.”

Two survivors and three fatalities.

A calm washed over me. Sweet relief. “It’s a mistake.”

“Taryn—”

“Listen to me!” Clutching his arm, my nails sank deep into his skin. “Don’t you see? Rhenn, Tori, Paige, and Miles.” Holding up a finger for every name I ticked off, I wiggled my digits. “That’s four. It’s a mistake.”

Beckett crushed me to his chest. “Babe, it’s not a mistake. We have to go now. Please.”

Confused, I peered up at him, the placid smile wobbling on my lips. “But I just told you …”

Taking my face between his palms, he rested his forehead against mine, anchoring us together. “Taryn, listen to me. There were five people on the bus. You didn’t count the driver.”