Page 69 of Love in the Wild

“He interrupted us.”

Hadley held up a finger. “To be fair, I think I interrupted him and Thea a few times when they were staying at my place.”

Gage pressed a kiss to her forehead and grabbed the empty bowls. “He’s on his way to the garage.”

The unease was back, but she wouldn’t let it take root. “Duty calls.”

Gage flipped up the tailgate and followed Hadley to her car. “I’ll call you this afternoon. Probably after five. Brett might be able to give you an update before then, but I don’t want to risk making a phone call while I’m there.”

Hadley lifted up onto her toes and pressed a quick peck to his lips, but Gage wrapped her up and delved into a slow, deep kiss that had her fingers tingling within seconds.

When he released her, she swayed on her feet, trying to get her bearings again. “Um, I’ll see you soon.”

“Soon, sunshine,” Gage promised as he closed her door and took a step back.

She watched him in her mirror as she drove back out to the main road. Leaving Gage felt wrong, but she wasn’t sure if it was the impending meeting or an instinctual urge to cling to him.

Whether she liked it or not, Gage was defining all the feelings and emotions she’d never understood before. He was teaching her to trust and nurturing a bond that begged to be solidified between them.

20

GAGE

Gage walked into the garage on high alert. He let the fury in his chest have free rein as he prepared to face his uncles.

They hurt Thea.

They lied.

Hadley isn’t safe.

All the reasons he needed to keep a clear head and play the part were fighting for his headspace. His fists clenched and flexed at his sides as he shoved open the metal door, letting it slam into the wall.

Hitting something felt good when his hands were figuratively tied.

The garage was littered with half-disassembled car parts, but there wasn’t any sign of life. Gage followed hushed voices to the storage room.

The waiting room had been converted into storage space years ago. Tires were stacked on one side, and a few metal chairs were bolted to the floor. Cain sat in one of the chairs with his arm draped over the back of the one beside him. Bruce and Tommy stood in the middle of the room with their arms crossed over their chests.

Their hushed voices were silenced now. If Gage had a chance of getting in on the conversation, it was gone now.

Gage adopted the same stance as his uncles. “What’s the plan?”

Bruce huffed. “You decide to show up for work?”

“No one else around here does,” Gage said without a trace of guilt.

Tommy didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, he jerked his chin toward the door. “Bay three needs new tires.”

Gage turned and walked out. His family was pulling away more and more, and any chance he had of finding out their plans for Thea was dwindling.

Having a task to occupy his thoughts was welcome, but changing tires was monotonous and basic. The work did nothing to keep his mind off the coming storm.

Bruce and Cain finally shuffled into the garage and at least pretended to work on the Chevy in the next bay. They were too stupid to figure out how to fix most things and too prideful to ask for help. Ninety percent of the time, the vehicles sat in the garage until Gage came in and finished the job.

A text vibrated the phone in his pocket.

Brett: Incoming.

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