Page 2 of Love in the Wild

People break promises all the time. His sister might have been a saint, but this was one mistake she’d regret.

Gage reached the doorway leading into the offices in the back of the garage when Olivia almost ran into him. Her dark hair whirled around her as she jerked to a stop.

“Gage, have you seen Lyric?” Olivia asked.

“No. Where’s Beau?”

Olivia’s eyes widened as recognition clicked into place. “Everly just called. She’s still at the church. She said…”

“Spit it out. What’s wrong?” Gage asked, hanging onto the very end of his patience. He didn’t have time for wedding talk. He had to find Thea.

Olivia looked from one side to the other before taking a step back.

He probably looked like a soldier on the warpath right now, and she was smart to give him plenty of space.

“Olivia, what is it?”

“It’s Thea. Someone dropped her off in the parking lot at the church.”

Gage erased the space Olivia had put between them. “Talk fast,” he ordered.

“They’re taking her to Cody.”

“Who?”

“Paramedics. Jameson and Noah were at the wedding, so they–”

Gage was already walking away. When he hit the hallway, he broke into a jog. “Beau!”

Paramedics. Thea was headed to the nearest town with a hospital, and Gage needed a wall he could punch without having money for the damages deducted from his paycheck.

“Gage! Wait!” Olivia shouted behind him.

Rounding on her, Gage asked, “What’s wrong? Why is she going to the hospital?”

Olivia tucked her shoulders again. Good grief, he wasn’t going to hurt her. He just needed her to keep saying words.

“Everly said she was bleeding. Maybe beaten up. Do you know what happened to her?”

“Do I look like I know what happened to her?” Gage asked, throwing his hands out to his sides.

Who were the possible suspects? Definitely a Howard or a Patton. This wouldn’t be the first time Thea got herself tangled up in the middle of the family feud.

Thea’s ex, Brett Patton, could have come to finish what he started when he killed their dad five years ago. Another Patton might have seen a chance to take down the weakest and most innocent Howard.

There was also the very real possibility that their own family had done this. She’d allied herself against the Howards when she started dating a Patton, and not a single one of them had forgiven her for it.

And that was the main reason Gage had worked so hard to get her out of Blackwater. He couldn’t protect her if they were surrounded on all sides. Thea had a heart of gold, but their family didn’t care. She was a traitor, and traitors weren’t tolerated.

“Gage, lay off. She’s trying to help,” Beau said behind him.

Gage pulled off his ball cap and brushed a hand through his hair. Deep breaths. Don’t scare her off.

He turned back to Olivia and softened his voice. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just need to know the details.”

Olivia nodded quickly. “I know. Everly said Brett went with her in the ambulance.”

Gage’s hands fisted at his sides. “What did you say?”

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