Page 32 of Love in the Wild

Lifting his head, Gage pinned her with dark-brown eyes. It flipped her stomach. What in the world was going on?

“I didn’t know I ordered a motivational coach.”

Undeterred by his warning, Hadley kept going. “Thea got out.”

“And she came right back,” Gage pointed out.

Ugh. Why was he so stubborn? “Thea’s a good woman.”

“I can agree with that.”

Hadley shifted on the tailgate, feeling bolder every second. “Are you more like her, or are you more like them?”

Gage shoved the rest of the trash into the bag and balled it up. He walked over to the driver’s side door and rummaged in the cab for a few seconds. He came back holding a wad of cash out to Hadley.

“It’s okay.”

Gage narrowed his eyes at her, then shoved the cash a little closer. “I don’t keep debts.”

“Ugh. You’re impossible,” Hadley grumbled as she took the money.

Gage stepped to the edge of the tailgate and propped his hands on it. “I think we need to call it a day. I’ll text you when I have more info about Mom.”

Getting the message loud and clear, Hadley jumped off the tailgate and brushed her hands over her jeans. She would end this meeting on a good note. An undeniable feeling told her this arrangement with Gage was going to be a good thing.

“Thanks for meeting me. Thea will be happy to hear the news about your mom.”

Gage slammed the tailgate closed and turned around. Crossing his arms over his broad chest, he leveled her with a serious stare. “Can you tell her something else?”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Tell her not to ever come back. There’s nothing left for her here.”

All of the high hopes Hadley had clung to just moments before died. Thea was still here, which meant she was still in danger. After seeing how serious Gage was about her safety, keeping the secret from him was making her second-guess the logic behind the decision.

If Gage didn’t know Thea was here, he couldn’t know how to protect her.

“Okay.” It was the best answer Hadley could give. She’d deliver the message, and the rest was up to Thea.

11

GAGE

Gage faked left before weaving right just out of Travis’s reach. The hits were coming quick today, and the lack of sleep wasn’t doing Gage any favors.

Travis raised his gloves and grinned. “You afraid to get close today, pretty boy?”

Taking the moment to school his breathing, Gage shook out his gloved hands. “I don’t really feel like sporting a broken nose today.”

“You’ve never cared before.” Travis lunged and made a jab at Gage’s chin that connected.

Gage shook his head out, seeing stars against the stone wall of the gym.

So much for staying bruise-free.

“I know what it is,” Travis drawled. “You got a hot date tonight.”

“Wrong.”

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