Page 20 of Hell and High Water

...found along Egret Ridge near his secluded house...

There must be a connection.

This must be one of the Seven.

4

HELLENA

“Iknew it!” A very high, loud, and shrill voice echoes through the house. One that's also extremely familiar. “What the shit? You guys are naked!”

Gavin’s eyes bug out of his head as he spins to look down at Ora Clive standing in the middle of the living room with her arms crossed, looking up at us. The grin on her face is like pure sunshine.

I’ve rarely seen Gavin thrown off or surprised at all. Maybe when I would wear those ass crack shorts and a tank top cleaning the house back at his place.

The fact that we’re both leaning over the banister completely naked might have something to do with it, but we both freeze for a second, long enough for her to bolt up the stairs as soon as her eyes come to rest on me.

“Hell! Where the fuck have you been?”

“Ora, what are you doing here?”

“I asked first!” She pounces me, dragging me into a tight hug, totally ignoring the fact that I’m nude. “Gah! You look great. I wanna gobble those tits of yours up.”

“Ora!”

“What?”

“Uh…” I pull away, flabbergasted and staring at Gavin for help. He swallows, jawing several attempts at saying something before he devolves into red-faced anger.

“What the hell are you doing here, Clive Junior? No one is supposed to know where we are. How did you find us?”

“The short version is that I’ve been hunting for Hell for over a week since she up and disappeared. The longer version is that I had a bunch of our guys out looking for any sign of you, Tell, or Evan, and one of them spotted you near Severance the other day. It took me some waiting and watching to catch you on grocery day again, apparently. Then I just followed.”

“I didn’t see you tailing me…”

“Cause my granddaddy didn’t raise no fool. And it’s a lot easier to hide a bike than a car.”

“Hmm,” Gavin growls.

“Hey, don’t get mad at me for looking for my best friend or the fact that you’re getting sloppy, old wolf. At least you look good doin it…” She eyeballs him from head to toe.

Gavin gulps, rubbing the back of his neck as he glances down at himself, still rock hard and baring it all. He dashes for the bathroom and the nearest towel, grumbling a string of curses in his gravelly baritone.

“Do you fucking mind?” He glares at both of us as he fights with the towel, the tangled fabric covering almost nothing in his haste.

“Not. At. All,” Ora sings, wagging her eyebrows as she bites her lip and ogles his package. “I wouldn’t mind a go, either.”

She elbows me in the ribs, and I swat her arm, starting to feel a little exposed, myself. “I need clothes. And you need to stop provoking him!”

A little laugh slips out despite my chastising tone, and I wince as my side tightens. “Ouch!”

“Whoa, what the balls happened to your side, Hell?” Ora notices the stitches in my side. Gavin hadn’t had a chance to wrap me up again after our bath.

“It looks worse than it is, apparently,” I reassure her, rolling my eyes at Gavin’s scowl. “Let me put some clothes on first and I'll explain everything.”

“Everything?” Gavin warns me with a look.

“Well, some things, at least!”

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