Page 21 of Stopped

“Doherty.”

“Will… it's Raine.” My colleague’s voice came over the line strained and tense, sending my heart plummeting to the depths of my stomach. “Will. Your dad stole your uncle’s truck. He crashed it in the creek outside of town. I'm on my way to the scene now.”

“Oh God,” I mumbled, a shaky hand lifting to cover my mouth. “W-west side of town or east?”

“West. Where are you?”

“I'll be there in ten.” I hung up the phone and raced to dress as the worst case scenarios became a pile-up in my head.

“Will?”

My eyes snapped toward him, but I couldn't even begin to explain the depths of what I was dealing with. Not after we’d connected so deeply. Without my protective walls, I'd likely break down and I couldn't do that. Not here, not now. “My dad. I've got to go. I'm so sorry.”

“Oh,” he mumbled, his shoulders sagging. “Of course. Is he okay?”

“I… I don't know. I have to go.”

“Please drive safe.”

I couldn't articulate any partings to adequately express how much I didn't want to leave, so I let my lips do the talking in the form of a deep, nearly feral kiss.I'll be back. I'm sorry. I'm not leaving. I think I'm in love with you.I might not have said any of that out loud, but I poured the intention into our kiss and doubled the insistence with my eyes locked on his. And then I walked away from my EJ, praying it wasn't for the last time.

Chapter Eleven

Elijah

The incessant buzz ofmy cell on the nightstand woke me up too early after a sleepless night of tossing and turning. I sat up too fast, wincing at the delicious ache in my body, before sweeping my phone up filled with hope that it was good news from Will. As much as I understood he was in a difficult spot, I couldn't help but feel disappointment over how our night together had ended. My hope was extinguished as soon as I spied the caller ID. As much as I loved my cousin, he was not who I was hoping to hear from this early in the morning.

“‘lo?” I rubbed one eye with my fingers to clear the sleep from it.

“You aren't going to believe this!”

“What is it, Brent?” I yawned so wide, my jaw popped.

“You have competition.”

“Huh?”

“For the vote!”

“I know. Everyone loves Jerry.” The older man had been my opposition on the ticket since the beginning. I wondered briefly if it was some crazy joke that Brent was pulling.

“No, not him. Elijah… the pastor’s son put his name in. The signs went up last night after your event. I didn't see them till I was on my way over to the school this morning.”

I physically felt the blood drain from my face. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. “Brixton? Brixton’s running for the supervisor spot?”

“Check your texts. I'm literally parked in front of one of his campaign signs right now.”

I pulled the phone from my ear, switched the call to speaker, and opened up my messages. As promised, a new text was waiting for me in my inbox. Bile rose as I opened it and zoomed in on the image.

Brixton Hayden for Town Supervisor

Because Sacred Traditions Require A Traditional Touch

“Fuck,” I muttered, letting my hands fall limp in my lap.

“Yeah. He's our age, but might as well have been cut from the same cloth as a Republican three times as old.”

“Yeah. And he’s unnaturally hot. Like, unfairly so.”

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