Page 51 of Stealing Sloane

Ronan’s soulless eyes looking straight out of the screen had bored a hole right through her. He knew the New York clan was hiding her. “And he won’t stop until he succeeds.”

“Fuck, does that means he knows you’re here? Were you followed?” Jacob asked his parents.

“Not unless he has a warlock with teleportation powers on his payroll,” Quinn said. “Your Uncle Daric dropped us off.”

Jacob blew out a relieved breath.

“I can’t stay here.” She’d been here for too long. Sooner or later, Ronan would find her.

“You’re not leaving, Sloane!” Jacob exploded. “Don’t even think?—”

“I have to,” she said. “Sooner or later, Ronan’s going to find me. He’s gonna keep coming, and he doesn’t care w-who gets in his way.” The memory of those Lone Wolves holding down Jacob made her gut twist into knots. And now it wasn’t just Jacob who was in danger. By staying here, she was endangering his entire family too.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” Quinn said.

“What the fuck, Dad!” Jacob cursed. “You can’t let her?—”

“Calm down, son. I’m not suggesting we toss her out. We have safe houses all over the country, nearly every state, and even abroad. She can stay in one of them until we find more evidence on Ronan.”

Sloane bit her lip. They were never going find anything on Ronan. If Lizzie with her magical skills and Lone Wolf Security with all their resources couldn’t find any evidence linking Ronan to her parents’ murder, no one would. Even if she agreed to go on the run, she would be forever looking over her shoulder. Plus, there was Stella and Devon to think of. They would be targets too. They both deserved a normal life with the families they were starting.

“I’ll take her,” Jacob said. “Anytime, anywhere.”

Jacob.

She couldn’t even bear to look at him. What was he going to do? Watch over her forever? No, she couldn’t let him get hurt again. “Um, I guess that’s okay.” For now, she would let them think she agreed with their plan. Then she would leave the first opportunity she got. She shouldn’t have allowed anyone to persuade her from her original plan in the first place. Because the only way to stop Ronan was to end his life.

And if she got caught and was sent to the Lycan Siberian Prison or worse, it would be worth it, because everyone would be safe.

“I’ll arrange it,” Quinn said. “I’ll get you a vehicle in town for cash, and Lizzie will cover your tracks. You can leave today.”

Sloane numbed her emotions by telling herself that taking off was the best course of action to protect everyone. Because if she allowed herself to think of what she would be leaving behind, she would lose her nerve.

“Good,” Jacob said. “Sloane, you should say goodbye to Stella for now. We won’t reveal too much to protect them. Cliff will understand.”

“Uh … sure.” The numbness protected her, kept that dam holding back her emotions from breaking. “I’ll grab my stuff.”

Their goodbyes to Stella, Cliff, and everyone else at the ranch was short and sweet, for which Sloane was glad. She wanted Stella to feel reassured that this was all temporary and that they would see each other again soon. Her only regret was that she didn’t get a chance to see Devon, but it was too late now. She could not dwell on what she hadn’t done, but she had to focus on what she had to do.

Jacob’s father had found an old pickup truck at the used car lot in town, and soon, they were driving westward to a safe house somewhere in the Kentucky Appalachians. It was a remote cabin and off the grid, a perfect place to disappear.

“How much longer are we driving for?” she asked Jacob. While she knew where they were going, neither Jacob nor his father shared the route there or if they were making stops before they reached their destination. She guessed it was a six-hour drive to Kentucky, and since they had been driving for about an hour or so, she had to figure out her escape sometime in the next five hours.

Jacob’s eyes flicked down to the dash. “We probably won’t need to gas up for another hour. We can stop to grab some food too.”

“Sounds good.”

Her mind switched into planning mode. The next stop would be the perfect opportunity to plan her escape. There would be plenty of cars to steal, and she wouldn’t be too far away from Boston yet. She could make the drive in ten hours or so, with minimal breaks. Once they stopped for gas, she would offer to buy food, then make a run for it.

Yes, it was the perfect plan. However, when the truck took the exit for the gas station, her stomach twisted and a sharp pain stabbed at her chest. Her wolf perked up, sensing that something was wrong.

You stay put, she warned her she-wolf.

The animal protested with a yowl.

Ignoring it, she looked out the window and began to plot her escape. Next to the pumps for cars was a large convenience store and a food court. On the other side was the parking lot, as well as the larger pumping stations for the trucks. It was the perfect setup. She would go into the food court and slip out the back to the parking lot. She could have her pick of cars, or worst-case scenario, stow away on one of the trucks as they pulled out.

“What do you want to eat?” Sloane asked as she opened her door. “Burger?” She was tempted to lean over and kiss him one last time, but she couldn’t act out of the ordinary. Jacob had to believe she was just getting food.

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