Page 33 of Silver Secrets

“Okay, just keep driving. I’m going to meet you at Dolly’s. Don’t stop before then.”

“I’m scared… He’s going to hit me aga—” Sloane hadn’t been able to finish the sentence before the truck barreled into her bumper. Only that time, it wasn’t a straight on hit. Everything around her moved as if someone had slowed down the frame rate on the movie of her life.

The car started to skid out of her control. A scream dislodged from her throat just as the vehicle spun into the trees on the side of the road. Sloane’s door crashed into the thick trunk of a tree and in the last second of consciousness, she felt pain radiate through her body as her head smashed against the window before the darkness calling out to her finally pulled her under.

* * *

“They’re never going to win the Cup if they keep playing like a one-goal lead with twelve minutes left means they’re advancing,” Hawk groaned.

“That’s why you shouldn’t be a Louisiana Lakers fan.” Gage laughed as Stone threw the jab at Hawk.

He just shrugged. “Blame my Papaw. I was born into the fandom. Never given a chance to pick another team.”

“You could have switched anytime, idiot.” Mae threw her pillow across the room at her brother.

“Yeah, right. Like you would risk Papaw Bill’s wrath? Remember the time you were dating that Malone kid and Papaw caught you two kissing on the back porch?” He turned to face Gunner and Lily. “Kid had his hand up her shirt and our dear old granddad made Mae stand up in front of our family at Sunday dinner and admit what happened.”

Stone choked on his hamburger. Gage watched his buddy’s face turn bright red as he looked over at Mae.

“What? We were young and in love. Papaw was out of control.”

“You could say that again.” Hawk laughed. “Mae and I saw this man hurl a twenty poundfrozenturkey across the living room one year because our cousin was moving to Atlanta.”

“Why was that an issue?” Gage asked.

“The Lakers and the Atlanta Freeze are rivals,” Mae shrugged.

“No one goes against our Papaw,” he shuddered. “That cousin isn’t in the will anymore.”

The goal siren on the TV sounded and Hawk groaned. “See? Absolute idiots. They’ll never change.”

Gage stood, chuckling to himself.

“Where you going, Tracker? Don’t want to watch this disaster any more?” Nash laughed, taking a pull from his beer.

“Just getting a break.”

“Want some company?” Gunner asked as he leaned over and kissed Lily on the top of her head.

“Yeah.”

The breeze on the balcony was a welcome relief. But the thoughts warring in his mind were not. Because a certain redhead who refused to text him back was front and center and nothing he did seemed to shake his mind free.

There was no doubt he was attracted to Sloane. Fuck, he couldn’t resist her, no matter how hard he tried. The look on her face as he walked with her in his arms out of the forest had been on his mind since it happened. She trusted him. Holding her hand at lunch had felt like the biggest accomplishment. And after all the months of watching her be isolated and so reserved, it felt like a huge step forward.

Was he trying too hard? He’d been sending her messages all week, and barely heard back from her. Maybe he was coming on too strong…

“What’s got you all in your head?” Gunner asked as he closed the door behind them.

“Sloane.”

“You still think someone was out in the woods with her?”

Gage nodded, settling into one of the Adirondack chairs Hawk and Mae had on their balcony. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to look into that client she had to let go of, but nothing’s coming back as a red flag. By all accounts, he seems like a decent guy.”

“Your gut is saying otherwise?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what it is about Sloane, but I just can’t seem to think rationally around her. The way she acts, how standoffish she is… the thought of someone hurting her is killing me.”

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