Page 53 of Silver Secrets

“Are you? You look like shit.”

Gage shook his head. “I have to go. I have to see Sloane.”

“Okay, yeah, sure. I’ll just be here, cleaning this up.”

“Thanks, Mae. I owe you.”

Her brows furrowed, but Gage didn’t want to wait any longer. He vaguely registered a phone ringing in the background as he turned to head out the door.

“Sloane! You better not be calling me trying to get out of girls’ night this weekend. Your boyfriend is?—”

He turned and watched as Mae’s smile dropped away. His stomach lurched.

“Whoa. What’s wrong? Where are you right now?”

Gage held out his hand and stomped back towards her. Mae immediately slapped his hand away as he tried to grab the phone.

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll be right there. You’re sure you don’t need to stay on the phone?” Mae paused for a moment, staring him down with a haunted expression on her face. “Okay. Take a deep breath and call me back if you need me. I’m leaving right now.”

“What’s wrong?” Gage grabbed Mae’s arm as she went to walk past him.

“She’s crying. Said she needs my help.”

He grabbed his phone out of his pocket and dialed her number. “Is she hurt?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I’m trying to get out of here. To get to her.”

“Shit… she’s not picking up. I was already on my way to see her. I’m going.”

“She’s expecting me!”

“Then fucking call her back or send her a message and tell her I’m on my way. And don’t follow me. Go ask your brother why!”

Gage opened the door and scanned the area. Somehow his mind was both hyperactive and numb at the same time. His training was screaming at him to clear his mind, and focus on the one task at hand: getting to Sloane as fast as possible.

A fucking serial killer.

Targeting her.

Wanting her.

Obsessed with her.

Rage built in his body as he turned onto the road that would take him to Sloane’s house.

How could she not tell him? His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. Was that why she hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about that asshole client of hers? Fear that putting her name into a police report would somehow alert this guy to where she was? He had so many fucking questions that his head felt dizzy as he flipped on his blinker.

He pulled into Sloane’s driveway, not missing the way the curtains swished in the front window. She was watching for Mae to get there. His worry eased up, but Gage knew he wouldn’t be able to breathe until they were back at his place.

And she was going back to his place. It was time Sloane learned to lean on someone, and that someone sure as hell was going to be him.

Thirteen

Sloane looked out the front window for the twentieth time in five minutes, just moving the smallest sliver of curtain out of the way like she had all the other times. No one was there. The suitcase was making her hand ache, but she didn’t dare set it down. Because if she did, she would try to talk herself out of asking for help.

Brakes squealed as she watched a familiar black truck turn into her driveway.

Her heart jumped.Gage.She moved the curtain back again, and sure enough, there he was walking up her sidewalk. A tremor rolled through her body as she made her way over to the door, setting the suitcase by the end table and wiping her very sweaty hands down her flat stomach.

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