Page 56 of Silver Secrets

“There won’t be any asking. That’s what family’s for.”

Sloane looked around her house. The place that had been her sanctuary for so long, now felt cold and lonely. She took two steps forwards, grabbing her purse and keys before she walked to Gage, slipping her hand into his for stability as she gingerly put her shoes on.

“Good girl. Let’s go.”

* * *

Neither one of them said anything as Gage drove into Silver Springs. His fingers squeezed down every few minutes, grounding her as the world rushed past. He didn’t press her to talk about the shadows she was running from.

Knowing Kimi was there, in Silver Springs, and that the FBI Agent had given the guys her case file made Sloane want to throw up. The things inside that file were so personal. It was an insight into the darkest part of her life. Although she hadn’t ever seen the file herself, she could only imagine the sorts of things that were in there. Her own police report had been so detailed. She tried to give every last bit of information she had to the police so they could find him. But it didn't help. He was still out there. Still hunting her. Now, killing other women until he would come for her.

“Breathe, Sloane.” The command shot through her body and she dragged in a shaky breath. “Talk to me. Please.”

She shook her head. “What did you see in my file? What does everyone know about me now?” There were tears in her voice, but she wouldn’t let them materialize in her eyes.

“Agent Liu told us what happened to you. Do you know about Virginia?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well, she told us about that case and how it’s been confirmed to be the same person who…” he shook his head. “I fucking yelled at the guys not to look at the file until I could bring you back. You should be the one to tell us, Sloane. You should be the one, if you are up for it, to tell us what happened during those twenty-two days.”

Tears stung her eyes, but she bit down viciously on her bottom lip to stop them from falling. There wasn’t time for being emotional. She would answer Gage’s questions. She would tell the team about what happened to her, and show them the information she’d been collecting through the years. Then, she’d work with Kimi to come up with a plan to lure him out and finally capture him. Because there was one thing Sloane was certain of in all this mess. She was ready for this nightmare to be over.

Gage pulled into the parking lot behind Montgomery Defense and Sloane quickly released her seat belt, nearly flying from the truck to stalk towards the woman heading in their direction.

“Kimi?”

“Sloane.” The FBI agent gave her a warm smile while maintaining her distance. “I’m so sorry we are seeing each other again under these circumstances.”

“Better now than at one of our funerals.”

“Sloane.” Gage barked. She flinched and his face turned ghostly white. “I’m so sorry, Red. I didn’t mean to yell like that. Just please don’t…” She watched him swallow, grabbing her luggage out of the truck without another word. Kimi turned towards the building, and Sloane placed her hand on Gage’s back.

“I’m sorry. That was a tasteless joke to make. It’s something we had talked about in the past, but I shouldn’t have brought it up like that.”

“I’m not angry, Red. I just don’t ever want to think about something bad happening to you.”

She nodded.

“Let’s get up to the apartment. I’m sure Agent Liu wouldn’t mind coming up to talk with you there while you get settled in.”

“I thought you’d want to talk with everyone…”

“Gage is right, Sloane. I don’t mind at all. And it would probably be best to debrief you first without an audience.”

The elevator ride was silent. Of course she’d been to Gage’s place before. But this was different. This time, she was going for protection. This time, she was going becausehewas truly a threat.

The three of them stepped inside Gage’s apartment, Sloane leading Kimi straight to the sofa.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were here?”

“I wanted to get through the meeting with the Montgomery Defense team before meeting with you. I thought that if I told you the Bureau wanted to bring them in to help with the case, it might be easier for you to accept the help.”

“You told them everything?”

Kimi winced, then slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, Sloane. I filled them in on the general parameters of your case. And yes, I shared some of what happened while you were being held. I had no idea that you and Gage were seeing each other. On a personal note, I am so happy for you. You’ve done so much to heal and move past what happened.”

“I have. Not that it’s been helping since you called. Does he know where I am?” she whispered, folding her arms over her stomach and curling in on herself. “Does he know my new name?”

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