Page 64 of The Leaving Road

I couldn’t help the full body shakes, but I refused to move my body out of the way of Peaches, who had cornered herself into the back of the kennel, teeth bared at the intruder behind me. Slowly, I came face to face with the man who had the gun pointed at me. His eyes were glassy and bloodshot, his clothes were in dire need of a wash, and his hair and face were dirty as well.

“I guess I have you and your coworkers to thank forfuckingeverything up for me.”

He paced in front of me, and I took a chance and slowly lowered my hands to see if I could get away with it. When he made no mention of it, and continued to rant under his breath aboutwhat to do, what to do,I took a chance and lowered one of my hands into my back pocket. I prayed likehellthat I knew my phone well enough to navigate to my call log and callanyonein hopes they could hear what was happening. Shaking and not knowing for sure what I was doing, I started hitting buttons.

“I said keep your hands up!” he bellowed at me once he noticed one of my hands was reaching in my back pocket.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” I all but yelled back at him, even though my tone was kept low.

He gripped his hair and waved the gun around, muttering to himself, then he looked at me and pointed the gun at my chest. “Show me where the drugs are kept,” he ground out and stepped closer. I felt a lone tear slide down my face as he released the safety and cocked the gun.

“I can’t,” I whispered.

I didn’t bring the keys inside.

Chapter 39

Sloan

I tried to keep the smile on my face as I walked away from Magnolia and the group to head to the restaurant. Luckily, I was covering a shift at Yuliana’s and not Montgomery’s. I had a love for the bar that started everything, but slinging drinks and fried bar food all night was more chaotic. Yuliana’s was peaceful for me, even in the sometimes chaos. It was reminiscent of my childhood, ofMagnolia.

“Hey, Sloan?”

I heard her voice call out, and I couldn’t help the way my heart seemed to be shocked with electricity when she said my name.

“Yeah, pretty girl?”

I turned to face her and I saw her cheeks flush, and I knew I had to leave or I wouldn’t be leaving at all.

“You said you have my number? Maybe you should use it.”

Fuck, yes.

I couldn’t help the stupid smile that spread over my face in earnest this time. “Maybe I will.”

Climbing into my car, I immediately called her.

Her laugh over the line when she asked me what I was doing caused my heart to sing, and I laid it out there, informing her I was doing what I should have done years ago. I was coming for her, for us, and I wasn’t backing down.

I hated the space I had put between us; it always felt like when we went one step forward, we took two steps back, and once the distance was put there, she had time to get in her head again. I understood it, but I hated it. I was doing myabsolutebest not to bulldoze my way into her life;however,I knew if I gave her enough time, she’d talk herself out of this, ofus.

Frowning at that thought, I put my car in reverse, knowing that Remi wouldn’t have called unless it was an emergency. I just hoped I would make it back to Magnolia’s place before she went to bed. If not, she would just have to deal with the fact that she would be waking up to me on her sofa for the foreseeable future.

Pulling into the parking lot, I sighed, hoping it was a busy night so I could keep my mind off the girl I should have made mine years ago, but that was proving to be difficult since she was ingrained in my soul. I passed the pictures on the walls as I made my way behind the bar for the evening to help my staff, but taking in each one of them. Each one held a memory of us.

The black-and-white picture of the beach was the spot where we used to go and hide during her parents’ Fourth of July parties.

The black-and-white picture of the bench we used to sit and eatlunchduring school.

The black-and-white picture of the path I used to teach her to ride her bike.

The black-and-white picture of her favorite icecream shop she always demanded we go to.

One of the stars that reminded me of her bedroom ceiling.

I lost myself in the pictures and memories before one of my employees creeped up behind me,

“Hey, boss! Didn’t think you’d be in today?” Jed, my cook, said from behind me on his way into the back. “Your dad stopped by earlier and said something about youstaking your claimand that you’d be around a bit less in the following weeks. He said for us to call him instead. Everything okay?”

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