Page 36 of Salvation

“Oh, we’re not –" I go to protest, but he smiles like he knows something I don’t, and the look has me slamming my mouth shut. He just tips his cowboy hat at me and saunters out of view without another word. I just look back towards theblonde singing her heart out, back-to-back with Harper, and that sentence echoes in my head.Don’t let that one go.

But I already did. Didn’t I?

Chapter 36

Blake

Ifeel good. And I’m having fun. It’s been so long since I let loose like this, and I just know Viv would be so proud to see me right now. Wesley and I had a mature conversation. Harper, Whitney, Elain, and I spent the entire night dancing and laughing. I make my way to the bar to grab Harper and I some more drinks. My moment of bliss comes to a screeching halt when I see Brittany leaned over the bar, talking to Wesley. He’s leaned back, sipping a beer, and he’slaughing.

It strikes me right there, seeing him happy and flirting with another woman. I suddenly feel so stupid and can’t understand for the life of mewhyI blew off Haden earlier.I whip around without a second thought, my eyes landing on the tall, dark man leaning against the pool table. I’m not drunk by any means, but I’m buzzed enough that I stalk up to him. Maybe even putting a little extra sway into my hips as I do so. He grins once he spotsme. “Back for more? Thought you said I wouldn’t be able to keep up.”

“Figured I’d give you a chance to prove me wrong.” I know I said I wouldn’t let him use me to get a rile out of Wesley, but after seeing him with Brittany? I’m not sure I give a shit anymore. I steal a loose napkin from a nearby table and dig around in my purse to pull out a pen. I lean over the pool table and write my number down on the paper before pushing it toward Haden. “If you don’t text me tonight, no date.”

He stares at the napkin, looking smug. “If that’s the case –" He leans forward, and for just a second, I think he might make a move on me. But he doesn’t, his arm just snakes around to reach into the back pocket of my jean skirt. “What are you doing?” I blurt.

He shrugs like it’s obvious. “Putting my number in your phone.”

Once he’s pulled it from my pocket, he flashes it toward my face, using the face recognition to unlock it. Then he types away and hands it back to me. I look down to read the screen and fight off the laugh bubbling in my chest. “Wesley’shotfriend? Really?”

He only smirks in response, then leans it and brushes his lips against my ear, “I’ll be seeing you for that date, Blake.”

Chapter 37

Blake

“I swear to god, if there’s a ghost down there, I’m burning this house down.”

I stand at the top of the basement steps, talking to nobody but myself. I’ve been trying to find the courage to go down there for the past half hour. It’s creepy as hell, and it has a weird, damp smell to it that makes me want to gag. Cobwebs cover the wooden steps.

I’m suddenly regretting not having Elain here with me to help. I gave her the morning off since she’s been helping me like crazy, and she wanted to go see the animals down at the ranch before we go meet my mom. She seemed a bit tense, and she’d been staying the night with me here and there, so I had no qualms about letting her go out and get some fresh air. I slowly creep down the steps and nearly fall the rest of the way when the door slams shut behind me. “Seriously!” I shout. I swear the light at the very top of the staircase flickers in response.

Once I finally make it to the bottom, it’s not nearly as bad as I expected it to be. It’s empty save for a few large grey totes, a worktable, and some tools scattered around the space. Light shines in from the small grimy windows, and a clunky hot water tank sits in the corner. I go to flip the only other light switch down here and nearly groan from not thinking of grabbing a flashlight first when it doesn’t respond. In my pursuit to find just that, I bump my shin against one of the boxes, and that’s the exact moment something scurries across the ground and crawls right over my foot. I let out an ear-piercing scream that echoes all around me as I bolt back up the basement steps.

Tripping only once.

I go to rip open the door only to realize there’s no fucking doorknob on the cement slab. I try pulling from the bottom, pushing, kicking, whatever else comes to mind, but nothing works. It won’t budge an inch.

What. The. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!

I pull out my phone from my back jean pocket and text one shorthelpto the only person that comes to mind. I have one bar until my phone dies. And it does just that right as I click thesendbutton. That’s what I get for not charging it.

This is my worst nightmare come to life.

I take a few deep breaths. I can only pray that it sent in time. If not, someone will probably find my corpse down here after a few days.

“Blake?” I hear a shout from upstairs.

“Yes! Yes, I’m down in the basement!” I shout back, hoping he’ll hear me.

“What’s wrong?” He steps down on the first step, letting go of the door behind him, and just as I shout “No!” the door clicks shut behind him.

“What?” Then he turns and tries the door himself, to no avail of course.

“Oh, my god.” I press the heels of my palms into my eyes. “We’re gonna die down here.”

“Why didn’t you say something before I came down?”

“I think the one-wordedhelpwas enough information! What if there was a serial killer down here? Would you just come barging down?”

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