Page 71 of No More Secrets

“I’m coming with you.” She rushes after him. They get in his truck, and he guns it for the highway.

“I’m contacting the police if you won’t. We need to find out if she’s been reported as missing,” she says when they’re on the road. “They’ll put an APB out for her. We also need to get CPS involved.”

“No.” His grip tightens on the steering wheel. “Let me handle this.”

“They need to be made aware that her situation back home isn’t safe.”

“They’ll just stick her in foster care, where another jackass like Ellis will take advantage of her.”

“You don’t know that,” Sophie argues.

“Neither do you,” he snaps. “And you’re not coming with me.”

“Why? I have experience with runaways.”

He shakes his head hard. “Did you see the way she looked at you last night? She thinks Ellis sent you to find her.”

Sophie grabs the handle when Lucas speeds through a tight turn. “I didn’t know that.”

“Did he?”

“Send me? No.”

That answers one of his questions.

“How do you intend to find her?” she asks.

“Don’t know, but Lily is out there. I have to try.”

“Lily?”

Shit.He’s losing it. He grinds his jaw and takes a beat to regain his focus as he turns into the tavern’s parking lot.

“What are you doing?”

“You said you needed a lift to your car.”

“I’m going with you. The police—”

“There will be no police. I’m not an animal, Sophie. I’m trying to be good. But if you don’t get out of my truck... Please. I have to do this. I have to know she’s okay.”

Sophie’s eyes swing between his, holding his gaze until she sighs, resigned. “I wasn’t hired to chase a bounty.”

He focuses on what she didn’t say. “Who hired you?”

She gets out of the truck and looks up the road, her expression conflicted.

“Whohired you?” he presses.

She meets his eyes. “Log on to your cloud account. You should be able to track Shiloh through your laptop.” Then she shuts the door.

He stares at Sophie through the window. That’s how she found him.

He doesn’t ask how she hacked into his account or how she came by his email address in the first place. He doesn’t press why she’s here, only that he now knows for sure she’s here because of him. But for some reason, she’s become distracted with Shiloh.

He should ask what she plans to do next, but the clock is ticking.

He floors the truck for the highway.

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