Page 47 of Buck This
…why didn’t you say anything…
…you don’t know me, but I got your number, and would like to pay you for an exclusive interview…
…the cops are involved now…
…your eligibility to buck in this competition is under review…
…Buck! Call me!...That last one was from Quickdraw. He’d sent three similar ones, but he didn’t get it. He didn’t understand.
This news couldn’t be locked away again. It was out.
Fuck.
Buck knew the exact pictures they would use in the news stories. They would be plastered all over the internet, and all over the TV.
His phone vibrated constantly as text after text, and call after call came through.
Buck couldn’t breathe.
He knew what pictures they would find.
He knew.
He tried to drag air into his lungs and looked over at Torrey, still sleeping soundly in his bed. God she was so pretty. She was perfect.
Everything he touched turned to rot.
She couldn’t get caught up in this storm. He couldn’t allow it.
He couldn’t ruin her.
His career was over. His life was over. Again.
That didn’t mean hers had to be.
He’d done exactly what he’d known he would do—let everyone down. He’d let them down years ago, he’d just been walking around pretending he was still worth a shit.
Quiet as a breath, he stood and grabbed his shirt and wallet, and slipped out of the RV.
His phone vibrated constantly in his pocket, and after he got into his truck, and quietly shut the door beside him, he pulled the phone out, turned it off completely, then tossed it into the back seat.
He wouldn’t need it anymore.
Everything was done.
Chapter Thirteen
A banging sounded on the door, and Torrey startled to a sitting position. She scanned the RV, but Buck wasn’t here.
The knock sounded again, followed by, “Buck? Are you in there? Torrey?” The voice was familiar. Quickdraw?
“H-hold on!” she called, scrambling to untangle her legs from the sheets. “Let me get dressed!”
“Torrey, is Buck in there?” Quickdraw asked through the door.
“No.”
“Do you know where he is?”
