Page 32 of Wait in the Truck
“Fine. But remember, you’re the one who called JC.” I don’t have time to fucking argue with him, so I don’t. Instead, huffing out an impatient breath, I toss the cell into his hands. “You’re in charge of the phone. Let’s get the fuck over there.” We climb into my truck, and I start the ignition. As soon as the engine roars to life, I mash my foot on the gas and whip the wheel around, sending us down the lane.
Every second seems like it’s taking too motherfucking long. I need to get to Sage.Now. Sick, awful thoughts have begun to formulate at the edges of my mind. Reasons why my wildflower might shove a chair under her doorknob, why she’d climb out the window in the middle of the night, and why she’d sleep up in the hayloft. The conclusion I’m coming to is like a vise tightening down on my goddamn heart.
Red coats my vision. I should have made her talk to me. I should have asked her why she behaves like she does. I should have— Frustrated, I pound my hand on the steering wheel.
Rhett eyes me warily but says nothing about my outburst. He roughly runs a hand over his face, shaking hishead as he taps the phone screen. “I muted us for a second. Is she talking about Ridge, do you think?”
I glance at my brother’s tense jaw out of the corner of my eye. “Don’t fucking know,” I growl. “Who the fuck else would it be?”Why is there no fucking air in the cab of this truck?“Maybe he finally drank himself to death.” Reaching into the cupholder in the door at my side, I locate one of Dad’s medallions and fold my fist around it. I swear to Christ it doesn’t seem like the tires touch the gravel as fast as we’re hauling ass toward Lilac Meadows.
“Maybe he fell? Oh my god,” he hisses out, “what if she was the one to find him?” Rhett works a hard swallow and unmutes the phone. The heart-wrenching sound of Sage’s grief continues to fill the cab of the truck.
I take the turn onto the long drive up to the Everett family home at breakneck speed, but even that’s not fast enough for my liking—especially when the call suddenly disconnects. Pushing the truck’s pedal to the floor, I grind my teeth together, fervently hoping Sage is okay yet scared as fuck over what we’re going to find.
As we approach the house, I slam on the brakes, shift into park, and cut the engine all in about two seconds flat. My heart pounds hard as I race for the rickety porch steps. Reaching the door, I look around wildly for something to break the tall pane of glass. “Fuck,” I growl, seeing nothing of use. Clenching my fist, my father’s sobriety chip practically bites into my palm. I’m fully prepared to do myselfdamage, I don’t fucking care about me or the window, so long as I can get to Sage.
“Wait!” Rhett heaves out as he dangles a ring with a couple keys on it in front of my face. Hurriedly, he explains, “Ridge gave me a set when I started helping him out more frequently.”
I snatch the keys from him, jamming one after another into the lock until one fits.Thank fuck. Throwing the door open, I roar, “Sage! Where are you, angel?” But I know. Deep in my heavily thudding heart, I know. She’ll be in her room. I wish with everything in me that she’d decided to sleep in the goddamn barn tonight like she has so many others.
I left her here to face god knows what, alone. Soul-deep regret plunges into my gut. I shake my head, throwing a desperate look over my shoulder at Rhett before bounding up the stairs. One single glance toward the end of the hallway reveals the opening to Ridge’s bedroom.
Sage’s door is also slightly ajar.
Fuck. Cold sweat pops out on my back, and I take a quick breath, then slowly push inside. “Sage?”
I can hardly process the scene before me, it’s so dark, but I see her huddled on her knees on the floor at the far side of the bed. Ridge’s body is as still as the hardwood planks. Her grief is palpable, thickening the air with every choked sob.
I’m aware of Rhett reaching out, I assume to flip theswitch, but he curses a second later. “Is the power out?” he whispers.
“Try the one in the hall,” I grunt through clenched teeth. Taking measured, slow steps, I edge into the room. “Sage, I’m here.”
A moment later, the light flicks on, bathing everything in a dim glow. My breath gets caught in my throat. Her space is in wild disarray. As I step closer, my jaw goes rigid. The scenario I didn’t want to believe could be true is materializing before my eyes.
The bedding is rumpled at best, sheets twisted up, pillows scattered. There isn’t a single item remaining on the top of the bookshelf on the far side of the bed. It’s all on the floor—the broken lamp, a frame with the glass smashed out, and an array of books. I swallow hard, horror at what must have happened among these four walls hitting me full force. My mind bends. Fury flows freely through me, the need to make him pay for what he’s done in a grim battle with the part of me that wants to pick Sage up and take her out of here. I would go anywhere with her. Do anything to make sure no one could ever touch her again.
In the middle of the chaos, Sage rocks back and forth on her knees, head bowed with something clutched in one of her hands. Long blonde tresses hang in her face but do nothing to conceal her misery.
I blink hard, creeping closer to my crying Wildflower. As I crouch down next to her, she flinches at my nearness. The agonyin her movements reminds me of the girl I found in the alley the night Toby beat her. I hold my hands up, palms out. In a gruff but soothing voice, I murmur, “I’d never hurt you, Wildflower.”
She finally peeks up at me, then down at her hands and what looks like a trophy she doesn’t seem to want to let go of.Oh, Jesus. There’s blood smeared all over her, coating her hands and splattered across her arms and sleep shirt. There are even some flecks of it on her pale face. My eyes shift from her to the puddle of wetness surrounding Ridge’s head. I hadn’t noticed it in the dark. But now…
“Oh fuck,” Rhett grits out beside me.
I exhale unsteadily, eyes roaming over her, my heart clenching and twisting violently with each detail I take in. Tears drip down her cheeks, mixing with the blood. Her shirt is ripped and hangs sadly from her frame. And her panties… they’re partway down her thighs.This motherfucker is lucky he’s already dead. I wouldn’t have been so gracious as to end him with a lethal blow. I’d have dragged it out, strung him up on a rafter and watched as the lifeblood drained from his body, drip by fucking drip.
My stomach turns, bile surging to the back of my throat. I should have protected her more. Anguish rises in me until I choke on it.Fuckin’ breathe, Kade. You’re no good to her like this.
Rhett catches my attention as he takes a couple of deep, audible breaths. He’s bent at the waist, his fingers probingRidge’s neck for a pulse. It shouldn’t surprise me that he’d do that, but I want to shout at him to leave the fucker to die if he’s not gone already, but I won’t because I don’t want to scare my wilting wildflower. Rage pulses inside my head. Because how dare he want to help Ridge? Can’t he see what is so obvious to me now? Does he not fucking understand?
Fuck it. Maybe if he does save him I’ll get the opportunity to make him fucking beg for mercy. I wouldn’t give it to him, but I’d like a chance to torture Ridge for what he’s done to his daughter.
Sage’s hands shake as her lips tremble. Her gaze locks on mine. “I-I forgot to barricade the door.”
Rhett’s muttered string of curses are simply background noise as all I can do is focus on Sage, but it’s apparent her words have slapped him hard with the horrific reality of the situation.
“Wildflower? Why don’t you give me that?”
She blinks back tears, trembling. “I c-couldn’t let him—” A ragged sob bursts from her lips. She stares at me through a watery gaze, and my heart cracks right in two at the pain radiating from her. “I was trying t-to get away. I didn’t mean—” There’s a plea etched into her features that should never have been there in the first place. No daughter should ever have to fucking worry about her father—even if he’s some piece of shit—putting his hands on her.
