Page 52 of Wait in the Truck
A tremor runs through her. “You saved yourself,” I remind her, roughening my voice. “You said it yourself, he wasn’t ever gonna stop.”
She sucks in a shaky breath, tears clinging to her lashes. “I know. But it doesn’t diminish the nightmares. Everywhere I look, I see him, smell the blood, feel that damn trophy in my hand?—”
I cradle her cheek, guiding her to face me. “He got what he deserved.”Damn right, he did.
A small, choked sob escapes her. “I killed my father, Kade. How do I live with that?”
“Sometimes, it’s the only way out,” I say, dead certain. “You’re here, alive—he’s not.”And if you had to choose again, I’d pick the same outcome in a heartbeat.“Never regret killing a monster, Sage.”I sure don’t regret Toby.
Her eyes dart to my pocket. “That chip… you always flip it around when you’re edgy.”
“Yeah.” I pull it out, letting it glint under the fluorescent light. “Always been my talisman, I guess.” I weigh it in my palm, then meet her eyes. “Heads or tails?”
She blinks, confusion mingling with tears. “What?”
My heart kicks up. If she picks tails, I’ll finally tell her about Toby. Telling her might break that last piece of innocence, but I can’t keep it hidden any longer. “Humor me,” I say, voice low. “Heads or tails, Sage?”Flip, flip, flip.
She hesitates, lip quivering slightly. Then, “Tails.”
A quiet exhale escapes me. That decides it. I set the chip on the counter, letting the tail side glimmer for a second before I tuck it into my jeans. “There’s something I need to tell you”—I pause, steeling myself—“about Toby.”
She goes rigid, fresh tears gathering. “Toby?”
I nod. “He didn’t just vanish, Sage.”
Her lips part, voice unsteady. “I… suspected or at least had a feeling. You threatened him, then he was gone. But I got messages from his phone?—”
“I sent them,” I admit. “Needed the world to think he was still out there, so nobody poked around.”
She breathes hard, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I guess I knew, deep down, that you?—”
“Ended him,” I say, each word deliberate. “He laid hands on you one too many times. I made sure he’d never touch you again.”
Her eyes glisten, tears trembling on her lashes. “Does it scare me? Maybe it should. But not enough to change how I feel about you. While you were busy burning the world down for me, I was busy falling for you. I love you, Kade Rivers.”
Gently, I press my forehead to hers. “I love you, too, Wildflower. And I’m not sorry for protecting you,” I murmur, voice rough. “Not for Toby, not for disposing of Ridge. I’d do it all again if it means you’re safe.”
She exhales, leaning closer. Something in my chest loosens a bit, the tension easing. “I know,” she breathes. “And I probably should be horrified at how far you’d go, but I’m… weirdly grateful.”
We stand like that for a few seconds, the faucet dripping into the sink—a slow, accusing rhythm reminding us of what’s been washed away. I lower my mouth to her forehead, dropping a kiss above the crinkle between her brows.
She closes her eyes, shuddering. “Are you gonna kill Samuel?”
A dark spike of anger twists in my chest. The image of that bastard near her makes my blood run hot. “As much as I’d love to remove that filthy cow-fucking piece of shit from the earth, Rhett’s right. It’d raise too many eyebrows.” I drag in a frustrated breath. “We’ll handle him the old-fashioned way. Show him he’s done here.”
She lifts her gaze, tears still clinging but no longer falling. “I trust you.”
I hold her closer, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “If he so much as breathes your name, I’ll bide my time and bury him, too.”
And this time, I’ll smile while I do it.
She trembles not in fear but with relief while closing her eyes. “Okay.”
Silence settles, tense yet carrying a note of acceptance. Tomorrow, we lie to the sheriff and spin the final piece of the story about Ridge. Tomorrow, we corner Samuel.
“Kade?” she asks quietly.
“Yeah?”
