Page 62 of Wait in the Truck
My limbs feel like fucking stone as I haul Samuel’s lifeless weight toward the riverbank, his dead arms tangling, catching on rocks, resisting every movement like a defiant corpse. I drop him onto the mud and collapse beside him, coughing, gasping, and giving in to the exhaustion.
Sage stumbles toward me, my phone still gripped in her white-knuckled hand, cops shouting behind her, flashlights slicing through the rain.
I let my hands shake. Let my breathing stutter. Let my voice crack on the right notes. “I… tried…” I rasp, my whole body trembling in perfect, rehearsed devastation. “He—he went under.”
Theatrics, Kade. Make them believe it.
The sheriff kneels beside me, pressing two fingers to Samuel’s throat. He shakes his head. “He’s gone.”
Thank. Fuck.
Sage sags into me, her weight pressing against my side, her breath still too shaky, too real. “It all happened so fast,” she whispers, voice barely a thread of sound. “It was… an accident.”
And just like that, it is.
The storm covers a multitude of sins.
The paramedics lift Sam’s body, but I don’t look. I don’t have to.
Good riddance to bad rubbish. The last loose thread.
I press my forehead to Sage’s, breathe her in, soak in the way she fits against me like she belongs here, like this moment isn’t built on carnage and death and the best goddamn lie we’ve ever told.
Lightning flashes, and I catch my reflection in the puddle at my feet. Dark, savage, victorious. But I bury it.
I press my lips against her damp forehead, my voice barely a whisper against her skin. “The medallion never makes the choice—the gambler who flips it does.”
EPILOGUE: SAGE
A FEW WEEKS LATER
Today marks a new adventure.I practically skip up the steps and open the door to the old building where I’m taking business classes this summer. My stomach does an excited flip in my abdomen. Starting college classes was something that’d been on my radar for a while. I’d convinced my father that it’d be good to have me take a few classes so I would be better able to help him with the business aspects of the ranch. But now, an awareness of the potential the future holds makes me more certain than ever that this is the path I’m supposed to be on.
Hurrying down the hall, I glance at my phone to check the time and find a few texts from Kade. My heart gives a little tug as I read.
Wildflower, you’re gonna do great.
I love you.
See you soon.
I pick up my pace and scan the numbers of the rooms until I reach the one where my class is being held.
Pausing, I notice a blond guy standing just outside Business 101. He takes a few self-assured steps in my direction, smiles and waves. “Hey, you’re Baby Everett, aren’t you?” It’s hard to miss the way his eyes rove over me before he continues with a chuckle, “You sure grew up.”
I cock my head to the side, crawling through faded memories of my high school days until it clicks. My eyes widen. I remember him. He’s a couple years older than me, but he was always sniffing around the younger girls. I scrape my teeth over my lower lip, wondering if he’s still the same sort of guy or if it’s possible he’s changed. Then again, the Baby Everett comment is pretty damning. “Hey. It’s Kyle, right?”
He nods, grinning as he tips his head toward the classroom. “I’ve got a couple seats saved in there. Wanna sit with me?”
“She does not.” The rough voice makes me jolt at first, then has my insides skittering in anticipation.
Kyle’s gaze fixes over my shoulder before traveling up, up, up. The more he takes in the mountain of a man who has just joined us, the more his face pales.Is it wrong to be amused?I can’t help the grin that creeps across my face as I pivot to find my favorite person standing behind me.
“Kade.What the hell are you doing here?”
“You said it yourself, Wildflower. Running a ranch is no easy feat, and it definitely takes someone who understands the business end to make it successful.”
“So I did.” I shake my head at his boldness, wondering if I’ll ever get used to it.
