Page 8 of Wait in the Truck
“No… Fuck… I’m sorry, okay? Please, God.”
Sick of his shit, I shove the bag over his head and yank it backward until it cuts off his airflow. Over and over, I loosen my grip, giving him a sense of false hope, only to pull back hard again. I can only imagine what he’s thinking, but one thing I do know for sure—at this moment in time, he regrets ever laying a hand on Sage. Probably wishes they’d never met in the first place. Dropping my mouth to his ear, I give him one final goodbye. “God can’t save you from The Gambler. Not when there’s a debt to collect.”
His body jerks as the life drains from his limbs. Tightening my grip, I tug harder, enjoying every second he flounders around like a dying fish. Satisfied I’ve stolenalmostevery ounce of life from him, I finish him off by shoving his face onto the edge of the wood stove. The plastic bag connects to the blazing-hot cast iron, and it melts against his flesh with an audible sizzle.
Hereleases a half-hearted squeal, and his body goes limp, as I snuff out the remainder of his rotten life. “Good riddance, asshole. Save me a seat in hell.”
Taking my time, I collect my belongings from the kitchen table and decide to swipe the pack of cigarettes and the Zippo as a souvenir. “He won’t be missing them where he’s going.”
At the door, I place my hat back on my head, but before leaving, I toss a disgusted glance over my shoulder. “I’ll be back to dispose of the trash, but first I’m taking your pretty girlfriend home.”
SAGE
5
My eyes flickto the front door of Toby’s cabin for the tenth time in two minutes. By my estimation, Kade’s been inside with him for no less than a quarter of an hour. As my concern grows, I’m tempted to gnaw on my lower lip, but I already did that once and it hurt like a bitch, thanks to the split in it created by myex-boyfriend’s nasty backhand.
I let out a ragged sigh. I don’t claim to have any idea what Kade might do in these circumstances, but anxiety about what’s happening between them is killing me. There’d been no mistaking the vengeful look in Kade’s eyes, no matter how he’d tried to hide it. A knot forms in my belly, twisting and tightening with every additional second I’m forced to wait.
Maybe I should go in.The moment the thought enters my brain, a violent shudder runs through me. From thesting of my busted lip to the swelling of my eye, I’m certain I don’t want to be anywhere near Toby. Right before Kade left me here, he demanded my trust… but I can’t say for sure if he has it. A huffed breath blows past my lips as I search deep inside myself. All I can give him right now is that I trust him more than I do Toby. There is zero faith left within me for the man who assaulted me tonight. None.
Slipping my arms into Kade’s flannel, I shrug it on while staring at the cabin door. His now familiar scent surrounds me. It’s a comfort, but it doesn’t distract me from wondering what could be going down in there. The mental imagery of the two men facing off isn’t pretty.
Toby hides his true nature behind charming words and a boyish smile. The reality is he has a smart mouth as well as a wicked temper. Tonight in the bar, he let everyone have a peek at the real Toby Johnson.
I don’t know much about the man Kade has become, but he’s got size and strength on his side. He’s massive. Built to withstand ranch life, that’s for sure. Is he threatening Toby? Roughing him up?
My mind spins back to the way he’d effortlessly gathered me into his arms and carried me through the parking lot. Something about the fleeting memory makes my throat go dry.Damn, Sage. Snap out of it.I’m sweating just thinking about him, when I’m well aware it’s a bad idea to entertain wild thoughts about any of the Rivers brothers.There’s no love lost between our families. It’s surprising that my dad offered Rhett an apprenticeship position, even if from what I’ve seen, the eldest Rivers brother is going to make a great vet someday. But Ridge Everett would be pissed as hell if he found out who I’ve been with tonight, no matter that Kade came to my rescue.
I peer at the run-down cabin through the dark, anxiously looking for any sign of trouble. It’s been too fucking long. There’s a war inside my head as my thoughts swing back and forth dramatically from one second to the next—hiding away from everything that happened tonight seems like a good plan, but what the hell is going on in there? Not knowing is killing me. Maybe I should go in. After wiping sweaty palms on my thighs, I put one hand on the door handle and squeeze.
Just then, Kade appears, having to duck to exit through the doorway. My heart thuds heavily in my chest, then jumps up into my throat as he smiles faintly and lifts a hand. His long strides eat up the ground between the cabin and the truck. He’s back in the cab with me in no time flat. Staring out the windshield, he murmurs gruffly, “He’ll never hurt you again.”
I blink, studying his profile. “Is everything okay?”
Kade’s head swings toward me, his dark gaze finding mine. “Yeah.” His fingers grasp the steering wheel, and he nods slowly, his jaw working to the side. “He needed to fuckin’ understand he can’t treat you like that.” He shootsme a half smile before stretching an arm out to graze my cheek with a few fingers.
Unable to move with his eyes locked on mine and feeling the intensity of his gaze right down to my toes, I sit in stunned silence. Almost as if he senses he’s gone a little too far, he withdraws, then winks before reaching up to remove his hat. I follow his movement as he sets it in the back seat and brings a hand up to rake his fingers through his hair.
On a drawn-out exhale, he grits out, “Sorry it took a while. He was hell-bent on being an asshole about the disturbance to his beauty sleep. Took a minute for him to calm down enough to hear what I was saying. But you’re good. Like I said, he won’t be bothering you anymore.” His eyes flick away from mine. “You tell me if he does.”
I let out a relieved exhale and wet my lips while he presses the button to start the truck. The engine rumbles to life, and my sole focus becomes how quickly we can get to my house. “I could really use my bed.”
Kade glances at me out of the corner of his eye while he turns the truck around. “I hear that.” We bump along the country road in silence until he shifts to stash a pack of cigarettes and a lighter in the cup holder.
My eyes narrow as they land on them, and a frown tugs at my mouth. The Zippo is etched with a cowboy hat and lasso. “Is that… Toby’s? I gave him one like that.”
Kade clenches his teeth together, a grim furrowmarring his brow line. “About that… he apologizes, but after our discussion, he’s agreed that y’all are through. He told me to give the lighter back to you. And also that he’d pack up anything of yours.” He peers at me from the corner of his eye for a moment. “I’d say I hate being the bearer of bad news, but based on what I saw tonight…”
My eyes crash shut, shame coursing through me. “Don’t—” I jerk to a stop, my throat thick. “We don’t have to discuss it,” I blurt out, needing to get all talk of Toby over with.
“Whatever you need, Sage. I’m not gonna pressure you to tell me shit about that asshole. As far as I’m concerned, he’s out of your life for good.” His lips twitch as we pass the lengthy lane that leads to Black River Ranch.
The closer we get to my house, the more time there is for what he’s said to sink in. A shiver rolls through me. In the quiet of the truck cab, my breathing is audible, each stuttered inhalation and every ragged exhale.
Kade begins to reach across the console—to do what, I’m uncertain—but then pulls back “Almost there, Sage,” he breathes out, giving me a brief, reassuring smile as he turns onto the road that leads to my family’s homestead—Lilac Meadows Ranch.
We pull up in front of my family’s two-story house, and I note Rhett’s farm truck down by the barn. Kade must see it, too, because he mumbles, “Rhett said something about bein’ needed here.”
