Page 37 of Savage Truth

Right as the first light of dawn peeked through my blinds, as Cole breathed deeply and evenly beside me, I slipped out of bed and changed. In jail, Nick wasn’t a concern, but he would be. Mom and I knew he would be free sooner rather than later. He had too many lawyers and too many people in his pocket to be kept behind bars.

I had to go somewhere. A slight sound from the door opening and closing was the only noise I made leaving my room. I stood on the other side of the door in the hallway, listening for movement. When I heard nothing, I crept down the stairs and to the alarm panel. I shut it off then reset it, using the time delay to go outside. My car was in the driveway. Within minutes, I was behind the wheel and heading for the cove.

The storm was long gone, a distant bad memory, and I took the mild weather as a sign of peace and safety. I made the drive on autopilot, parked, then got out and found the steep and rocky path. I climbed to one of the higher jumping spots I’d said I would do someday. That day had come. I needed it.

I held still, watching the rippling water below. I craved the exhilaration and freedom of diving from a height that rivaled Olympic high dives. I knew it was a foolish risk, especially from that point on the cliff. If I didn’t twist enough or landed wrong, I could break my neck or back.

Various moments had burned themselves like brands into my psyche. I had too many scars. I tried to replace the stain of the most recent by grounding myself in the high spot, focusing on the warmth of the wind caressing my skin and brushing my hair off my face. The scent of wildflowers, dirt, and water. The sound of a pebble rolling down the rocks off to my right, probably disturbed by a small critter. The utter peacefulness of the place.

Time felt suspended. I should have envisioned the dive, but all I could do was relive the night before and what could have been—what I could have done. A flash of headlights caught my notice as a car pulled into the small parking lot below. The driver’s side door opened. Cole stepped out then looked up.

I didn’t move. Since he’d taken the gun from my hand, a numbness had stolen over me and had yet to dissipate. I waited for him to climb the path.

It wasn’t long before he stood a foot behind me. My skin prickled with awareness, and a spark of life flared somewhere deep inside of me. If he touched me, the numbness would retreat.

Do I want that?I wasn’t sure.

“Did you follow me?” I continued to look ahead, staring sightlessly over the cove. He stayed slightly behind me, probably sensing my unstable mood. After surviving his mother’s death by suicide, I knew he understood.

His hatred for Mom and me made sense once he’d explained the events that led to her leaving them. I would have done worse, so I couldn’t blame him.

“Kind of.”

I had to think for a moment before remembering I’d asked if he’d followed me.

“Your Mom’s worried. I said I would find you. I checked the school first.”

Right, because of the pool.I had gone there in the past. Today was different. I couldn’t turn around, not yet. Feeling his strength was enough. One look at those knowing eyes or that stunning face, and I would cave. I needed this dive.

“Are you going to dive? Or are you jumping for another reason?”

I nodded then paused. “I want to dive, but not yet. I’m here to think.”Not to talk.

“Okay.”

He moved back, but it didn’t matter. I would always feel his presence. I stepped away from the edge and faced him. I wasn’t prepared. The sun crested the horizon and caught the gold flecks in his green eyes. I wanted to run my fingers through his dark hair and feel the safety of his arms as they wound around me. The numbness faded, as I knew it would.

He’d fought for me, and I owed him so much. “Thank you for saving me yesterday.” My voice cracked. There was no help for how choked up I was.

“You’re the one who saved me.”

A laugh escaped, surprising me, and I relaxed a tiny bit. That wasn’t true, and we both knew it, but I appreciated him making light of the situation, allowing me to breathe easier. “I would have killed him. If you hadn’t stopped me…”

A bird’s cry sounded overhead, and I took another step closer to him as if an invisible cord connected us. “How are you feeling?” The doctor had said he had a mild concussion, thanks to Nick hitting him with the butt of his gun. That’s how I’d found him, lying on the floor. I hadn’t known if he was dead or alive. It was terrifying.

He shrugged. “It’s a concussion. I’ll be fine in a few weeks.”

“Will you be able to finish the football season?” I’d watched him play. He was incredibly talented, and just from the pictures in his room, I knew football was his world. I got it. Diving was the same for me.

“I’ll be back for the last quarter, if not sooner. It’s a mild injury, and I could drive here without a problem.”

“I’m surprised your dad let you go. Or that your brother didn’t chauffeur you.”

He grinned, and I sucked in a breath. God, he was gorgeous. I don’t think I would ever get used to that.

“They tried.”

I snorted. “I can picture it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, and I admired his athletic form, the broad shoulders, the washboard abs that I knew were beneath this T-shirt—I’d run my hands over them more than once—and how his chest tapered in that sexyvto his narrow hips. “Will missing so many games impact next year?”

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