Page 18 of Ride Long
Chapter 6
Chaser
Ileanedagainst the wall and blew out a sharpbreath.
Was it the throb in my leg or my cock that was overloading my senses? It had only been a day since Sloane had driven into the garage and we’d been separated.A singleday.
There wasn’t anyone around to watch me being a hero, so I popped another pill to dull the pain. I dry swallowed the little bastard and continued down thehall.
Sloane’s room was down here. The same room she had when she was a kid. The same room Marini told me he hadn’t touched since Sloane ran away all those years ago. Before I’d left, he told me all about her. The bits he’d wanted me to know, anyway. I’d learned the rest on the road when she’d forced it down mythroat.
Leaning around the corner, I saw the hallway was empty. No one was watching, but I knew it was a test. Marini was waiting to see what she would do before deciding her fate. The Hollow Men had thrown a spanner into the works, but the only person he believed had the right to harm her washim.
The game would end before I allowed that to happen. If Sloane was going to lose, then I would be there to get her out. Nohesitation.
Her door was locked. Taking out the key I’d lifted from Rick, I slipped it into the lock and turned. When the mechanism clicked, I twisted the knob and slipped into the roombeyond.
The lamp beside the bed was on, casting a warm glow on the plain white walls, and I leaned back against the door as Sloane’s gaze met mine. My heart twisted, reminding me of the first time I’d seen Madison. I’d loved her then before I lost her, and nowSloane…
“What are you doing here?” Sloane asked, rising to her feet. “Youcan’t…”
“No one’s watching,” I replied, turning the lock on the door. “I wouldn’t be here if theywere.”
“Chaser, there are security cameras in thehall.”
“Therewas.”
She bit her bottom lip, and my gaze dropped. I’d spent so much time fighting my attraction to her, and now that I’d admitted I gave a shit, I had to pretend I didn’t give a fuck. I’d never had a lot of patience, not where women were concerned, but this was a high-stakes game I did not want to be playing right now. Sloane’s pull was too strong, and all she was doing was standingthere.
I closed my eyes, and the world went dark. Across the room, I heard her sharpexhale.
“There’s an endgame to all this,” shemurmured.
“What were you doing today?” I asked, opening my eyes. The sight of her knocked me sideways for the secondtime.
“Makingfriends.”
“Making friends with the women won’t get you anywhere,” I said. “They can’t give youFortitude.”
“Of course, they can’t,” she replied. “But women know things. Women talk. They gossip, and they brag about cock just as much as men brag about pussy. Women see and hear things men think they’re too stupid tounderstand.”
A slow smile spread across mylips.
“Little birds know when to stick together,” she murmured. “A flock of sparrows is more powerful than a singlehawk.”
“Your father is watching,” I said. “We’re walking a fineline.”
“He gave you the attitude speech as well, huh?” She snorted and shook her head. “After all this time… Coming face to face with him…” She plucked at a strand of her long, chestnut hair and began to twirl it between herfingers.
I watched the movement, wanting nothing more than to touch her but knowing I wouldn’t be able to stop until I’d come inside her if I did. That was when I saw the mark on her thumb. The same mark that was onmine.
“What the fuck is this?” I hissed and grabbed her wrist. “You let them brandyou?”
Sloane wrenched her arm away and glared at me. “I’m playing the game, Chaser. If I want them to accept me, if I want them to follow me, I have to be one of them. It’s just atattoo.”
She was right, but I didn’t like it. Remembering what she’d said to me on our road trip, I scowled.It’s not just a tattoo. It’s a brand like you’re a piece oflivestock.
“You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” sheasked.
