Page 87 of Save Me
I follow him as he trudges through the forest toward the lights, the branches snapping beneath his weight. “How’d you get my number, anyway?”
“You gave it to me. That time you came in looking for her.” His tone screams “you idiot.”
“Oh, right.” I’d forgotten. “And you kept it?”
“How else am I supposed to threaten you?”
If I hurt Sloane, he means. That’s the last thing I ever want to do. Odds are good that she’ll be the one to crush me.
Multiple camping lanterns line the chain-link fence, casting enough light to illuminate Skye holding the base of a twelve-foot ladder while Sloane teeters at the top. Nearby, the dark-haired coffee girl is threading string.
My palms are sweating. “You let her up there?”
“Let?” Franksnorts. “That’s funny.”
She’s going to break her neck.
“Hey there,” Skye greets with her Southern twang.
“Hi, we haven’t officially met. I’m Rebel,” the other introduces herself with a wide smile. “Ronan, right?”
“Right.”
“Oh look, Frank tattled on me,” Sloane muses, her tone a mixture of grim amusement and annoyance.
“Hard at work on a Wednesday night?” I choose a light, playful tone, even as a voice inside my head screams for her to get down from there.
“Wewereenjoying ourselves by the fire until our asshole neighbor called the cops on us.” Sloane loops the string and fastens a knot with force.
“Yeah, that was Belinda.” May as well give credit where credit’s due.
“I know y’all are swimming in money with your mermaid tanks and thousand-dollar-a-night rooms, but for local folk that Wolf is screwing, a five-hundred-dollar fine isn’t chump change. That’s groceries.”
I let out a whistle. Fucking Belinda. I’m feeling less and less guilty about the dick move I pulled in her office.
“So glad I didn’t pitch these.” Sloane stretches on her tiptoes, her little yellow sundress climbing high, her calf muscles straining.
“Careful,” Rebel warns, stalling on her task, her brow furrowed with worry as she watches her boss. Skye’s face doesn’t look much happier.
The crazy woman is going to fall.
“Need any help?” I ask, moving in closer.
“Nope,” Sloane declares curtly, while Skye andRebel chirp, “Yes!” in unison. Even in the poor lighting, I don’t miss the pleading look in their eyes, the way their heads bob.
They’ve strung three signs up already. I shine my phone flashlight on the closest one. “‘Wolf Empire Tainted by Death and Scandal.’ It’s a little broad if you ask me.”
“If you’re here to convince me to not do this, you’re wasting your breath. You may as well go home to your beach mansion.”
“I’m not here to convince you of anything.” Other than to get off that ladder. “I figured another set of hands will make it go faster.” I’m vibrating with energy. It could be the tension, or it could simply be seeing Sloane again.
She pivots on the ladder rung to face me. I wish those eyes weren’t hidden by the dark so I could read them. “You want to help me put all my signs back up?”
“I can think of other things I’d rather be doing, but sure.”
There’s just enough light to make out the corners of her mouth twitch before she returns to tying her knot.
Skye and Rebel share a private glance. They’ve been roped into this insanity against their will.
