Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
The morning air is crisp, and I hope a run will help shake off the remnants of unease that still clings to me. I couldn’t go back to sleep, and for the last three hours, I did what Saylor would do. I played poker with myself. But it didn’t distract me as well as it did when he was still there.
I lace up my running shoes, feeling the fatigue from a sleepless night settling in my bones. With a determined sigh, I step out into the early light and start a slow jog.
As I approach the parking spot at the start of the boardwalk, I spot North’s sleek black BMW, parked haphazardly with its hood up.
North stands in front of it, a phone pressed to his ear.
He wears his running outfit but looks agitated, cursing before taking the phone away from his ear and mashing the screen like a man possessed.
A small smile tugs at my lips as I pass by.
That’s what I call karma.
I pick up my pace as I continue along the boardwalk, the sound of the ocean’s gentle roar drowning out the world around me.
But my thoughts keep circling back to Saylor.
I should have probed more. I should have made him think about what else could keep him here.
Maybe it doesn’t truly concern him directly but one of his loved ones.
I know I would talk to them for him if it came to it.
I would, to help him.
Maybe not before I’m sure I’d leave the town the same day.
Definitely not.
I wouldn’t leave him hanging just because I was scared. We need to find out what is keeping him. But would it be so bad if this took us a few days?
Yes, yes, it would, Sloan. Goddammit.
I don’t even understand myself. Saylor needs to go. Every interaction with him is a danger to me.
But fuck.
He was right. If he’s gone, I’m back to being alone.
There were times while I was on the road when I didn’t speak to anyone for three or four days in a row until I needed gas or something to eat and had to talk to the cashier, only to return to my solitude again.
Having him around feels good, but it’s not right.
Not for him.
And especially not for me.
The morning sun starts to climb higher in the sky, casting a warm glow over the ocean. As I run, I try to get my focus back on the here and now, allowing the rhythmic pounding of my feet to drown out the worries and uncertainties that threaten to cloud my mind.
I return to the parking lot, feeling surprisingly refreshed despite the lack of sleep. The sight of the black BMW with its hood still up greets me again, and North is now sitting on the wooden fence at the other end of the lot, engrossed in a phone call and gesticulating wildly.
“I don’t care that it’s a two-hour drive!” he yells into the phone, his frustration evident.
I slow my walk, peering into the open hood, and it doesn’t take me more than a glance to spot the problem—a loose battery cable, disconnected just enough to prevent the car from starting. It’s a simple fix that anyone with a bit of know-how could handle.
Seems like Mr. Jones is good at pushing people around but not at getting his hands dirty.
A grin plays on my lips as I continue walking, but North’s loud curses draw my attention again. He’s still on the phone, his voice dripping with anger. “My son has a doctor’s appointment in an hour. I don’t give a fuck how you do it, but I need that car fixed now!”
His son?
I thought Lio was Hunter’s?
Fuck. I would have let him stew here for two more hours.
Gladly. But I think about cute little Lio and his coughing fit yesterday.
With a sigh, I turn back and walk over to the open hood of the car.
North spots me and comes rushing over. “Hey!” he yells at me while hanging up the phone, his expression a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?
” he demands when he comes to stand next to me. “Keep your hands off my car!”
As I quickly reattach the loose battery cable, I don’t say a word, my fingers deftly working the connection back into place. With a satisfying click, the car is ready to start again, and I close the hood with a thud.
Before North can say anything else, I turn on my heel and flip him off over my shoulder as I yell, “You’re welcome!”