Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“You need to talk to him, Way,” she said softly.
“I can’t. His friends are here.” I kicked at a pebble in the driveway. “They came to help with the exhibition.”
“So take him for a walk down to the river. Get a few moments alone and clear the air.”
I shook my head. If there was one thing I knew for sure, it was that I couldn’t handle this emotional upheaval on the eve of the biggest event of my career. “Not right now. Maybe tonight. First, I need to check on the river crew. I told Foster I’d confirm emergency communication protocol with the race coordinators over there.”
She pressed her lips together for a beat before nodding. “Okay, but tonight, then.”
I nodded before hopping back in my truck. The crumpled Majestic Rocks T-shirt mocked me from its spot on my passenger seat.
I loved Majestic, Wyoming, with all my heart, but right now, I felt like being in any other place on earth would be easier than being here.
The rest of the afternoon flew by with last-minute issues, small fires to put out, questions and inquiries from race coordinators, and the usual summer tourism challenges. By the time I pulled back onto the ranch road, I was exhausted. But I knew Sheridan was right.
I needed to talk to Silas. There was no way I could spend the entire weekend wondering if my world was on the verge of falling apart. If he was truly leaving next week like we’d originally agreed upon, I needed to know.
The ranch house driveway was sadly empty. Silas’s friends’ rental cars were parked at the barn alongside the SUV and horse trailer Dev’s driver had brought out weeks ago.
I let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Silas would be alone at the house.
But when I pulled up, his rental wasn’t there, and neither was he.
I walked out to the bench by the lake, even though I could see from a distance he wasn’t out there, either. When I returned to the house, his friend Bash was standing on the porch. As I got closer, I saw Landry over his shoulder. They must have seen me drive past the barn and decided to follow me.
But they weren’t the ones I needed to talk to.
“Where’s Silas?” I asked. I probably sounded abrupt and impolite, but I was too tired and heartsore to care.
Bash and Landry exchanged a look.
“New York,” Bash said.
Numbness crawled along my extremities like a creepy parasite.
“He… he left?” I wondered how to ask what I really, desperately needed to know. Was there a work emergency? Some super-important strategic consulting problem he had to take care of right away? Was he coming back…?
Or had my untimely and oddly defensive admission of love made him flee the state and leave his friends to handle our… paperwork?
“He had to go.” Instead of looking smug, Landry looked serious and concerned. “Listen, Waylon—”
“I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” I hissed. If Silas had left me just before the exhibition, it had to have been due to something big, something overwhelmingly convincing. The only thing I could think of was that he left on the advice of a trusted friend.
A snake.
“I’m sorry,” Landry said, genuine apology in his tone. “I was trying to get a rise out of you earlier. To test your mettle. I know I was an asshole—”
“No shit!”
“But we stayed to help.” Landry held up both hands in a gesture of peace. “To make sure the exhibition goes off without a hitch so AdventureSmash signs the deal for the next race. Whatever you need—”
I shook my head in confusion. Silas had gone… but his friends had stayed to help?
Bash set a hand on Landry’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m thinking Way will care a whole lot more about your apology when you finish telling him about Silas, bro.”
“Oh, fuck.” Landry’s eyes flared in realization. “It’s his sister,” he blurted. “She’s been hurt.”
The numb feeling from before returned, sending jagged tingles up my back. Camille was Silas’s entire world. “Hurt how? Is she going to be okay?”
I felt Landry’s strong grip on my elbow as he eased me over to the bench and helped me off my shaking legs.
“There was a shooting at the hospital where she works and a hostage situation involving some of the staff, including Camille. Kenji got Silas on a private jet out of a nearby airstrip. We don’t have any more information yet, but Kenji’s on top of it.”
“Who’s with him?” I asked, searching both of their faces for the answer.
Landry shook his head. “No one. Zane offered, but Silas would only let Zane drive him to the airport. He insisted we all stay and help you. He knows how important this event is for you. For Majestic.”
I shot to my feet, sending Landry scuttling back to avoid being knocked over. “I need to go.”