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“…time is up,” he says. There’s a slight pause. “Yes, I’m sure. I’ll meet you soon. Same place as last time. Just be there.”
He falls silent, and I can’t tell if he’s hung up the call or is listening to what the other person has to say about his declaration. I frown as I stand frozen, thinking hard.
There’s a weird feeling in my stomach, and it isn’t the constant anxiety I’ve been living with for once. It’s more like when I decided to follow Rory, so sure that he was hiding something with his frequent solo trips away from the house.
Only I’m pretty sure with Sloan, it’s not going to turn out that he has a secret family or anything like that.
This feels like something bigger, something more important.
It could be nothing. Maybe it’s something totally innocuous, like him planning to get a gift for a friend or having some hobby he’s embarrassed about. But somehow, I don’t think so.
And there’s only one way to find out.
He said he was going to meet someone, and I make a split-second decision to follow him wherever he’s going. My dad’s life could be on the line, and even though Levi said he would try to help, the one I really need to get on my side is Sloan.
Given how antagonistic our relationship has been so far, I don’t think I’m going to win him over with a few nice words. He’s the kind of guy who only responds to power, so that’s what I need.
Power.
I need something I can hold over him. I need to know more about him.
My pulse counts down the seconds as I stand just inside the door to my bedroom, waiting to hear Sloan walk down the hall and descend the stairs.
This time, I’m much more careful when I tail him. I learned a thing or two when I followed Rory, and I am definitely more concerned about Sloan finding out I’m following him than I was about his easygoing friend.
I give him a bigger head start when he leaves in his car, and I stay farther back as I follow on my bike—far enough back that I risk losing him completely, blending in with the traffic more while keeping an eye on Sloan’s car in the distance.
He’s heading for the part of town that’s under development, all empty lots and construction projects that are half finished or stalled for one reason or another, and that just ups my suspicion even more. It’s not a shady part of town, definitely not as shady as the places the Black Roses usually hang out, but it’s out of the way enough that it seems like the kind of place you’d go if you didn’t want to be found or overheard. It’s usually pretty deserted, considering there’s nothing to do around there.
I let Sloan get a little more ahead of me, keeping track of the exit he takes and then taking it myself, weaving in and out of cars on my bike until I see him again heading down a side street. I catch up pretty quickly, watching from a distance as he pulls into an empty lot. His car idles for a bit before he cuts the engine, and then it’s another couple of minutes before he gets out of the sleek black vehicle.
I hide behind one of the buildings across the street. It’s also empty, either waiting for someone to buy or lease space in it or for the city to decide to tear it down. There’s a good view of the lot and Sloan’s car, and I’m pretty confident he can’t see me.
My heart is racing. Something’s going to happen here, and the sour twist in my stomach tells me it’s not going to be anything good.
Black Rose business can be grim, I know that much, and I really don’t want to see Sloan kill anyone or do anything too violent, even though I know it probably won’t be the first time he’s had to do something like that in the name of the gang he’s a part of. It probably doesn’t even faze him anymore.
Sloan stands next to his car, drumming his fingers on the hood in an impatient gesture. Less than a minute later, someone steps out of the lengthening shadows on the far side of the lot and starts walking over to meet him.
It’s a man, tall and broad, and when he gets close enough that the last rays of light catch his face, I clamp my lips tight around the gasp that almost escapes my mouth.
It’s my dad.
25
He’s alive.
Thank fuck.
He looks tired and worn down, but it’s him. Whole and healthy-ish, and standing right there. It’s the closest he’s been to me since I was taken away by the guys that night.
I want to rush out from my hiding spot and run to him. I want to throw my arms around his neck and breathe in the familiar scent of leather and sweat that I associate with him. I want to convince Sloan that he can let this go, that my dad can go home and rest and not have to face any more horrible consequences for what he did. I’m not sure why my dad double-crossed the Black Roses, but he doesn’t deserve to die for it.
I don’t do any of those things though. I stand still, rooted to the spot, and I watch. There’s a flare of hope inside me though, a spark that burns in my chest. Maybe Levi talked to Sloan earlier. Maybe Sloan is going to help my dad somehow. Maybe, just maybe, he cares enough to do it without me asking.
For once, the hope crowds out the worry, and I clench my hands into fists, my heart drumming an insistent beat in my chest as I watch and wait to see what will happen.
Sloan nods a greeting, and my dad returns it.
