AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Fuck.
I turned, raising my arms and letting them fall to my sides. “And?”
His gaze roamed my face, his brows furrowing as he studied me. “Got nothing to say?” he prodded.
I shook my head. “Like what?”
“Like how about how you scared us all to fucking death?” he roared.
My insides went hot as that drove home the thing that had bothered me for two months. I narrowed my eyes and propped my fists on my waist, channeling the best Hope McMasters impression I could muster. “Now it scares you? I was in the hospital for weeks, Adam. Dealing with things you couldn’t begin to—”
No. I shook those thoughts free. That was not his business.
“Where were you then?” I said instead. I raised an eyebrow and held up two palms. “Oh, because there you couldn’t be the hero, so... yeah, I get it now.”
His eyes clouded as he processed that.
I took a step closer. “We were friends,” I said quietly. “At the very fucking least, do you remember that?”
His face went stony. “I remember everything.”
I scoffed. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“You can’t just go off half-cocked like this, Faith,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “People are after you—”
“This again,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “I was mugged,” I said, although not with the same conviction I might have had a day earlier. Questions needled under my skin that I couldn’t put words to yet. “I don’t think my attackers were so impressed with my wallet that they’d chase me across the country for more. Trust me, the church doesn’t pay that well.”
“Trust me,” he said, his voice gravelly as he moved to step closer and seemed to stop himself. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “It wasn’t a mugging.”
There was that question again, the warning bells ringing louder.
“What do you mean?”
Seconds passed as his eyes landed on my mouth again, and all the forces of nature felt like they were pulling me to him with giant ropes.
“I’m not the only one looking for you,” he said finally, breaking the moment.
I frowned. “Wha—” The sound of a garage door opening made me spin in place. “Shit,” I breathed.
“What’s going on?” Adam asked from behind me. “What are you doing here?”
I breathed in deeply and blew it out, watching the steam dissipate. “I thought you were all-knowing.” Swallowing hard, I reached automatically for hair that wasn’t there and sighed. “Just stay here.”
I made it all of four steps before boots on the pavement caught up with me. “The hell I will,” he growled.
Matthew appeared in his garage, bent over something, and my feet faltered a split second, but I pushed on.
“Are you stalking people now?” Adam said, his voice coated in disbelief and maybe a hint of protectiveness.
“It’s my brother,” I hissed, rounding on him. I didn’t anticipate the closeness, however, and he slammed right into me, all pissed-off male and leather. He grabbed my arms as my hands landed against his chest, and we locked eyes. Again. For one second it was just like it used to be—
Then it was gone.
“Your what?”
I pushed away. “Please just—” I waved my hands in lieu of words and turned back to my task. Matthew swam in front of me as my hormones lost their fucking minds.
My boots thudded on the concrete of his driveway, and my heart rate upped its speed when Matthew looked up. “Now or never,” I mumbled.
