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He didn’t know what he’d expected Ruby Sue’s reaction to be to his announcement, but an eight on a ten–point pissed–off scale wasn’t it. Like his own grandmother, Ruby Sue had cared about him when there really wasn’t a reason to. He’d never be able to pay her back, but he’d be forever grateful.
Easing down from the stool, he couldn’t go without asking one more favor. “Look, I know you’re close to the Sweet triplets. There’s something going on over at the brewery and the local deputies don’t seem to be all that concerned about it. If there’s any way you could put a bug in the sheriff’s ear, that would be a huge help.”
She held out her arm like a queen reaching out to a footman. Without a second thought, he took her hand and helped her down from her seat.
Once on her feet, she planted her hands on her hips and looked up at him with fire in her eyes. “So you’re telling me there’s trouble and you’re just hightailing it out of town faster than the roadrunner in one of those cartoons.”
Yes, and in his spare time he plucked the wings off butterflies and told small children that Santa didn’t exist. “It’s not ideal, I know. I’m sorry.”
“You sure are sorry.”
“Ruby Sue—”
“Don’t you Ruby Sue me.” She huffed out a breath. “I don’t know how you ended up here in Salvation, but the good Lord brought you here for a reason and you’re a damn fool to leave now just because you ran into a little roadblock.”
As if it was that simple. “Natalie fired me.”
“As she should have. That girl loves her rules, always has. She was one of those kids who would chew each bite exactly thirty–two times.” She poked a bony finger into his ribs. “You lied to her. She called you on it. And instead of acting like a man and trying to make up for it, you turned chickenshit.”
Ouch. Fighting with Ruby Sue was like trading jabs with a boxer way above his weight class. “Not fair.”
“Waah.” She imitated a baby rubbing her eyes. “Life isn’t fair. Grow up and deal with it.” She crossed her arms and shot him a hard look. “You made a life here in Salvation—a good one. Maybe instead of running away from something, you should be running toward someone.”
Okay, he loved the batty old woman, but he’d had enough. He didn’t need anyone telling him what to do with his life. It was his to fuck up if he damn well wanted to. “I don’t need to hear this.”
Ruby Sue snorted. “It’s exactly what you need to hear and you know it.”
“It’s been nice knowing you.” Sean stormed out the door—
And right into Rupert Crowley’s blinding spotlight.
Fuck. Just when he thought his life couldn’t get any worse, the man who’d stalked him for almost a decade had finally cornered him. Anger unspooled inside him and it took everything he had not to punch Crowley right in the nose.
The reporter stood with a single camera operator between Sean and his SUV. Rupert shoved a microphone in Sean’s face. “Sean Duvin, you’ve been living off the grid in a small town for years. What made you choose Salvation?”
It took every last bit of self–control he had, but Sean brushed past the reporter and his camera operator to his SUV.
Never one to give up, Crowley dogged Sean’s footsteps. “Your fans want to know why you left and what happened.”
“No comment,” Sean ground out between clenched teeth as he yanked open the driver’s side door.
He hopped in, hit the door locks, and started the engine. Glancing up, he spotted Ruby Sue and Ellen standing in The Kitchen Sink’s doorway.
Whatever he’d expected to be his last sight of Salvation, this wasn’t it.
The older woman stood with her arms wrapped tight around her middle, tears running down her face. Ellen had an arm around Ruby Sue’s frail shoulders and a sad little smile on her face. She lifted her free hand to wave goodbye and mouthed the words “Good luck.”
At that moment, he would have welcomed a kick in the balls rather than the ache racking him.
Rupert knocked on the SUV’s window, pulling Sean’s attention. The reporter opened his mouth but Sean gunned the engine, drowning out whatever the man had to say.
Running was the only option Sean had left. He didn’t have a choice. If he was still here when Rupert aired his report, it would only be a matter of time before his father found him, and he never wanted to see that bastard again in his life.
Pulling out onto Main Street, he gave The Kitchen Sink one last look in the rear–view mirror. A dark–blue baseball cap tossed on the backseat showed in the mirror’s lower right corner. He didn’t have to look closer to know it had Sweet Salvation Brewery embroidered on it in red.
Well, he didn’t need that thing anymore. There were other jobs out there. He’d hire on with a construction crew or he’d go back to bussing tables. Maybe he’d finally empty the millions out of his Hollywood bank account before disappearing again—this time for good. Hell, he might as well take the money and run. He’s was a damn fool for not draining the account sooner and killing off the ghosts of his old life.
Turning left onto Highway 28, he blew past the Salvation City Limits sign and the Fix ’Er Up Auto Body Shop. Driving into the early darkness, he squinted to make out the signs for the upcoming interstate alongside the highway. The interstate would take him as far north or south as he wanted to go. It didn’t matter which exit he took as long as it got him out of Salvation and away from reminders of Natalie.
