Saving Sloan (Sloan Series Book 2) (5 page)

“How in the world?” she whispered in awe. How could anyone have known her combination to her locker? Who knew it but her? And why four roses this time?

A white piece of paper slid out when she pulled the flowers from her locker. Neatly folded in four perfect pieces. Sloan unfolded the paper and read the note.

Don’t throw these flowers away like the other ones. Very rude. I bought these for you. Red. Red like your prom dress. Four days until the Fall. Enjoy.

Sloan threw the flowers back in her locker and ran out of the school. The parking lot was almost empty, but she didn’t stop. Whoever was sending those flowers knew more about her than she liked. He knew she had a red prom dress… knew she threw the other flowers away. Knew way too much. And four days until what? Prom was in four days, but the note said the Fall was in four days. What fall? Her fall? Would whoever it was ruin her reputation at the prom?

She was out of breath when she got to the car. She unlocked it as quickly as she could and jumped in. She threw the keys in the cup holder, slammed her foot on the brake, and pushed the push-button start. The car roared to life, and she floored it out of the parking lot to get food then drove straight to Ray and Aaron’s house. Maybe they would have some theories as to what in the world was going on.

CHAPTER THREE

“
T
HE NOTE SAID WHAT EXACTLY?”
R
AY
handed Sloan a glass of water and sat at the table next to her. She drank a huge swig of it, trying to figure out what to say next.

“I don’t remember exactly. It happened so fast.”

“Try.” Aaron said from the opposite side of the table. His bedhead and clingy black T-shirt suited him. At twenty, Aaron had more muscles than Ray ever dreamed of. Working in an aluminum factory did that to a body. Two brothers couldn’t look any more different, well, half-brothers if she wanted to be accurate. Same mother. Different father. Aaron had dark hair and brown eyes. Ray was blond and blue-eyed. Aaron was more of a bad-boy type. Ray looked like an angel. Both had things she needed. Both had things that scared her. And both stared at her expectantly, waiting for an answer.

“It said four days. Something about a Fall in four days. And it said not to throw the flowers away like I did the last ones.”

“Did you throw the last ones away?” Aaron asked, rolling a fork between his fingers.

“Yeah, I thought I did. But this morning when I came in after I talked to the police, I saw them sitting on my nightstand in a vase.”

Aaron dropped the fork. “There are so many things wrong with that sentence. Why were the police at your house?”

She didn’t want to go through this again. It was stupid. “I thought I saw Boyd outside my bathroom window. I freaked out and called the police.”

“Was it him?”

“Of course not. He’s in a wheelchair, remember? And the chair has a device on it to make sure it stays at home. Not that he could wheel it into town. Do you know how long it would take to roll from Brown Hollow Road to town? And he sure didn’t walk.”

“But you saw him. Or thought you did?”

She nodded and tapped the glass full of water nervously. “I thought I did. Called the cops. They think I’m crazy. Went back inside to get ready for school and found the flowers. I don’t know… maybe I did set them on my dresser. I can’t remember anything anymore.” Darcy’s pill was wearing off, and she could feel the aches and pains creeping back in. She’d give anything to take the other one. Now that she knew it wouldn’t kill her.

“And then today you found the flowers in your locker? Same kind?” Aaron sure was doing a lot of talking, and Ray was doing a whole lot of sitting there.

“Roses. Red roses.” Oh! She remembered something. “The note said that my prom dress was red. How would he know that? You were the only one who I told.” She pointed at Ray.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know. Mackenzie doesn’t know?”

“Well… yeah, but I don’t think she’d put threatening flowers in my locker.”

Ray’s face fell. “And you think I would?”

She’d gone and done it. “No. I don’t.”

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Ray…”

“Didn’t you at one time think it was me who attacked you in your house?”

Well, yeah, for like five seconds. What could she say to him to make it better?

“Don’t feel bad, brother. She thought I did too.” Aaron smirked.

“Hey, wait.” When did this become turn-on-Sloan day? “I had good reason to think it was both of you. Aaron, you were all mysterious, plus, you know… there… when I woke up after the attack. And Ray gave me that weird birthday card.”

“Because you deserve it. Yeah, totally weird.”

“You know what I mean. I didn’t know you two back then. For all I knew, you were psychopaths.”

“And now you know better?” Aaron leaned back in his chair, awaiting her answer. Ray bowed his head, and it seemed he found something very interesting on the table. He fluttered his eyes up under his lids and looked at her, then down again.

“Now I know better. Besides Mackenzie, you two are the best friends I could have. I trust you both.”

“Totally?”

“Yeah, Aaron. Totally.”

He got up and threw his fork in the sink with the other dirty dishes. It was a good thing Sloan had brought hamburgers. There wasn’t a clean dish in the house.

“That, my dear, could be your downfall.” Aaron fluffed her hair as he walked out of the room. She heard his footsteps going down the hall and up the stairs. Sloan had never been upstairs. Wonder what it looked like up there?

“What did he mean by that?” she asked Ray when Aaron was out of listening distance.

“I have no idea.” Ray grabbed Aaron’s empty hamburger wrapper and wrapped it in his own. “He gets in a mood sometimes. You know how he is.”

“Yeah.” She knew, but she didn’t like it. “I just don’t get it. Who knows the combination to my locker? And how would whoever it was know about the flowers I threw away and the color of my prom dress? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Did you tell the cops today? About the flowers, I mean,” Ray asked from next to the trash can.

“No. Donna was there, and I didn’t want to freak her out. Then I forgot it until it was too late. Figured Detective Morgan would think I was even crazier than she already does if I told her.” She wadded up her yellow wrapper and took it to the trash next to Ray. “I
am
crazy, right Ray? I mean, it’s a strange thing to wish for, but I did make it up. It was my imagination that saw Boyd outside my house. Right?” Being crazy was better than the alternative. Either she was crazy and imagining things, or Boyd really was up and mobile. She didn’t want to think about it. She’d take crazy any day.

Ray put his arm around her and pulled her tightly. She didn’t fight back. It felt good for him to hold her. Nice and comforting. That was Ray. “I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you saw what you saw.”

“But that means Boyd’s walking.”

“I don’t think that either.”

He rubbed her hair gently. “I don’t follow.”

“I think you saw something outside. What it was, I don’t know. It could have been a shadow or a person walking a dog. Doesn’t mean it was Boyd. I don’t think people get over a broken back in a few months.”

She didn’t think so either. Then again, stranger things had happened. “Five roses yesterday. Four today. It’s clearly a countdown.”

“Clearly. Countdown to what? What’s in four days?”

“Prom,” she reminded him.

“I know the prom. I wouldn’t forget that. Been looking forward to it. Anything else coming up?”

“Apparently my fall.” She moved from his side to the table and plopped down in her chair. “Whatever that means.”

“Do you think it’s a social fall or a physical one?” Ray sat next to her. He stayed out of her space, and she stayed out of his.

“Hopefully a social one. I’d take that over a physical one any day.” She tried to laugh, but it had no humor in it. She rubbed the top of her pants pocket and felt the second white pill Darcy had given her. “I need to use the restroom. Do you want to get our stuff out to work on Biology while I’m gone?”

“I can.” He stood when she did. He took her hand and spun her around to face him. “It’s going to be okay, you know. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Not again. I promise.”

She smiled and walked away without a word. If someone wanted to hurt her, she didn’t see how Ray, or Aaron for that matter, could stop them.

Sloan made it to the bathroom and didn’t even bother shutting the door. Ray was in the kitchen, and Aaron was upstairs doing who knew what.

She turned the faucet on and pulled the little pill from her jeans. Without hesitation, she put it on her tongue and filled her palm with water. Drawing it to her mouth, she drank the pill down.

And it nearly shot back up when Aaron cleared his throat from the bathroom door. “What’s that?” He pointed to her mouth.

“Lips.”

“What was between them?”

“Inappropriate question.” She started past him. He put his arm out to stop her.

“Not inappropriate. Very appropriate. What type of pill did you take in my house?”

She couldn’t believe he’d ask her such a question! “Over-the-counter pain pill. I have a headache, if you can imagine that.”

Aaron had the nerve to look her over, not in an interested way, but in a
We’ll see if you are telling the truth
way.

“You have no right accusing me of anything. Anything, Aaron Hunter. I told you not five minutes ago that I trusted you didn’t send the flowers to me. Don’t start accusing me of being a druggie.”

“Funny. I never mentioned being a druggie. You got all defensive, and I never said a word.” He raised his brow, and she got more defensive.

“I know how you think.”

“No. You really don’t.” His voice gained bass he only used during his
You’d better pay very close attention to this part
times.

It was better to be mad at him than have to defend herself. “You’re right. I don’t know you. At all, apparently.”

“What’s going on?” Ray asked curiously, wiping his hands with a dishtowel as he came out of the kitchen. Perfect. An audience.

“Aaron thinks I’m a druggie.” She heard the beyond-angry tears in her voice, and it ticked her off! Why did she have to freak out over the stupidest things?

Ray looked at Aaron without saying a word. His brother did the same to him. They were having a whole conversation without her. Perfect.

“I saw her taking a pill in the bathroom.”

Ray’s eyes darted to Sloan.

“I told you it was an over-the-counter headache pill. That’s it.”

“And I told you I didn’t believe you.”

“Why?” Ray asked finally. Good. It was nice that he could talk and not just stand there all dumbfounded.

“I have a feeling.”

Sloan threw up her hands. “Great. A feeling. We are having this fight because of a feeling.”

Aaron crossed his arms over his chest. For the first time, Sloan she didn’t care how great his chest looked. She couldn’t care less how cute he was or how muscular he was. He was an idiot if he thought she had a drug problem. She’d only taken two pain pills in forever. Two! “We aren’t fighting. Me and Ray are just talking. You are the one freaking out.”

“So that means I’m guilty?”

He bit his lip and his dark brown eyes turned darker. “Maybe?”

Did he really think that, or did he just want to be right? Hopefully, he just wanted to be right because there was no way he’d think she would do drugs. She knew better.

“Well, if that’s what you think.” Tears stung her eyes, and she refused to let them fall. It wasn’t clear if the tears were anger in nature or embarrassment for getting caught taking pills she knew weren’t from the store. In any case, she had to get out of there as quickly as possible. She wanted her home and her bed and away from these two who thought they could control her.

And she wanted to get away from the lying. In six months, she’d never lied to them. Ever. Well, not about anything important anyway.

Now she was. It didn’t feel right, and it didn’t feel natural. Sloan hated it, but she hated more how they’d look at her if they thought she really was taking pills, illegal pills. She wasn’t sure she could take the looks from them if they knew they were right.

“Ray…” Sloan took the time to steady her voice, but she didn’t think she could control the hurt in her eyes. “I’m sorry about Biology. I don’t seem to feel well and need to go home.” She breezed by him and into the kitchen where he’d already gotten her book out and everything ready to study.

It made her feel like the lowest person ever.

But she couldn’t stay.

Not with Aaron’s accusing eyes.

Even though he really wasn’t accusing… Not exactly.

It was her guilt holding her back, and her guilt for lying making her run away.

Sigh.

Sloan grabbed her backpack and threw her Biology book inside, along with her notebook and pen. She heard Ray stop at the doorframe, and she spoke without turning around. “I’m sorry for this. If you need any help, call me, okay? I can’t be in the same house with him anymore.”

“That’s sad,” he said.

Stupid. Stupid girl.

“Because he actually likes being in the same house with you.”

Aaron. Not Ray.

“Could have fooled me.”

She saw Ray’s shadow in the hallway. Just… perfect.

“Quit being like this.” Aaron walked into the kitchen. “I’m not accusing you of anything. Sit down. Do your work with Ray. Stay.”

She stared at him, really not wanting to believe him.

He moved the chair back and motioned for her to sit. “Please.”

Sloan never thought she’d see the day Aaron Hunter said “please” to her and actually mean it. Well, he’d said please to her when she thought he’d attacked her and he was begging her to believe he hadn’t been him, but the circumstances were different. She couldn’t describe how, but it was. His eyes had softened and, though he still had an edge to his voice, he had calmed some.

That calmed her.

And she hated it.

Behind Aaron, she saw Ray watching everything going on. He didn’t look happy. Maybe he didn’t like Aaron moving in on his girl. Though she hated to tell him, she wasn’t his girl. She wasn’t anyone’s.