Saint Sloan (Saint Sloan #1)(11)

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


“THE NOTE SAID WHAT EXACTLY?” RAY 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.”