Saint Sloan (Saint Sloan #1)(42)

So much for that trip down memory lane.

Sloan’s legs shook as she got out of her car and stood on the gravel. Why was she there? Well, she knew why she was there, but really… why? This probably wasn’t the best idea ever. Ray had just been there. And what if Boyd really was stalking her? Was being at his house such a good idea?

Still…

She needed to know.

Besides, his mom’s vehicle was in the driveway so she wouldn’t be alone with him. She just needed five minutes. Just to see what he knew. If he knew anything. It would narrow down the list of suspects in her mind.

With a deep breath and trembling fingers, Sloan opened the screen door and tapped on the white wooden door behind it. She waited a few seconds, feeling a chill not from the weather. Chapel Hill was very pleasant with a high in the low sixties that day. It would be colder on Friday for prom, of course. She’d always imagined she’d go to prom with Boyd… Another slip into memory lane.

Shivering from the fear and adrenaline running through her, she tapped on the door again. Finally, the doorknob rotated, and Sloan plastered a smile on her face to greet Mrs. Bridges. It had been a while since she’d seen her.

The door opened to nothing. No one stood in her eye line. Dread filled her stomach as her eyes slowly lowered until they found Boyd sitting in his wheelchair with the door in his hand. He didn’t look shocked to see her, but he didn’t look happy about it either.

His face looked older and more worn than she remembered. It had always been attractive, very handsome. Now he had dark circles under his light blue eyes, and his skin looked like it needed the sun. His blond hair lay disarrayed around his head. It wasn’t from any styling product, she deduced. Why would he need to dress when he couldn’t leave his house?

He had on a tight, black T-shirt, so she could see all of his muscles. They hadn’t suffered in the accident. She’d heard he was getting physical therapy so he’d, of course, had to work on his upper body. On his legs, he had on light gray sweatpants, the loose kind. He wore faded black sneakers with flecks of mud on them.

All in all, Boyd looked good. Healthy. She didn’t know what she’d expected, but she hadn’t expected him to look so much like himself. Her hands started shaking and she put them quickly in her pockets so he wouldn’t see. She hadn’t been alone with him since… Maybe she should have taken some time to prepare for this instead of just going on a whim.

Boyd’s eyes scanned her from head to toe and then back to her eyes. It made her self-conscious, and she had to fight every fight-or-flight response she had to run to her car and get away.

“Hello, Sloan. Out for a drive?”

Words, coherent words, wouldn’t form in her head. She stuttered a bit and pushed some hair behind her ear. “Yeah, well. I wanted to see… see you. See how you were doing. I was thinking about you at school today.”

Good glory, it was true. She was a big flirt. That statement could be taken so many ways. She prayed he’d taken it the right way.

“Did you now? Nice to be missed. How is school?” He didn’t seem threatening or even… anything. His words had no emotion to them.

“It’s there. Everyone’s excited about prom on Friday.” Did she really just say that?

He nodded sadly and smiled. “Yeah, guess I missed the bullet there. Don’t have to go now.” He pointed to the police monitor on the wheel of his chair. “Couldn’t go if I wanted.”

The words I’m sorry started to form on her lips, and she instantly swiped them away. She was not sorry. She’d broken his back protecting herself and Aaron. If she hadn’t hit him and knocked him off Aaron, Aaron would be dead. No doubt about it. She could not feel sorry for the monster in front of her.

“Any other reason you came, or did you leave school just to chat about prom?” Finally. An emotion from him. Not a good one. More annoyed than anything.

A plan would have been good. “Uh… no. I just came to see how you were and… is your mother home?”

A boyish grin crossed his face. She hadn’t seen him look like that in ages. “Why? Want to take advantage of me in my current position?”

Sex. It had always been about sex to him. “No. Just wanted to talk to her.”

“She’s not here. She left about an hour ago. Don’t know where she went. Didn’t ask.”

What? Sloan pointed to the Explorer. “But the car…”

“She drives a Corvette when it’s just her. That monstrosity is for when I have to go to the doctor. Fits my wheels real nice.” He patted the gray wheels of his chair. “Now, do you need anything else, Miss Bridges, or are you just here to gawk?”

It was now or never. Might as well ask and get on her way. “Are you stalking me?”

He obviously wasn’t expecting that. He looked at her all confused at first, then tilted his head back and roared with laughter. When that was done, he looked at her again, the smile still plastered on his face. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

She shook her head, wanting to be anywhere but there.

“You think I’m stalking you? How? Am I rolling around in the middle of the night?”

It was good he sounded so amused. Not.

“I don’t know. Maybe you have someone helping you. I just want to know if it is you and tell you… if it is… to stop. Please.”