“Well, why didn’t you say that sooner? I probably would’ve been a hell of a lot less cranky if I’d known.”
I chuckled as I headed out, locking the door behind me. Everly had given me an extra key, but that didn’t mean she fully trusted me—to stay, to stand by her when her family pulled their crap. I’d seen the look of panic on her face earlier in the day. I’d seen the look of defeat. I could see the fight in her literally draining out.
Everly wanted to bolt. But I wasn’t sure I could watch her go. We weren’t even together, and I could already see myself following her wherever she went. Because, all of a sudden, I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
And I wasn’t sure my family could, either. They’d folded her into the fabric that was us. She’d become a support to Shiloh, showed my mom incredible kindness, gave Dad purpose with all of the projects they worked on, and she made Hadley feel at ease when Mom had her on edge. She was everything we hadn’t known we needed. And I was going to make sure we gave all of that back to her and more.
“I still can’t believe she kicked you out,” Calder said as he chuckled into his beer.
“Yeah, yeah, yuck it up.”
“Come on. It is pretty funny. Usually, it’s you trying to sneak away from some woman you’ve decided isn’t the right fit. And now, one’s booting you to the curb. Some of your exes would say it’s poetic justice.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck. “So I’m not great with confrontation.”
Calder blinked at me a few times. “Hayes. You’re the sheriff. Ninety percent of your job is confrontation.”
“Okay, I’m not great with confrontation when it comes to the women in my life.”
“That is more like it. You’re the peacekeeper and protector. You want everyone you care about to be safe and happy. Especially your mom and sisters.”
I picked at the label on my beer. “I’m not so sure Everly’s thrilled with that role. The protector part, anyway.”
“She’s pretty much been on her own a long time, hasn’t she?”
“She had her sister and her sister’s family, but I get the sense they aren’t especially close. I’ve never heard her on the phone with her, and she doesn’t talk about her much.”
Calder rubbed his thumb against his glass, clearing a path of condensation. “The little time I’ve spent with her, she seems to value her autonomy and her ability to take care of herself. Given the way she grew up, I’m guessing she didn’t have a lot of control there.”
“I’m not trying to control. I just want to make sure she’s safe.” I felt like a broken record.
“But you usually do that by controlling every factor you can. Let me guess, you didn’t want her to be alone tonight?”
“Wouldn’t you feel the same?”
“I sure would. I’d just hide it better.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “You always did have more tact than I did.”
“Damn straight.”
My phone buzzed on the table, and Hadley’s name flashed across the screen. I hit accept. “Hey, Hads. What’s up?”
“I might have a problem.”
I straightened on my stool. “What’s going on?”
“I’m pretty sure someone’s following me.”
“Following you where?”
Calder was on his feet in a flash, pulling some bills out of his wallet and tossing them on the table. He motioned for me to follow him towards the door.
Hadley muttered a curse across the line. “I thought he was just riding my ass at first, but he’s following every turn I make.”
I pushed open the door. “Where are you?”
“On my way home.”
“Turn back towards town.”
Hadley had taken her inheritance from our grandparents and bought a gorgeous piece of property fifteen minutes outside Wolf Gap. But the price for that beauty was isolation. None of us had been crazy about her living by herself, but she’d been determined.
“I’d turn around if there was a place to do it, but I don’t want to get boxed in.”
I beeped the locks on my department loner vehicle and climbed behind the wheel, Calder jumping into the passenger seat. “Calder and I are on our way. You’re going to be okay.”
I glanced at Calder as I hit the lights. “Hold this and put Hads on speaker.”
He did as I instructed as I radioed for backup. “We’ll be there in a few minutes. Just hold on,” he assured her.
“Shit,” she cried out.
“What the hell was that?” Calder barked.
“He rammed my bumper.”
I pushed down on the accelerator. “Can you make out anything about the vehicle or the person in it?”
“Not really. A truck or SUV. Big grill.” Another crash sounded across the line.
Calder gripped the phone tighter. “Hadley!”
“I’m okay,” she said through gritted teeth. “You want to play, asshole? Hold on.”
“What are you doing, Hads?” God, I hoped it wasn’t something completely insane.
Tires squealed in the background, and then a loud thump sounded. I held my breath, waiting. The sound of what could only be gravel and rock spitting out from under tires came through the phone speaker. “Got it.”
I gripped the wheel harder. “What exactly did you get?”
“I turned off my headlights and pulled a U-turn around that old pine a mile from the turnoff to my place.”
Calder let out a whoosh of air. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
“Better than whoever’s behind the wheel of that truck killing me.”
I turned onto the road that led towards Hadley’s place. “Are they following you?”
There was silence for a moment and then the release of an audible breath. “No. I don’t think so. I think whoever it was kept going.”
There was a whole network of roads out there that led to a million different places. Whoever it was could hide anywhere. And, at any point, they could turn back around. I accelerated yet again and didn’t take a breath until I saw my sister’s truck in the distance. “Pull over. This is us.”
For once in her life, Hadley did what I asked the first time I asked it. She slid the truck over and shut off the engine, and I did the same but left my lights flashing. As Hadley climbed out of the vehicle her legs trembled.
Calder moved before I had a chance to round the SUV, pulling her into his arms. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”
For the first time in years, my sister burst into tears. The sound startled the hell out of me. Hadley held her emotions close to the vest, rarely letting me or anyone else in our family in on what was going on in that head of hers unless she was pissed off. To see her break like this, shaking in Calder’s arms, made me want to rip whoever had done this limb from limb.
“You’re safe, Hads,” Calder whispered into her hair. “No one’s going to hurt you.”
“I know,” she choked out. Hadley let him hold her for another few seconds and then straightened. “Sorry. I guess it scared me more than I realized.”
Calder gave her a gentle smile. “Adrenaline dump. You know how those can be.”
“I’m not usually such a sissy about them.”
I pulled her in for a hard hug. “You’re not a sissy. You’re damn brave—if a little foolish.”