Page 85 of Twisted Collide (Saints Of Redville #2)

Eight months later…

Where is he?

I knocked multiple times on his trailer door, but nobody answered. I even peeked into the window to check for him. Nothing. No matter where I search, I can’t find Slate, and that shouldn’t have me panicking like it does.

In the past eight months, he’s made life bearable.

He’s treated me like I was his little sister. Acted like he was my protector.

He made this awful place feel like home.

I slouch onto the worn couch, dust flying into the air and circling me. Huffing, I make a mental note to vacuum this room and pay special attention to this area. I blow out air to move the particles away. My gaze skates across the room and lands on the window.

It’s a nasty day out.

The sky is a dark shade of gray, with clouds forming in the shape of black pillows. I’m just waiting for the clouds to open and the rain to drench the earth. The only downside to that is I’ll be stuck inside, sitting among the dirt.

Something moves in the distance, but it’s probably just a branch swaying with the wind. When it moves again, I narrow my eyes and lean forward, trying to focus on whatever’s out there.

The longer I stare, the more I question whether it’s a tree or a person. The object moves again, and I get a glimpse of a profile.

Someone is walking to the lake.

It’s got to be him.

Aiden Slate is a creature of habit.

Of course . The path that leads to that place. It should have been the first place I looked.

It’s his refuge. His escape. Now that it’s summer, he’d be heading to his tree.

So, that’s where I go.

I head outside toward the tree that faces the small lake that lies right beyond the outskirts of the trailer park we live in. A small piece of land that allows us both to pretend we don’t live here with parents who don’t care about us.

In the winter, the water freezes, and I love to watch Aiden skate. In the warm months, once the frost is gone, he likes to stare out into the horizon, I like too also.

Sometimes, I like to pretend we live in another town far from here. Hell, I’d even be okay living one trailer over with the Matthews. They might be old, but at least I’d know someone cares about me.

A crack of thunder halts my steps for a second. I wait for the sky to open again, but I trudge on when no more rain falls.

I thought the weather would stop him, so I didn’t bother going down the path and out the little hole in the fence that led to where he likes to spend his days. Instead, I wasted time knocking on his door, moving into Peeping Tom territory.

It was a mistake. A big mistake.

When he’s fixated on something, it wouldn’t matter if it were raining; he’d still be in his spot.

That’s how he is. I don’t know why, and after everything he’s done for me, I don’t ask questions. He needs structure, and he needs things to go a certain way.

Those two things I learned early on about him. It was strangely comforting to know that one thing will remain the same in a world full of constant changes.

Aiden is my North Star.

Which is how I know the shadow in the distance is him.

As I continue my trek, I’m hit by the smell of rain that lingers in the air. The ground is still damp from the earlier downpour, and the pungent stink of earthworms is harsh. I don’t let it stop me.

My heart pounds the closer I get to him. It’s always like this. My breath quickens, hands get clammy, and my legs become a bit weak. Today, my reaction is for a different reason.

I heard from one of the other kids who lives in a trailer a few down from his that he was upset. That’s so unlike Aiden, and it has me jittery. I put the kid through an inquisition but got nowhere. He didn’t have any answers for me. It’s what led me to search for Aiden.

Now, fear and worry course through my veins as I imagine what could have happened. Aside from Aiden’s penchant for things to be a certain way, he’s a fortress. One not easily shook.

Taking a few steps, the wind hits my face as droplets of water start to fall from the sky. The farther I get, the harder the rain falls. I’ll be drenched—like a drowned rat—in no time.

Wonderful.

I’m almost there, close enough to make out a body leaning against the trunk of the tree. The branches of the large oak give little coverage from the water belting down from the sky.

It’s Aiden.

His face is buried in his hands.

Shit.

I rush toward him.

My dampened clothes cling to my body, but I don’t care. All that matters is finding out what happened and doing what I can to help. Just like he’d do for me. Like he’s done a million times in the past eight months.

Since the very first day that I got here, he’s protected me. Taken care of me. It’s my turn to reciprocate. To ensure he’s okay.

It’s obvious right off the bat that something terrible has happened. The pain etched on his face makes my chest ache, and my feet slow to a stop. I’m careful not to disrupt him. I’ll be here if he needs me, but I won’t press him right now.

Cautiously, I take a seat on the dirt ground next to him.

He doesn’t react. He doesn’t say a word and doesn’t look my way.

We sit in silence for a few painstaking minutes. My hands twist around each other as I try to remain quiet. When Aiden scoots a little closer to me, I interpret it as a sign that he’s prepared to talk.

I suck in a deep breath. “Aiden, what’s wrong? Why are you out here alone”—I lift my hand, and a raindrop hits it—“in the rain?”

Aiden turns toward me, his eyes red and filled with tears. It feels like someone punched their hand through my chest and grabbed my heart. At this moment, I know the thing I hate most in the world is the way Aiden looks right now. Broken.

He wipes away the tears hastily and lets out a heavy sigh. “Pip, I…” He stops mid-sentence, letting the unsaid words hang in the air between us.

I reach out and gently touch his arm. “You can tell me anything.”

He looks into my eyes and holds my stare. “I need to get out of here.”

I nod, feeling the bile rise in the back of my throat. “I know.”

This day was always going to happen. It’s what I’ve feared since getting to know him. The realization that Aiden Slate has so much to offer this world, and that one day, someone would recognize it, swoop in, and take him away.

“Things will be different. Our lives will change forever.” My own eyes start to well with unshed tears. “I don’t know what the future will hold.” His voice shakes.

“What do you want, Aiden?” It comes out in barely a whisper. The fear of what he’ll say eats me alive.

“You know my mom wouldn’t let me apply to college,” he says.

It’s her way of keeping him stuck here so she can drain him.

He can provide for her. He can pay the bills.

She’s a leech and Aiden’s her host.

“There’s this hockey game coming up, Pip. And well, this is it for me. This is my chance to break out of here. It’s my best shot at getting scouted by professional teams.”

I swallow the lump stuck in my throat. My body shivers at the thought of losing him.

“It’s the opportunity I’ve been dreaming of, but…” He hesitates for a moment, struggling to find the words. “She took all my money. I can’t afford the ticket to get there.”

“What?” I shriek, sitting up straight and forgetting about the rain and everything else he said, choosing to focus on the part about his awful mother stealing from him again.

“You know she—she doesn’t want me to succeed. She wants me stuck here for good.” He groans, head tilting back. “I feel like my dream is slipping away because of her. Because of money. It’s always money.”

My fingers grip the hem of my shirt. A nervous habit I’ve had for as long as I can remember. As I twist the material, I start to think.

I’ve always known he loved to play hockey and is incredible at it. I just never understood until now that it’s his way out. It’s his only way to gain freedom from her.

I have to do something.

I have to help him.

My mind concocts a whole list of ideas, some more ridiculous than others. Then, like a lightning bolt striking down to the earth, it hits me.

“I have money, Aiden,” I whisper as though someone else will hear.

Aiden’s eyes widen in surprise, but he shakes his head. “No. I can’t. Absolutely not, Pip.”

I crawl up on my knees, facing him. “I want to give it to you.”

“There’s no way I can take it.”

“Sure, you can. It’s no big deal.” My hand cups his knee. “It’s only money.”

“Pip. It is a big deal. You need it.”

For kids like us, any amount of money is a really big deal. It’s the difference between surviving or ending up on the streets when our time comes to escape our current situation.

“It’s not a lot. But it should be enough to get you to the game,” I say, mentally counting how much I have saved up.

His stormy eyes land on mine. “Pip.”

I scoot closer toward him so we’re eye to eye.

“No. Don’t ‘Pip’ me. I want to give you this.” My eyes stay trained on him. “Consider it an investment.”

A side of his lips quirks up. “An investment?”

I bob my head once. “A business arrangement,” I suggest.

“So it’s just business?” The heaviness from moments ago lifts slightly, and a grin spreads across his handsome face.

“Yep. And one day, you will pay me back.” I wink.

As the rain pours down and thunder rumbles in the distance, Aiden looks at me with a mix of disbelief and hope. He reaches out and takes my hand in his. “Just business?”

“Just business.” I smile up at him. “But you have to promise me one thing.”

He takes a deep breath, exhaling as he says, “Anything.”

I inhale, readying myself to be more vulnerable than I’m typically comfortable with. Even with Aiden.

“Promise you will never forget me.”

His head tilts to the side, his eyes still holding mine captive. The dark ring surrounding his irises moves toward the center, turning the deep blue even darker. Something…more.

“I’ll never forget you.”

I stick my pinky out. “Pinky promise on your puck.”

He links our fingers together with a smirk. “I promise.”