Saving Sloan (Sloan Series Book 2) (26 page)
Read Saving Sloan (Sloan Series Book 2) Online
Authors: Kelly Martin
Tags: #supense, #Mystery, #contemporary, #thriller
“Hold on!” she yelled. She crawled under the fence and grabbed Aaron’s hand. “I’ll pull you up.” She pulled as hard as she could, and he pushed up with his other hand. “Come on!” She strained.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Ray still unconscious. It would have been nice for him to be able to help her.
“
God, give me strength. God, give me strength.” She repeated the prayer over and over.
Aaron grunted as he pushed up and got his stomach on the grass. Sloan could have wept. He’d done it. He was safe.
She laughed, happy it was over. Finally, this time.
Aaron dug his fingers into the ground to pull the rest of him up. When he did, he slid backward off the cliff. Sloan grabbed his hand to keep him from sliding further and peered over the side.
Smiley, bloody Boyd had Aaron’s leg in his hands. “Told you someone would fall, didn’t I, Sloan?”
Aaron’s eyes met hers. He knew. Just like that, he knew time was up. “I love you,” he said quickly. “Tell Ray…”
“Kick him!” Sloan ordered. This was
not
how it was going to end!
Aaron slid farther down, his fingertips barely gripping the grass. “Tell Ray…”
With a sneer on his lips, Boyd let go of the rock he’d been holding onto and put all of his weight on Aaron’s leg. Aaron yelled as his hands gave way. They slid from Sloan’s grasp, and she scooted to catch his wrist again. She wasn’t going to let him go over the cliff.
Before she could grab his hand, Aaron gave her one last smile and moved his hand out of the way.
Peering over the cliff, she saw Boyd and Aaron fall. They disappeared into the dark water.
Sloan waited.
She watched.
She yelled Aaron’s name.
And she prayed.
Neither Aaron nor Boyd came up.
EPILOGUE
Later…
T
HE DARK CLOUDS COVERED THE SKY
as he tied the last lure of the day. This was it. He was finally catching a fish. The weatherman said it would rain and rain hard this afternoon. Probably even flood. This close to the river, he couldn’t chance it. As bad as he hated it, this was the end. This mini-vacation had been very much needed. He couldn’t take his wife’s accusations that he’d caused Boyd’s accident. And he couldn’t stand the fact that Boyd was in a wheelchair. Sure, he was glad the boy wasn’t dead, but he hated that his life had led to this.
This fishing trip, this
business
trip had been much needed. Much needed and much enjoyed. He only had a little guilt for leaving the wife and Boyd, but only a little.
And the best part of all. No cell service.
Mr. Lawrence grabbed his tackle box, bucket for the fish, and his pole. He headed down the river to his favorite fishing spot, the one with the best view of the Falls.
He hadn’t cast the first line when he saw something on the side of the bank. It looked like a body.
Mr. Lawrence hurried over and pulled it up on the bank. He rolled it over and stopped.
“What are you doing out here, son?” He gasped as he helped the boy cough up water.
Mr. Lawrence sat him up and helped him clear his lungs. “We need to get you help,” he said and tried to help him up. The first raindrops fell on his face as the thunder started crackling overhead. “Can you move?”
He shook his head.
“Do you know where you are?”
Again, another shake of the head. Another cough.
“Son, you need help before the storm comes in. Come on.” He tried to raise him up again, but that didn’t work. It was like lifting dead weight.
The boy pulled Mr. Lawrence down to him. “He needs help more than me.”
“Who? Who needs help?” Mr. Lawrence shook him. They really had to get out of there before the weather picked up.
“My brother,” he said weakly, trying to stand up. He was bloody. Beaten, obviously. And he had on a soaked, tattered black suit. “He’s been shot.”
“Where?” Mr. Lawrence put his hands under the boy’s arms to help him stand.
“At the Falls. He needs help. The girl. She saw… she saw it.”
“Okay. It’s okay. Calm down. We’ll get them help too. Just tell me your name.”
His breathing became more labored. “Aa-Aaron.” The boy’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed on the ground.
SACRIFICING SLOAN
…the story concludes
T
HE LAST THING
S
LOAN SEES IS
Aaron Hunter going over the falls. Unable to help him, she races to get his brother, Ray, to the hospital in time. The paramedics come. They take Ray away, but a monster storm with heavy rains and flash flooding keep help from searching for Aaron. Four days later, the town may have given up on Aaron, but Sloan hasn’t. She is determined to go find him no matter what, even if she has to lug a wounded Ray along with her.
Aaron Hunter wakes up, unable to walk, in a cabin next to the creek. He knows he has to get out of the cabin soon, though, because the creek water is rising, and before long it will be inside the fishing cabin. Time is running out, and the only person who can help him is the person he hates the most — Boyd Lawrence — the boy who threw him over the Falls; the boy who shot his brother; the boy who destroyed Sloan’s life. The one person Aaron wants to hurt more than anyone else in this world becomes his only way home.
Some will live. Some will die. The dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Saint Sloan Series.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
K
ELLY
M
ARTIN
is the bestselling author of paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she’s not writing, she loves taking picture of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube — even though she’s a huge wimp — and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She’s a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters are the very flawed good guys — and bad guys who don’t know they are evil.
If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to email her at [email protected] or [email protected].
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Other books by Kelly Martin
Paranormal
The Afterlife of Lizzie Monroe
The Heartless Series:
Heartless
Soulless
Breathless
Hart (a novella/journal)
Reckless (Fall 2016)
Shattered Fairy Tale Series
Betraying Ever After
The Beast of Ravenston
The Glass Coffin
Cloaked in Red (Mr. Dodsworth’s story)
Contemporary
The Deception of Devin Miller
B.I.G. is Beautiful: A Love Story
Hindsight Series
Out of the Blue
The Black Heart
Red Scarlet
YA Inspirational
Crossing the Deep
Saint Sloan Series
Saint Sloan
Saving Sloan
Sacrificing Sloan
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