Page 23 of Deadly Little Games

“He’s gone missing.” Mia starts crying through the phone and I pull back, squeezing the bridge of my nose.

“Mia, listen, he’s going to be fine. He’s just caught up in some stuff. He’ll be back soon.”

She continues to cry, then eventually hangs up without saying goodbye. I shove my phone into my back pocket and squeeze my eyes closed. Fuck, now Mia is worried and I’m no closer to finding him. My head pounds behind my eyes, and I just want everything to go back to normal, with Alec home safe.

After opening the door to our trailer, I shut it behind me and flick the lock automatically. It’s pitch black inside, and a shadow moves from somewhere to my right. I jump, flicking on the lights, fists up and ready to attack. My mother stares back at me, eyes as wide as saucers, and she cocks her head to the side. My shoulders relax slightly with the realization it’s just her and not someone else. She’s clearly off her face, and I can’t deal with this. I raise my eyes to the ceiling, shaking my head slightly.

“What the fuck do you want, cunt?” she growls out, her jaw moving from side to side.

“It’s me, Freya. It’s okay, Mom,” I say, taking slow steps toward the kitchen. She watches me intently before throwing her head back and laughing like a loon. She falls onto the couch and stares out the window into the darkness.

She starts mumbling to herself, and I leave her, heading to my bedroom and locking the door behind me. It’s a necessaryprecaution in case Mom tries to get in later to steal some more things to sell to support her habit.

My phone vibrates against the pocket of my pants and there’s a message from Mia telling me to call her if I hear anything about Alec.

I’d know if anything bad happened to him. Amirah would have told me if things with the boys had taken a turn for the worse, and I’d feel it in my bones. Everything is going to be fine. We are so close to getting out of this town—it has to be. Right?

Chapter Eleven

Freya

Another day of the same old shit—working until my body aches.

I just need some time to chill. By the time I start heading back home, my legs protest with a dull ache. I shake my head when I arrive at my trailer to find it unlocked. No wonder I never feel safe here. Mom always leaves the screen door open so anybody can just walk on in. I shut the door behind me, flicking the lock in place.

The trailer is dark and empty as usual. I check Alec’s room, but he’s not there, and his bed’s a mess with clothes scattered around the room. Since the party three nights ago, I haven’t heard a single word from him, even though he made a promise to talk about it the following day. He hasn’t read my texts, and when I messaged Amirah yesterday, she said she hadn’t seen him. I don’t usually trust Mia’s judgment, but maybe she’s actually right this time. The urge to take matters into my own hands is growing, and I’m almost ready to storm over the tracks and start searching for myself.

I shut the bathroom door behind me, strip down, and step into the shower. The cold water blasts me, and I’m outafter a minute. It seems that we forgot to pay the bill for the hot water. Damn it.

The front door swings open and forcefully shuts. Peering through the bathroom door, I catch a glimpse of Mom stumbling in, donning a short denim skirt and a crop top. She throws her bag on the ground, its contents spilling out onto the floor, and promptly collapses onto the couch, succumbing to exhaustion. Shortly after, the sound of her soft snores fills the air. I sigh in relief—at least she’s home and safe. No matter what she puts us through, I’ll always love her and have hope for her.

I spend the next couple of hours lying on the couch beside her, reading one of the romance books Alec gave me from the thrift shop and trying to get tired enough to fall asleep. With my eyes growing heavy, a loud knock on the door breaks the silence. I turn to see my mother snoozing on the couch, mouth wide open. If this is one of her dealers, I’m going to scream. She’s finally sleeping after her bender, and she doesn’t need any more temptations banging on the door.

As quietly as I can, I make my way over to the door, slowly opening it to find a large figure towering over me. Hazen’s wearing loose-fitting black cargo pants with a plain white top. The colorful tattoos on his tanned skin add a striking contrast to his clothes.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I ask quietly, swallowing hard.

Is Alec okay? Did something happen to him? Is that why he’s here?

Hazen runs his thumb over his plump lips. His ocean-blue eyes run over my body, and I instantly regret not putting on any pants. My old, ripped 18 Hood T-shirt hangs just above my knees.

“Where’s—?”

“Shut up! Don’t wake my mom.” I point out the door. “Wait there a second.”

He walks into the dark night. I’m torn between telling him to fuck off and slamming the door, and wanting to know why he’s here and to find out if he’s heard from Alec.

Still, I haven’t heard from or seen Alec in the last two days, and now Hazen’s shown up at my door. It can’t be a coincidence. I need answers, and hopefully, he can give them to me. A chill slides down my spine. What if Mia was right?

Shit. I can’t let anything happen to my brother.

I put on some high-waisted black skinny jeans, squeeze into them, and tie my T-shirt in a knot above my belly button. I slip on my favorite pair of Nike kicks I got at a garage sale and head out, making sure Mom’s still out cold.

When she finally sleeps after a bender, she doesn’t come out of her coma for days, and when she wakes, they are the best days. When she finally regains consciousness, we get our mom back. She makes us dinner, talks about getting out of here, and sings, laughs, and smiles. But that only lasts a day before she gets that hungry look in her eyes, then she’s out finding her hit. That special gold liquid she calls the magic serum, making all her thoughts vanish. It’s a vicious cycle that I’ve learned to deal with over the years. One that I’ll be glad to set aflame when we get out of here. If we take away the temptation, she’ll be able to get help and we can move on. Be a happy family again. Like we once were.

Shutting the door softly behind me, I find Hazen leaning back against my trailer with a joint between his lips. With a flick of his lighter, his face is bathed in a warm,flickering glow.

“What do you want?” I ask, folding my arms over my chest.

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