Page 98 of Tactically Acquired

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room and down the hall. I was hardly dressed for company, but I never cared too much about that. I was in pajamas and modestly dressed for the most part. Besides, they’d probably seen me in worse at some point during our stay.

Spencer practically shoved me onto a stool while he grabbed a mug for me. “Rough night?”

“Nope. I slept fine,” I answered, wiping the sleep from my eyes with a yawn.

“Yeah, you look like it.”

“I would have slept better if someone had gotten me off in the shower,” I grumbled.

Spencer glanced to his right and cleared his throat. Yep, he was there. I turned my head just a little and saw Baldy standing there, glaring at me just like I knew he would. Was it wrong that I said something? Maybe, but I’d learned a long time ago that I would put my foot in my mouth more times than not.

“You know, I’m standing right here. If you want to bitch about what happened between us, take your shot.”

Spencer slid the mug across the counter to me, giving me a sympathetic look. I brushed off the anger building inside me. Again, nothing I could do about it. I took a deep breath and smiled at Baldy.

“Did you need something?”

“Spencer, we need to talk.”

“Shoot.”

“In private.”

“If it’s about me, just say it,” I cut in.

Silence greeted me for nearly a minute as Baldy considered his options. I rolled my eyes, tired of the games we were playing.

“Look, whatever it is, just spit it out. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

I saw Baldy turn toward me, but I couldn’t make out the expression on his face. He was right in my blind spot. I turned slightly, adjusting so I could see him better.

“Look, there’s no easy way to say this.” He ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. I noticed he did that when he was really uncomfortable. “Audrey, we got word last night that your mom died.”

I stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Yeah, that’s a good one. Is that some kind of joke? Because of the whole hospital thing?”

I couldn’t make out exactly what his expression was, but the silence was deafening. I twisted a little more in my seat and finally caught the full weight of his expression. Fuck, he wasn’t joking.

I swallowed hard, processing what he just told me. “You’re serious.”

Spencer was around the counter in seconds, wrapping his arms around me. I didn’t know what to say. I mean, she was my mother, but…

“I need a minute,” I said, shoving to my feet. I stormed out of the room, tripping over chairs in my way, until I got to the back door and yanked it open. Fresh air filled my lungs as I bent over and took large gulps of air. My pulse fluttered rapidly and my heart felt like it was pounding in my chest. I was going to be sick.

My hand slid along the side of the house until I was a few feet from the back door, then I was hurling into the dirt, gasping as a thousand emotions rushed through me. His hand was on my back, rubbing up and down in a soothing manner I knew all too well.

A cracked sob tore from my throat as I spun around and threw myself against his body. With my arms squeezed tight around his neck, I broke down. But the moment I did, I realized it wasn’t Spencer out here with me. It was Slider.

And he was holding me.

Oh God. I was breaking down in front of him.

I tried to step out of his arms, but he held me tighter, refusing to let me go, which only made me cry harder. His hands slid up and down my back, calming me as much as they could while he whispered in my ear, telling me he was here. I wanted to believe him, but he wasn’t really. Spencer was here. He was always here. This man was only temporary.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to be the one to tell you.”

It wasn’t rational. None of it made sense. I was crying over a woman I hardly had a connection with, who never really cared for me the way I wanted her to. Yet, I couldn’t stop crying over all I had lost. She was my mother—the only family I had left. I was all alone now.

“Hey,” Slider said, stepping back and cupping my cheeks. This close, I could see his eyes focusing on me, could feel the compassion radiating off him. It couldn’t be faked, and that made me want to break down all over again, but I somehow managed to hold it together.

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