Page 58 of Fight Or Flight

“What are you doing?”

“Texting my cousin.”

Now is hardly the time to catch up with family, and I’m just about to tell him that when his phone dings and a grin graces his handsome face.

“Problem solved. Luca is going to come to pick us up and take us home. I’ll tell my dad the car had a flat, and that’s why we’re late.” He pauses. “Does your mom have a spare in the trunk?”

I stare at him like he has six heads.

He hardly drank, and he didn’t really smoke more than me.

“Brook?”

“How should I know if she has a spare? We don’t have a flat tire, Eric.”

“We’re gonna once I let the air out.” He leans into me, brushing his lips over mine in a chaste kiss. “Hang tight, Luca will be here in ten minutes.”

With that, he shrugs his jacket on and exits the car. I climb into the front seat and try to fix my hair. When Luca arrives, Eric opens the front door for me and leads me toward the GMC truck where we slide into the back seat. Once we’re situated, I notice Eric’s cousin isn’t alone. A girl with long brown hair turns around and introduces herself to me as Jacqueline.

“What is she doing here?” Eric asks, looking from Jacqueline back to his cousin.

“Nice to see you too, Eric,” Jacqueline says, rolling her eyes.

I stare at her for a beat, noting she looks around the same age as me and Eric, maybe a little younger—beautiful though. With creamy olive skin, high cheekbones, and the darkest set of brown eyes I’ve ever seen. My eyes wander back to Luca. He’s a looker, too. Covered in tattoos, with slicked back dark hair and scruff lining his jaw, he appears much older than the girl who has her hand on his thigh. I bet there is an interesting story there.

“You want a ride or not?” Luca growls.

Ignoring him, Eric turns back to Jacqueline.

“Does Blackie know you’re with him?”

“Not your concern,” Luca fires back, meeting Eric’s perplexed gaze. “Doing you a solid right now, Cuz, it would be best if you showed some respect and kept that big fucking mouth of yours shut.”

“May I blink?” Eric retorts and I elbow him. “Relax, Brook,” he says, draping his arm around my shoulders. “Luca knows I’m fucking with him.”

Luca mutters a curse and turns back around. As he pulls away from the curb, Jacqueline turns the music on blast with her free hand. Luca takes the one resting on his thigh and laces their fingers together before bringing their joined hands to his lips and brushing a kiss to her knuckles.

I turn to Eric and whisper, “Are they together?”

“Together, no. But they’re something…”

That spikes my curiosity even more, and I make a mental note to ask Eric all about his cousin and the pretty brunette next to him. You know…when they’re not in front of us.

It doesn’t take us long to arrive at the house and before we enter, Eric instructs me to go through the back, promising to deal with Riggs while I go check in on my mom. Then, before we part ways, he pulls me behind the bushes lining the side of the house and gives me one more kiss.

“Come to my room when you’re done?” he murmurs against my lips.

“What about your dad?”

“Leave him to me,” he says, giving my lips another peck. “Say you’ll come downstairs.”

“I’ll come.”

“Christ,” he growls, releasing. “Go or I just might throw you up against the wall after all.”

I giggle softly before blowing him another kiss, then I make my way to the backyard and he goes to the front of the house. I dig my key out of my back pocket and fit it to the lock. As soon as I step inside, I creep down the hallway to my mom’s room. Reaching it, I hear Eric’s muffled voice and Riggs shouting at him.

My heart plummets, but I force myself to trust Eric and I enter my mom’s room. She looks so peaceful, I hate to wake her, but as I kick off my shoes and climb into bed with her, the urge to tell her about my night outweighs everything else.

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