Page 62 of Deadly Little Hearts

“I need you, please.”

“Mom?What’s wrong?”I ask quietly.

“I just need help, I need—”

The line goes dead.Shit.Something is wrong, and I can’t ignore her.If something happened and I did nothing, I couldn’t live with myself.

It’s three in the morning, and the guys will be up in a couple of hours.I need to get moving.

Reaching Gage’s door, I open it as slowly as I can before shutting it behind me.Small lights along the baseboard illuminate the hallway, allowing me to see where I’m going.I make it down the stairs and to the front door.

“And where are you off to, little thorn?”

I jump at the sound of Lucas’s voice.He’s leaning back against the living room door, watching me.

“Out,” I reply, reaching for the door again.

“I’m coming,” he says, stalking toward me.

“No,” I snap, trying to keep my voice down.I don’t want to wake Hazen or Gage.I can deal with Lucas—just not everyone.I need to move.

“You’ve got two choices.I either come with you, or I yell and wake up the house and you’re not going anywhere.What will it be?”

I grumble a few choice words under my breath before opening the front door and walking out, leaving it open for Lucas to follow.

He catches up to me, wrapping me under his arm.“Where are we going?”

“My mom needs me,” I say, and Lucas steers me in the direction of his car, but I stop.

“We won’t get over the tracks with your car.They’ll be on us in seconds.”

“Fuck, you’re right.Walking it is.”

I flip up my hood and blend into the dark night.Lucas keeps me warm as I snuggle into his chest.The guards wave us through the gates, and I hate to admit it, but it’s easier having him here with me.Otherwise, I’d have to waste time sneaking out.I need to get over the tracks.I have to make sure she’s okay.

“Tell me about your mom?”Lucas asks, and my heart aches.

To some, this is a simple question, but for me, it’s complicated.It opens so many wounds that I’ve buried deep inside, and I’m too scared to deal with all those emotions.The truth is, I have no fucking idea how to answer him.On top of that, the subject of mothers is still raw between us—something we haven’t talked about since our truce.

It’s going to take time for us to get back to where we were, but if we can get through this, then we’ll be stronger than ever.I never believed in soulmates before I met the guys, and I never in a million years imagined they’d be mine or that I’d be giving them my whole broken heart, but I am—and I feel lucky that they treat it with such care.

We move through the second gate and out onto the open road.I lift my head from Lucas’s chest, but he keeps his arm around me.

“You gonna answer?About your mom?”Lucas prompts.

I shrug.“That’s a pretty loaded question.I have no idea where to even begin.”

“I met her a couple of times, and she was nice before,” Lucas says, and he doesn’t have to say the next words because it’s clear what he means.

“Before the poison hit her veins and she spiraled out of control?”

Lucas releases a loud exhale.“Yeah.”

“I’ve been trying to erase her from my memory, to move on with my life, but it’s impossible.She’s my blood, my family.I chose to walk out on her when she relapsed because I just can’t fucking go through that again.I don’t want to be around her, afraid of what she’ll do next or if she’ll make it home every night.”

Lucas squeezes my shoulder, and it feels good.I actually feel protected.I didn’t want him coming with me, but it’s nice having him here, knowing I’m not going to face my mother on my own this time.I’ve got him here—a way out.

“You know you’ve got us now.We’re your family, and sometimes family isn’t blood.It’s chosen, and that’s the best kind.”

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