Page 1 of Code Word
ONE
I pulledthe Range Rover into the garage, with Becca in the passenger seat. We kinda smiled at each other, but not really. Strained smiles at best. “I’ll grab the basket,” she said.
“Okay.” I nodded as we got out, grabbing the two bags from the back and heading inside. I was so fucking happy to be home.
We’d been gone a week.
A winter beach staycation with her friends at my Malibu house. Which should have been fun, but... her people were not really my kind of people.
Something made abundantly clear to me this last week.
My kind of people were inside the house, and I was glad to be home.
Well, my people... Luke’s car was in the garage, which usually meant he was home. But the place was dark, curtains drawn, and everything looked untouched.
Exactly as we’d left it a week ago.
“Luke?” I called out.
It was a big house. It was technically his house, but I’d lived here forever, and Becca basically lived here too.
Becca was Luke’s sister, so it wasn’t totally weird.
“Where is he?” she asked, sliding the basket of groceries onto the kitchen counter.
I shrugged, frowning. “Dunno.” I pulled out my phone and shot him a text.
Where ru? I’m home
There was no reply, and before concern could creep its way in, I heard a door open down at his end of the house. He appeared a few seconds later, walking out wearing sweatpants and a hoodie with the hood up, a few brown wisps of hair escaping at the front, and his hands inside the sleeves.
And he looked like shit.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hey,” I replied, dropping the bags. “Wassup? Dude, you look terrible. You feeling okay? This place is like a cave, and it’s cold in here.” I went to him and put my hand on his forehead. He was clammy.
I felt his neck and his cheek, and he closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. Close-up, I could see how dark the blotches were under his eyes.
“Luke,” I whispered. “What’s wrong?”
“Can’t sleep, can’t eat,” he mumbled, keeping his eyes closed and swaying into me.
I caught him, my hand going to the back of his neck, and he could barely stand up. He needed to sit down, so I walked him to the couch and sat down with him. Bec brought over a bottle of water and kneeled in front of him. “Luke, you want us to call someone? Is Vana here?”
He made a face, and I knew what that meant.
They hadn’t been getting along too well. Not fighting, as such. Hell, they hadn’t been in the same place long enough to be fighting.
“She hasn’t been here,” he mumbled. “I’m so tired.”
When he made no attempt to open the water bottle, I didit for him. And then he made no attempt to drink from it, so I held it to his lips and made him take a sip.
“Want me to call Mom?” Bec asked, her hands on his knees.
He shook his head. “Just need to sleep.” He leaned into me, his head on my shoulder. And when I put my arm around him, he became heavy against me.
“Luke, you okay?”
