Page 135 of Mark & Don't Tell

“Good. Now, if my son could call me when he’s alone, I’d like him to tell me everything.”

“So you can gossip with my sisters?”

“It’s not gossiping if it’s with family,” she tells him, and I can practically hear her smile.

Kai scoffs. “It is. But yeah, I’ll call you later, Mom. I have a lot to tell you.” He smiles at me and says his goodbyes before hanging up. “Thanks for being nice to her.”

“Are you kidding? She sounds really sweet.” Which is the exact opposite of my mom. “I should probably warn you that we might be walking into chaos.”

“I can handle it,” Kai says.

I don’t voice my doubts. I can barely deal with my mom, and I’m her first born. Worries about what might be going on rush through my head, crowding my thoughts. Some zoom around, while others slam into me. My heart races a little faster. I try to take steady breaths. Bringing my nail to my mouth, I chew on it as Kai drives, trying not to focus on any single thought for too long.

“You’re going to make yourself bleed.” Kai’s hand wraps around my wrist, and he tugs my hand from my mouth, threading his fingers through mine. “Squeeze my hand instead?”

I nod and hold on like he’s my lifeline. If it hurts, he doesn’t show it. Kai’s navigation screen says we’re still a few minutes away, but I send Marco a quick text to let him know we’re almost there.

“Do you want me to come in?” Kai asks as he turns onto Mom’s street. There’s no judgment as he takes in the rundown homes and the copious amounts of trash littered about Mom’s yard. He stops at the curb and squeezes my hand. “Daria?”

“It’s probably better if you wait here.” I don’t know what’s going on, and part of me also wants to shield him from how fucked up Mom’s life is. I climb out of the car, leaving my purse behind, and pull my shoulders back, preparing for a fight.

I head toward the house, wincing as loud voices carry through the thin walls. I glance back at Kai to find him watching me through the passenger side window he rolled down. Great. He can probably hear that too. Grimacing, I turn and march up the stairs and push through the door, not bothering to knock.

Marco is pressed into the corner, saying something to Mom, his eyes wide with fear as she blocks him in, growling something back. A guy I don’t recognize is leaning against the filthy counter, a creepy smile pasted on his face as he slowly takes me in. “Well, hello,” he murmurs, and I shudder.

“Ew,” I tell him.

“Don’t fucking make this harder than it has to be!” Mom finishes screaming at Marco before glaring at me over her shoulder. “Ever heard of knocking?”

“What’s going on?”

“None of your damn business,” Mom shouts.

I look at her for a moment, searching for any trace of the woman I used to love, but she’s long gone. “Marco?”

“I’m going with Daria,” he tells Mom, ignoring my question.

“The fuck you are,” the guy says.

“Who are you?” I ask, rounding on him.

His smirk is wolfish, and not in a good way. I immediately take a step away from him, and he chuckles to himself. “I’m your brother’s new keeper.”

I recoil and flick my gaze to Mom, but she’s glaring at Marco like she’s about to attack him for defying her. It takes three seconds to piece together what it means. Mom is trading Marco to absolve whatever debt she’s run into now. There’s a knife in my gut from everything she’s ever done to me, and it twists deeper as I realize how little her children mean to her. As white-hot rage shoots through my system, my hands start shaking.

I fist my fingers, glaring at the guy. “My brother is leaving with me.”

“The fuck he is,” the guy growls. “I was promised virgin omega ass, and I’m getting what was promised.” He pushes off the counter.

Leaden unease drops into the pit of my stomach. He’s bigger than I am. His meaty fists could knock me out cold, but I push past that worry to protect my little brother. I step into the fucker’s path, stopping him in his tracks. It’s dumb and reckless. There’s no way I’m letting this asshole touch my brother. I would literally rather die. “Marco, get in the car.”

“Don’t you fucking dare,” Mom snarls.

A struggle ensues behind me. Things crash to the ground, but I can’t afford to turn around. The guy is sizing me up. I wonder if he’s deciding between me and my brother. I wonder what sort of filth gets excited about taking a person against their will.

“Looks like your mommy is winning,” the guy says with a laugh. “Tell you what. Give me blondie?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Kai growls, voice colder and harder than I’ve ever heard before. Relief floods through my system when the guy backs up a step. “Daria, get behind me.”

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