Page 184 of Wanted Beta

If they think I’m not safe out here, they’ll do everything in their power to have me go back home with them.

The thought makes me cringe. I’m not a Sapphire Valley girl anymore.

We get to the apartment building, and I turn to look at Jack.

“I’ll call you,” I promise.

“I know,” he says, giving me a chaste kiss that’s kind of a let down after everything else we did today. I know it’s for the sake of speed, so I’ll let it go, this time.

He lets me go and I dart up the steps to the front door.

I wave before I head inside, steeling myself for what’s coming.

If they thought they were mad at me for not telling them about Marcus, I can hardly wait to see their faces once they know I’m quitting my course and I’ve found my true mates.

Even Catherine doesn’t know about that stuff.

I move quickly up the stairs, finding the apartment door open when I get there.

What the hell?

I step forward and push the door a little more, stepping into the hallway.

“Catherine?” I call out, wary.

My sister appears at the living room door. She’s pale-faced, and her eyes look a bit wild.

“Beth, there you are! Back from putting the laundry on downstairs.”

I nod, getting that our parents are already here. I close the door behind me.

I remove my purse from my shoulder and toss it into my bedroom in passing.

“Here I am,” I announce, coming toward her and letting her usher me into the living room where our parents are sitting on the armchairs Catherine never really seems to use.

They’re kind of off to the side, facing a blank wall, and a little too far away from the couch to make good seats for visitors.

Our mom gets up and drags the chair forward to make it closer to the couch.

I catch Catherine wincing. That’s a scuff mark on her pretty floor, for sure. I guess there goes her cleaning deposit.

Thanks for that, Mom.

“Don’t pull faces, dear. The wind might change.”

Catherine pushes out a smile. “We wouldn’t want that.”

My father gets up and pulls his chair closer, too, making an even worse sound against the floor.

This time my sister doesn’t react. She already lost the deposit. No use continuing to be mad about it, I guess.

“Beth, why didn’t you call us when you were kidnapped? We had to hear about it from a silly friend of yours in that dorm.” Mom looks upset.

I feel a little guilty for trying to keep it a secret, but I’ve always kept secrets from my parents.

There’s no way they could handle half the stuff I’ve gotten up to.

They didn’t know about Rourke, and I hoped I’d never have to tell them about this, either.

---