Page 57 of Surprise Baby for the Enemy

“Oh my god- Derrick, what’s going on?!” she gasps, coming around the island toward us.

“I’m handling it, mom,” I say tightly. There is no possible way I can offer her an explanation for this scene, and it kills me that I’m upsetting her. But right now, the important thing is to comply with Thomas’s demands as quickly as possible, to get his eyes off my mother.

“B-But-” She puts a hand on my arm, trying to stop me. “Sweetheart, is this some kind of fight? Please- please can’t we all sit down and talk about whatever’s happened?”

It hits me, hard and fast, that my mother might think I’m manhandling Raleigh because I’m angry with her. And yes, I’m beyond furious right now. But even this rage wouldn’t tempt me to put my hands on Raleigh purely for the sake of hurting her.

The optics are bad, I realize that. But surely my mother can’t believe I’d do anything like what my father did to her, to both of us?

I’m too upset. I’m too unguarded. Some of my incredulity and pain must show in my face, because my mother squeezes my arm. “Please, just help me understand,” she begs. “I know this is happening for a reason, I just want to know what it is.”

But it’s too late for that. My mother has been hiding away from the pain of reality for too many years, and I’ve been letting her do that. I’ve been encouraging it. I can’t start telling her the truth now, not when it’s more fucked up than ever.

I put my hand over my mother’s, dwarfing it with mine. She doesn’t flinch from me, doesn’t even blink, and I draw strength and relief from the fact that she really doesn’t doubt me, even now. “Raleigh isn’t who I thought she was,” is all I can manage to say. Her mouth presses together, and I expect her to demand a better explanation.

Instead, she turns to Raleigh.

I expect Raleigh to blubber, to make excuses, but aside from a slight redness around her eyes, she just looks grim when she meets my mother’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. You were so kind to me, and I- I’m just sorry.”

A sincere apology from Raleigh would’ve stunned me yesterday. And while something stirs in my chest now, I quickly crush it. She’s lying, even now, trying to manipulate either me or my mother into giving her sympathy she doesn’t deserve. I slowly pull away from my mother and grip Raleigh’s upper arm.

“We’re going,” I say, and pull her out of the farm house and toward my cruiser.

CHAPTER 31

Raleigh

My stomach is churningitself into a hurricane as the misty countryside flies past us. Once again, I’m handcuffed in the back of a police cruiser with a pissed off Derrick Lindman driving. I almost wish the dogs had come back with us, so I’d at least have their warm, furry bodies to lean on.

Instead, I’m combing over every single word I’ve said to Derrick since the last time he arrested me, trying to find the one that made him finally lose his faith in me.

I’m not surprised Iris found a way to track me. Her abilities have always far outpaced those of her peers- she’s like a goddamn superspy. But I am surprised she didn’t try to come after me on her own, just so she could solve this quickly and quietly. Getting Thomas involved, forcing him to call off his honeymoon to come reclaim me?? That’s in no one’s best interests, not even mine.

My heart aches for Clara. Once again, I’ve ruined something for my best friend, and this time, I didn’t even have to fucking try.

The next moment, that same thought makes me angry. No, this wasn’t my fault. If Derrick had let me charge my phone, I could’ve called or texted Iris to tell her I’d left of my own freewill. If either she or Thomas gave me the space to live my own life, I’d make a mess of it, sure, but at least it would be my mess.

And if Derrick actually believed in me like he claimed he did, I wouldn’t be the one taking the fall for everyone else’s choices.

“I didn’t call my brother for help,” I say, putting all my strength into my words so they don’t waver.

I watch Derrick’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, but he doesn’t respond.

“In fact, if you knew me atall, you’d know that’s the last thing I’d ever do if I was in trouble,” I press, hoping he feels the twist of that dagger.

Derrick’s eyes flash to meet mine in the rearview. “Stop fucking toying with me, Raleigh.”

“Why?!” I snap back, too hurt not to strike back. “You never really minded before.”

“That was before you gave away my mother’s location-”

“You were the one who took me there!” I shriek. “I didn’t want to go at all, but you wouldn’t let me do anything else!” I shake my head. “That doesn’t even matter. I would never talk about your mom to anyone else, not to Tommy, not even to Iris. You think I’d get her involved with the mafia after everything she’s been through?”

“Don’t you fucking talk to me about what she’s been through,” Derrick snarls.

The pain in my chest digs a little bit deeper. Just last night, he was baring the ugly truth of his past to me. Today, he rejects every word I try to use to defend myself.

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