Page 57 of All My Broken Pieces

Rolling my eyes, I pull my arm from his hold. “I can take care of myself, and you know it.” I wink at him, taking off up the stairs.

Sighing heavily, Andrew follows behind me, shaking his head and mumbling under his breath.

We find Billie waiting outside of one of the several doors lining the hallway. “This room will be yours. Well, you’ll share it with a couple other girls, but this is where you’ll be while staying here.” I peek into the room, finding two bunk beds on either side.

My eyes narrow as I scan over the small space. It looks suspiciously like a prison cell hidden inside of a non-imposing family home.

“Problem, dear?” Billie asks, some of the earlier warmth having drained from her tone.

Need to be careful. Got it.

Turning toward her, I throw on a blinding smile of my own, slipping on my carefree mask. “Not at all, just admiring the accommodations.”

Billie studies me for several heartbeats before returning to her cheery self. “Fantastic.” She quips, clapping her hands together. “I’ll let you get all settled then.” With that, she turns on her heels and disappears down the hall.

I wait several moments before turning to Andrew and demanding, “What is this place? Really.”

He rubs the back of his neck, glancing over his shoulder. “It’s somewhere people go when they have nowhere else. But it’s temporary, I swear.” Gripping my shoulder, he squeezes as he promises, “I’ll get this all cleared up so you can get home.”

I release a heavy breath. “Okay.” With another look around the small space, I spot a notepad and pen resting on one of the two dressers smooshed into the room. Quickly crossing the room, I snatch it up and scribble out a note, ripping off the paper and folding it. I turn back toward Andrew, handing him the folded page. “For Fallon.” I explain.

He inclines his head, slipping the paper into his back pocket. “I’ll be back for you.”

“I know.” I whisper, glancing around the room once more. “Just be quick. Please.”

Andrew’s expression softens as he pulls me into his arms. “I will.”

Chapter 27

Fallon

My phone buzzes, rousing me from my restless slumber.

I haven’t gotten much sleep without Arriana.

It’s not like this is the first time we’ve been apart, but something about this feels so much heavier, like we’re fighting against forces beyond our control that are hell bent on keeping us apart.

Groaning, I slip on my glasses and pick up my phone, blinking at it several times until the screen comes into focus. My brows furrow at the caller ID. Sliding to answer the call, I press the phone to my ear, “Hello?”

“Hey, Cher.” Hudson’s voice filters through the speaker.

At the sound of his tired voice, I’m hit with a pang of guilt. In all the commotion with Arriana, I had completely forgotten my brother.

God, I just keep failing the ones I love.

“Hey, Egg.” I whisper back. “How are you feeling?”

A quiet laugh sounds, breaking as he groans. “Like I got hit by a truck, and then it backed over me to finish the job.”

“I’m so sorry…” I don’t know what else to say. What elsecanI say?

“Yeah…” Hudson mumbles, his voice trailing off. There is an uncomfortable silence before he clears his throat. “Look, um, I called to ask a favor.” My eyebrows raise in response.

“You needmeto doyoua favor?” I clarify, unable to hide the incredulous tone in my voice.

“Don’t sound so surprised, sis.” He chuckles. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, you know.” He inhales a sharp breath, cutting off his quiet laughter.

My lips tremble as I try to keep back the well of emotions once more. “What-” It’s my turn to clear my throat as I push past the lump in my throat. “What do you need from me?” There’s a brief moment of awkward silence after my question. I pull the phone away from my ear to make sure we didn’t get disconnected. “Hud?” I try again.

---