Page 133 of Dirty Pucker

Me: Love you too

I slide my phone into my bag.

“Drinks at Spanky’s to celebrate?” Xander asks.

Everyone yells, “Fuck yeah!”

We shower and get dressed. I grab my gear bag and walk out with the guys to the arena parking lot. It’s the beginning of May and the evening springtime air is cool.

“How about some body shots to celebrate?” Blomdahl jokes. I roll my eyes.

Theo frowns. “No way. We gotta keep going with the vodka. That’s been our good luck charm, remember?”

Blomdahl groans. “I’m so sick of vodka.”

“I am too,” Xander says. “But we gotta stick with it. We’re on a winning streak.”

Blomdahl sighs. “Fine.”

Theo bumps Xander’s shoulder. “Take it as a body shot off your girlfriend. That’ll make it better.”

Xander shoves him, but he’s smiling.

My phone rings. When I see it’s my mom, I answer it.

“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”

“Del, honey. I need your help.” Her panicked tone stops me in my tracks.

“What’s going on?”

She lets out a shaky breath. “I-I think your dad is following me on the freeway.”

Just then, I hear the squeal of brakes and a car horn blaring on her end of the call.

“Are you okay?” She doesn’t answer. “Mom? Mom!”

There’s a muffled sound and another shaky breath. “I’m okay. Your dad is driving so dangerously. He keeps swerving through the lanes of the freeway. He’s right behind me now. I-I think he’s drunk.”

Every muscle in my body tenses. Adrenaline surges through me like rocket fuel.

It’s then that I notice all the guys are standing around me and staring with worried looks on their faces.

“Where are you, Mom?”

She tells me the stretch of freeway she’s currently on.

“Okay, listen to me.” I try to keep my voice calm and steady despite the panic clawing through my nervous system. “Don’t pull over on the freeway. He’ll be able to get to you if you do that. When you see the next exit, take it. I’m coming to you right now.”

“Okay, honey.” Her voice breaks.

“Stay on the phone with me. Don’t hang up, okay?”

She sniffles. “Okay. Thank you, honey.”

I tell her to hold on a sec and look up at my teammates standing around me.

“My mom’s in trouble. I need to go to her now.”

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