Page 134 of Dirty Pucker

“Yeah, of course, man,” Xander says.

“What’s wrong?” Blomdahl asks.

I tug a hand through my hair as I dig my keys out of my pocket.

“It’s my dad. He’s been stalking my mom, trying to intimidate her. He’s following her on the freeway right now.”

All of them look sick at what I’ve said.

Theo shakes his head. “Fuck, man. I didn’t know your dad was like that.”

“I have to go.” I jog off in the direction of my car, a few rows away.

It’s a few seconds before I realize that the guys are running alongside me.

I glance on either side of me. “What are you doing?”

“We’re coming with you,” Xander says.

I frown, confused. “Why?”

“Because we’re teammates,” Blomdahl says, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world.

Behind me, Theo claps me on the back. “You shouldn’t have to deal with this alone.”

An unexpected warmth hits my chest.

“You guys don’t have to do this,” I say. “This isn’t your problem.”

Blomdahl shakes his head. “This is your mom, man. No one messes with our moms.”

“I love the shit outta my mom,” Xander says. “If she was in trouble, I’d want as many people to help her as possible.”

That warmth inside of me intensifies. We make it to my SUV. I unlock it, we shove our bags in the back, hop in, and I peel out of the lot in the direction of the freeway.

I have no idea what’s about to go down. But I’ve got my teammates by my side, and that’s the comfort I didn’t know I needed.

Chapter 47

Del

“Mom, where are you?” I say as I speed ahead on the freeway. My phone is on speaker, propped on my dashboard.

“I just took the exit for Eighth Street,” she says in a shaky voice. “I’m driving in the direction of Frog Hollow Park. Oh god, he’s still trailing me.”

Anger stabs through me. I bite down so hard, my jaw feels like it’s on the verge of shattering.

Blomdahl, who’s sitting next to me in the front passenger seat, taps my arm. I look at him.

“I’ve got the directions pulled up on my phone,” he says in a calm voice. He glances down at the screen. “You’re just a couple miles behind her and then you’ll be there.”

“I’ve got the police on the phone,” Xander says. “I’m giving them directions on how to get to your mom,” he says.

“Thanks.” I let out a breath, suddenly feeling like a dipshit. Why didn’t I think to call the police as soon as she called me?

“I-I should have done that right away…I don’t…I don’t know why I didn’t think of it…” I stammer.

I glance up at the rearview mirror and lock eyes with Theo. “Don’t blame yourself,” he says. “This is a high-stress situation and you’re doing your best.”

---