Page 15 of Love in Unexpected Places

He didn’t understand why Sullivan wanted to do this.Why had the man offered to come with him when Matty could easily have asked Lester or one of the other mages?He’d meant to do it yesterday, but after calling Sabrina and talking to her for hours, he’d completely forgotten.He hoped that even if Lester was busy, one of his friends would agree to come with him, and while he hadn’t been looking forward to spending four hours in a car with someone he barely knew, he was pretty sure that would have been better than spending those four hours in a car with Sullivan.

He barely knew Sullivan, too, but at least he didn’t want to climb Lester’s friends like trees.He wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to look Sullivan in the eyes, considering the kind of thoughts he had about him.

He watched as Sullivan slid into the passenger seat, his phone already out, probably to text Chance.Matty glanced back at the house, part of him hoping that Theo or Chance would come out to save him.He could imagine all too well what would happen if they didn’t—he’d make a fool of himself, and by the time he drove them back, Sullivan would be eager to return to the coven house and never come back.

If there was one thing Matty was good at, it was being awkward, and, unfortunately for him, it got worse when he was in the company of a person he liked.

He groaned and opened the driver’s door.There was no way around this.Chance had told him to take a mage with him, and he was.He couldn’t waste time because his sister only had today left at the house.She was turning eighteen, and instead of a birthday cake, their parents had given her an eviction notice.

Matty hated them.

He didn’t hate them for himself and what they’d done to him, but he did for what they were doing to Sabrina.He’d never wanted to see them again or to tell them what he thought of them before, but maybe today, he could make an exception.At the very least, he should tell them they were bad parents and even worse people.It would be so satisfying.

He was a bit hesitant as he turned on the engine and backed away from the house.He hadn’t driven in four years, and he was relieved to find that he remembered how to do it.It only took him half an hour to be comfortable again, and once he was, he relaxed.Sullivan hadn’t said anything yet.He was scrolling on his phone, and Matty was already reaching the end of his patience.

“Why did you want to come with me?”he asked.

Sullivan looked up from his phone.“You needed a mage.”

“And I told you that I would have brought Lester or one of his friends.”

“Had you actually talked to them about it?”

Matty gritted his teeth.He knew Sullivan didn’t mean to make him sound incompetent, but damn.“No.I forgot to call them yesterday.”

“What if they’d been busy?Something tells me that wouldn’t have been enough to stop you from getting your sister.”

“That something would be right.Iwouldhave left without a mage.”

“And you would have potentially put yourself in danger.I was right there, and I don’t have anything better to do with my day.”

Matty found that hard to believe.“Why were you in pack territory?”

“I wanted to talk to Chance to tell him what was happening at the coven house.”

“Good news?”

“Never when the coven leaders are involved.Things are getting worse, and we need to act.”

Matty didn’t know a lot about the situation beyond the fact that the coven was coming for them.He didn’t dare ask Chance, and he wouldn’t ask Theo because he didn’t want Theo to have to choose between his family and Chance.If anyone wanted Matty to know what was going on, they’d tell him.

But he was curious, and it seemed that Sullivan was willing to talk.They had hours of driving in front of them, so they might as well.

His phone vibrated, and since it was Theo, Matty knew he had to answer.He shot Sullivan an apologetic glance and stopped the car at a service station.

Sullivan was out of his seat before Matty could say anything.“I’ll get gas and grab snacks.”

Matty stared at his back.What the fuck was happening?

Theo had hung up, only to call back again immediately.This time, Matty managed to answer.“Holy shit.I’m on a four-hour drive with Sullivan.”

“That’s what Chance said, but I wasn’t sure, so I decided to call you.Why did you ask Sullivan, of all people?”

“You think I asked him?Hell, no.I wouldn’t even have talked to him if he hadn’t talked to me first.I was going to ask Lester or one of his friends, but Sullivan decided to volunteer.”

“You didn’t tell him you had other mage friends?”

“Of course I did.He said that they were probably busy and told me to drive.What the fuck am I going to do, Theo?I can’t be normal around him.”

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