Page 43 of Twisted Hearts

In front of me, Shawn’s gaze darkened. Worry swirled in his dark blue eyes as he glared at the phone in my hand.

“You need to get home. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you need to get home right now.”

I jerked, almost dropping the phone, but I caught it in my other hand before it fell. “But…”

I opened my mouth to tell her she had told me to go, but Shawn shook his head, clearly reading my mind. Something was wrong. Massively.

She continued in that harsh, high-pitched tone I was so not used to ever hearing from her, and fear returned, racing through me, making me hot and cold all at once. “You need to get back here right now.”

Tears fell down my cheeks and I wiped them away. What was going on? “I can’t. I can’t, Mom. Never.”

“Youhave to.Your father…he’s losing his mind, taking it out on everyone around him. Adrianna—”

“Adrianna?”

My dad’s voice rang in the distance, moving closer as he called my name again, and I swore I turned to a block of ice. I couldn’t speak. Had no clue what I’d say even if I could.

Nothing. No words escaped my throat except for a jagged sound from fighting back more tears.

“Adrianna, if this is you, you need to get your ass home right now. You’ve made a fool out of this entire family and Daniel’s, and they arenotpleased with you. You don’t want something worse to happen, someone to get seriously hurt, you get back home before they come and get you. You won’t like what happens if they do. I swear to you. I…I can’t even save you anymore.”

Save me? Seriously hurt?I gripped the phone so hard my knuckles burned, along with my eyes from tears and my heart from being torn in two.

These were my parents, the people who were supposed to protect me, and they were insisting I returned to the lion’s den.

A sob tore through me, and my dad spoke again. “Get your ass home. Now.”

The call was ended, and I lifted my head to Shawn right as my emotions took over. I fell into the nearest chair, dropping my head into my hands.

Shawn came to me and, with ease, without hesitation, lifted me in his arms, resettled me in his lap, and pressed my cheek to his chest. “It’s okay. It’ll be okay.”

“He’s terrified.”

“I know. And angry.”

“And my mom…she…she told me to go. Told me whatever mess my dad got into was his to clean up. She was soangry.”

He splayed his hand out on the back of my head and pressed me more firmly to his chest. I burrowed in closer, clung to his shoulders, and completelylostit.

Both of my parents had sounded scared out of their minds, which didn’t bode well.

“I’ll fix this,” he murmured, his lips pressing against my temple.

It sounded like a promise and a vow, comforting me while I sobbed in his arms.

14

Addi

Imay has well have been turned into a wooden doll for as much as I remembered of the rest of the afternoon. After I finally calmed down in Shawn’s office, he took me back to his truck, and we drove to his townhome. The house was much nicer than my apartment, looking much more lived in even though he’d told me it was a rental and barely anything inside was his. I wasn’t sure I even responded, though I remembered thinking if he had to stay with me at all times, he was probably right and his place was better. It was definitely larger and gave us both more space. I’d stopped myself from saying it. All I wanted to do was get back to my apartment, climb into a bed I was comfortable in, pull the covers over my head, and pretend none of this had happened.

I couldn’t erase the vitriol both my parents had spewed at me. I couldn’t stop replaying my mom’s words, her angry voice like shehatedme.

She’d encouraged me to go.

I hadn’t imagined the day I told her what Daniel had done to me and the fierce expression that had taken over her face.Thatwas who my mom was—kind but a protector. She wasn’t meek.

She wasn’t the scared, angry woman who’d spoken to me today. That alone set off enough warning bells that were still ringing in my head an hour later as we were back in Shawn’s truck, headed for my place.

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