Page 28 of Savage Truth

Fucker.I wanted to confront him, but I had to talk to Mom more, so I took the high road. When he opened his mouth to say something, I held up my hand, palm facing him, and snapped, “Save it.”

I rushed down the stairs in search of Mom. Thankfully, Cole didn’t follow. When I didn’t find her in the kitchen or the living room, I went to Lucas’s study. It wasn’t where I wanted to be, but something was up, and I wasn’t going to be left out.

The door was cracked, and I could hear them talking in hushed voices. With my knuckles, I lightly wrapped against the wood. “Mom?”

“Come in, Riley,” Lucas answered, and I frowned.

Why is she letting him talk for her?I pushed open the door but stayed where I was, taking in the scene. Lucas was standing at Mom’s side as they both looked at something on her phone.

“Riley.” Mom’s face was ashen, and she dropped the phone to her side. “Is everything all right?”

“Stop, Mom. What’s going on?” I didn’t like this version of her and missed the old one. I shot Lucas a dark look, not at all happy he’d stayed in the room with us. “The truth.” I glared at her fiancé for good measure. “And just the two of us for this discussion.”

“I’ll go talk to Cole.” He kissed Mom’s forehead and squeezed her arm before leaving us alone.

I stepped aside so he could pass, never taking my eyes off Mom. She held her phone out when he was gone so I could see the screen. I moved closer. I didn’t recognize the number, but the message said everything.

Tick-tock, Rachel. She’s almost 18.

My mouth went dry, and my body tensed. Rachel was her given name, not an alias. “We have to go. Now.” Urgency made me rush my words. “If he hasn’t found us, he will.”

“I know.” Mom closed her eyes for a moment. When she met my gaze again, determination and stubbornness blazed within. “We’re staying. This is it, Riles. Lucas will help us, and we’ll break free of him for good.”

“How?” Horror surged through me. “In a body bag?”

She lurched from the chair and rushed forward to grab my hands. “No. It won’t come to that. I promise.”

Bile climbed my throat, and I frantically swallowed. “You know better than to make those kinds of promises.” I dropped my voice to a whisper, not wanting to give the memory more power. “The last time he found you, we were almost too late. I relive those hours in my nightmares more than I care to admit. I don’t want him to take you from me for good. Please, let’s leave. Now. Or at least tonight.”

“This is our best option. I’ll reach out to Ronan and let him know what’s happening, that your father is close.” She cupped the side of my face, her features softening. “I want so much more for you, Riley. And Lucas is powerful. He’ll help us take Nick down.”

“No. Lucas can’t save us from him. Mom, whatever hold Lucas has on you, please listen to reason before Dad does something we can’t undo.”

“Nothing bad will happen. Not this time.” She squared her shoulders.

I didn’t miss the slight tremble in her hands, though. I backed up, severing the connection. We’d done some risky things over the years, but staying here was the worst.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

COLE

Something strange was going on in the house. Everyone was on edge. Dad and the woman who might as well have killed my mother insisted that the alarm stayed on even when everyone was home. No one was saying why.

Edgier than usual, Riley swam laps in the pool. I wasn’t the only one with energy to burn without practice after school.

The suspension meant no football. I wanted to hit Jarrett again. I needed to hit something—someone—and we didn’t have any underground fights until this weekend.

Furious, I spent that night reviewing film of the team we would play on Friday. Coach had talked to Principal Morris, and as long as I went to practice on Thursday, I could play. I would be back by then, so there wasn’t a problem.

It was the first day of our three-day suspension, and I’d already worked out and gone for a run. Homework took another hour. I thumped my head against the back of the couch. Damon, Phoenix, and Shane wouldn’t be home for a few hours. The problem wasn’t being bored out of my mind—I was—but more about keeping my hands off Riley. The way she’d felt in my arms, how she’d clung to me, and asked that I stay throughout the rest of the night when she’d had that nightmare played on repeat. I kept seeing that storm in the middle of the night when my dad and her mom were staying in the city. Things were crazy between us. It hadn’t been long since I’d erased the video she’d recorded of my underground fight but before I’d caught her meeting with the man she claimed was her uncle. That night, we’d called a truce.

But Riley and I were still at war. As confusing as our nights and days were, I couldn’t let them stay. Dad was way too comfortable with them becoming a part of our family. After a short lecture to both of us about keeping the alarm on at all times, he and Raelyn left for an early client dinner.

I felt like a caged animal. We were alone in the house. I wanted her and hated myself for it. When the doorbell rang close to the time school ended, a wave of relief crashed over me. I needed a distraction.

At the front door, I paused when I heard a splash. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her doing laps in the pool. A laptop was on the patio table, and the sliders were wide open. Guess I wasn’t the only one not adhering to the alarm mandate. Or maybe she thought since the yard was gated, it was the same thing.

I yanked open the door to find Eliana standing with her hand poised to knock again. I skimmed her short skirt and form-fitting T-shirt and opened the door wider.

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