Page 32 of Derecho

“It’s not like you could have tossed me over your shoulder and made a run for it,” I said.

Lachlan’s face fell, and I realized he thought I meant because of his leg.

“No. Not because of that.” I paused, waiting for him to look at me again. “Because of…this.” I pointed to my belly. “And this,” I added, tapping against my head. “I couldn’t admit that I needed help. All the red flags that were burning around me, and I was too embarrassed to ask for help.” I turned to face my sister. “I’m so sorry.”

“I should have known…” She sniffled as she scooped her daughter off the floor, wiping at her face while Juniper patted her chest. “I’m running an organization to help women who are in domestic violence situations. I didn’t want to pry, and he could have killed you.” Her free hand slipped back to my belly. “I could have lost you both.”

“But I made it here. I’m safe.”

“Damn straight you are,” Lachlan growled. “And we’re all going to make sure you stay that way.”

Lachlan

Lainey had gone back upstairs while Beau dropped Juniper and Birdie back off at home. He’d picked up Hayes almost an hour ago, and I knew they were going to make sure we got all of Lainey’s things here.

She didn’t have anything for the baby. That prick hadn’t let her have one single moment of joy, or happiness, or excitement in her pregnancy. He hadn’t let her feel settled. He hadn’t let her get ready for the biggest fucking change in her life. Sure, I wasn’t a parent, but watching my sister become a mom, and Colt and Beau experience fatherhood, I had a pretty good idea about what was heading for Lainey.

The image of her trying to run to me last night flashed in my mind. Barefoot, soaking wet, scared out of her mind. She came to me.

A flash of color out my front window had me turning, relief washing over me as Beau’s truck pulled into my driveway. I made my way out onto the porch, then kept going. It was still an odd feeling to not be chained to my house any longer.

“That motherfucker,” Hayes growled as he jumped down from the passenger seat.

“What?” I asked. “What happened? Was he there? Did he say something?”

“He wasn’t there,” Beau answered, heading to drop the tailgate.

“Why are you so pissed off then?”

“Because he threw all of her things outside. In the storm. All her clothes are covered in mud. Some blankets. All of her business paperwork is ruined.” Hayes’s jaw twitched.

“Her phone’s cooked, too. We stopped at the store and added a line for her on the family plan. But we need to figure out what of this stuff she wants to try and save, and what might be better off being replaced.”

My heart sank as Beau lowered the tailgate and I looked at all of Lainey’s things stacked all over the place. They were right, so much of it was covered in caked-on dirt. It wasn’t like he’d just tossed it out into the yard, but like he’d dug up dirt to cover everything, too.

“Hey, guys.” Lainey’s voice had me turning back to the house. “Thanks for picking my things up. Was it awful?”

No one answered her. What the fuck were any of us supposed to say?

“It was, wasn’t it? Was he there? Whatever he said about me isn’t true, I swear.”

“He wasn’t there,” Beau finally said.

“So you didn’t get my things?” she asked, stepping down off the porch and walking over to us. As soon as she was close enough to see into the bed of the truck, Lainey gasped.

And my brothers and I just stood there like idiots.

“Oh.” She reached in, pulling out a newborn pajama zip-up with little tacos on it. “These are ruined.”

“No,” I said, placing my hand on her back. “We’ll wash it all. It’ll come clean.”

Lainey turned to Beau, like what I’d just said hadn’t even registered. “I’m sorry this was a waste of time.”

“It wasn’t. Like Lach said, this stuff can be washed. There was some paperwork that we couldn’t really save, and your phone isn’t working, either.”

“Okay.”

“Beau got you a line on our plan, though,” I said, glaring at my fucking idiot of a brother who seemed only hell bent on telling her bad news. “And a new phone.”