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“Relax. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Seriously?” I asked, yanking him upstairs and down the hall into my room. “Don’t you dare pretend like nothing is happening. My mom is bad enough!”
My mother still hadn’t talked to me yet. I expected her to approach me after last night, but she acted like nothing had happened. She fed Leah and cleaned the house, ignoring me whenever I tried to engage her in conversation. I knew she was processing the bullshit of the last twenty-four hours but I needed her, and it felt like she checked out on me. In frustration I was no longer speaking to her at all. As a result, I was short on temper, and now Peter was gone and R.J. was hiding where he went and why.
My short fuse was shrinking.
“R.J., if you don’t tell me I’m going to grab mom’s keys and leave the house to find him. Alone.”
He smirked, “Try it, you won’t get past me, or Jake who is parked across the street in the slim chance you can actually get one by me. And Beckett’s on back up.”
Beckett, the sheriff’s son. One of the gang who was loyal even if he wasn’t always around.
In frustration I flopped back on my bed, shooting him another dirty look, “If you won’t tell me where he went then at least tell me who those guys were yesterday.”
R.J. shrugged and sat next to me, “Why do you think I know who they are?”
I shoved him back, leaning over and piercing him with my gaze, “You know about the Outlaws. Tell me.”
“Rae.”
“R.J.”
“Come on honey, don’t make this hard. Pete will be back soon. Ask him your questions, and I’m sure he’ll answer you.”
“Why won’t you answer me?” I asked, hurt that he always defaulted to Peter. Didn’t he ever have thoughts of his own?
“Rae, honey, I promised. He’s my brother. Besides, I would never keep something important from you or hurt you on purpose.”
“I know,” I admitted, lying next to him. “I just hate secrets.”
“Me too,” he whispered, reaching for my hand and squeezing tight. “Sometimes people have to keep secrets. It’s the only way to keep the ones you love safe.”
I frowned, “Is that why you won’t tell me?”
He sighed loudly, “Talk to Pete. Please.”
“Fine,” I huffed, agitated, “but –”
I was cut off when my mother yelled my name, her voice frantic, “Rae!”
Sprinting downstairs with R.J. hot on my heels, I skid to a halt in front of my mother and Leah. “Mom? What is it?” The urgency in her voice was frightening. “Are you alright?”
She trembled, one hand pushed a strand of dark blonde hair back from her pale face as her voice wavered, “there are motorcycles outside.”
At that moment I realized she was afraid and didn’t know how to handle what was happening. Perhaps I judged her too harshly earlier. Slipping an arm around her slender waist, I hugged her close.
R.J. pulled out his cell phone and I knew he was texting Peter.
“Mom, what are we going to do?” I glanced at Leah as she clapped at the TV and hugged her Belle doll to her chest. She was so little, so innocent.
“Rae, you’re going to take Leah and leave this house.”
I sank onto the couch next to her in disbelief, my arms dropping from around her, stunned, “For how long?”
“As long as it takes.”
I reached for her hand and held it, both scared and shocked she would ask us to leave her. Mom sank to the sofa next to me, squeezed my fingers as her eyes met mine, full of so many emotions I couldn’t pluck just one from her eyes, “I won’t let anything happen to Leah.”
