AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Who is Wyatt?" I don't know who this person is and don't fucking trust them.
"One of my partners," Tate murmurs, running his hand through Rylee's ratted hair. "I trust him with my life."
JJ grunts, still staring down at the cell phone. Rylee places a kiss on her brother's cheek and detangles herself from his arms. She glances at us before making her way to the front door, where she slips inside and closes it behind her.
Tate eyes us with worry, like we might freak out that he has multiple partners. "Bro, you're good. We already told you we are all together." He relaxes and leans against his nice ass car. "You got a woman?" I ask. Leo's elbow rams into my stomach. "OOF!" Wheezing, I double over, trying to suck air into my lungs. "Fuck, babe. Why?" I cry once I feel like I'm not dying.
With an eye roll, Leo huffs. "You can't ask someone that, Marc."
I purse my lips. Jude leans in and whispers in my ear. "Don't worry. We can punish him together later." Except it wasn't a whisper at all if Tate's choke and Leo's heated eyes are anything to go by.
"Uh, no. The four of us don't have a girl," Tate says awkwardly.
"Four of you, huh? Just like us. You don't have to worry about judgment here, man. As long as you're happy," Jude soothes, giving him a warm smile and sliding his hand into mine.
"Is Ry going to be okay?"
Sometimes I forget how young Tate is. He can hold his own and obviously has a family already. He's smart, controlled, and seems crazy put together for an eighteen-year-old. But when he's vulnerable like this, it's a swift elbow in the gut - I curse Leo again. The reminder of how much Tate has been through and how he lost his sister makes me want to wrap him in a hug while simultaneously begging him to teach me everything he knows.
"Um." I scratch my head. This is usually where the love interests ask the brother if their girl will be okay. "I don't know."
"I'm worried," JJ murmurs, eyes on the front door like he wants to bust it down. Leo and Jude nod and hum their agreement.
"I thought—" Tate cuts himself off before he finishes the statement.
I sigh, gripping Jude's hand a little harder. "I know what you thought. You thought we had some great insight into your sister."
A weight settles onto the back of my jeans, Leo's silent presence grounding me via my belt loop. JJ picks up where I left off. "Rylee is a closed book most of the time, Tate. Unless she's extra sleepy or has had a few drinks. We have tried for almost two months to get her to open up."
I slip my free hand behind me, above Leo's arm, hoping JJ will hold on to me. I ache at his dejected tone. Tingles shoot up my spine when his fingers trail up my palm, finally connecting the four of us.
Tate stares at the ground. "I wish I knew her now. I know we are working on our relationship, but she still hasn't told me what that monster really did to her. All she tells me about is her and Layla's adventures. Which, don't get me wrong, is great. But I want toknowher." We nod a mutual understanding.
"Tate." I wait for him to look up at my words. "She ran to you when she saw you. Even if she hasn't told you everything, which I promise is far more than she told us, your sister trusts you. She might have a lot still hiding underneath her hard exterior, but she still ran into your arms when she was vulnerable." I gulp, swallowing the envy I have for this boy.
We watch as he collects himself, standing a bit taller with a look of determination hardening his sharp features. The change reminds me a lot of Leo when he comes out of a low state too.
Before he can say anything, Gabby opens the front door and stands there with tears in her eyes. "Sunshine, what's wrong?" Jude steps forward and rushes to her. Every time Gabby cries is fucking awful.
Hustling up the driveway, we catch what she whimpers to her foster brother. "Um, well, Layla's taking a nap. Rylee is pulling out the boxes they used to move in with." Gabby's pink bun wobbles with her hiccup. "She said they need to leave. That he's coming. She's on the phone with a realtor in Maine."
My throat closes, and my eyes burn at Gabby's news. Jude lurches forward to cradle her to his chest while she whimpers about her best friend being scared and running. Her pain and fear leach any sense of serenity at having our copper-haired woman so close when we woke up this morning.
Leo latches onto my forearm, anxiety making his nails create crescent moons in my skin. I don't stop Jackson from shoving his way between the group and rushing through the door. I can't see how Tate is feeling; my eyes locked on Rylee as she paces through the main level with her phone clutched between her ear and herbruisedfucking shoulder. She hauls a flat box onto the counter and yanks packing tape out of a drawer.
She's really leaving. Just her and Layla. They are leaving us.
ChapterThirty-Three
RYLEE
"I'll call you back, Ms. Parker."
Grumbling, I end the call and let it clatter to the counter. I fumble with the large box until I finally manage to get the tape wrapped around it. My attempt at staying quiet is only going to work if I start packing up my room first. I don't want Layla waking up to the chaos that I have become.
That might not have been Mason last night, but Tate's phone was proof enough that he's on his way. Mason left California. It's time to go. I will not allow him to find my daughter.
My shoulder twinges as I haul the box down the hallway towards my bedroom. I toss it onto the floor and start with the things I need the least.
