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He squeezed mine and took my bag from my hand, carrying it as we left the studio.
“Saxon.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
He tugged me closer to his side. “You’re welcome.”
This was too much. There were three presents for each of my siblings and even a gift for my mom. A tree with lights and decorations, four boxes of treats from a bakery in town, and a stocking for each of them, full of candy and gift cards for ice cream, Starbucks, and fast-food restaurants. I had tried fighting Saxon when he kept buying things, but eventually, I’d given up.
Seeing their faces when we walked in with our hands full of wrapped gifts was worth it. I would pay him back somehow. If it took the rest of my life. DJ, Vulcan, and Vinn went back to the truck with him to get the six-foot cypress and bags of ornaments. Jamaica helped me bring in the cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and an assortment of holiday treats.
Decorating the tree with them was a first for us. It would have been perfect, but Silver wasn’t here. Mom always worked nights because it paid more per hour. I left her gift under the tree. Convincing the others that they could only open one and to save two for Christmas morning wasn’t easy. Especially for Thorn. I knew their dad normally gave them something, but it was typically the day after Christmas, and it was rarely wrapped. Last year, he had bought them all T-shirts from Vegas, and they’d been delivered in the plastic bag the store had given him.
“Can we open Silver’s since she isn’t here?” Thorn asked as he looked up from the Nintendo Switch Saxon had been determined to buy each of the boys.
“Of course not,” I told him.
He groaned, then jumped up to go grab another cupcake. They were all going to be on a sugar high, and Jamaica was going to be left with them. My eyes went to Saxon sitting with Vulcan, showing him how to do something on the game he was playing.
If I hadn’t already been in love with him, I would be after tonight. This was the only Christmas present I ever needed. Well, it would be better if Silver would get home. I’d called her twice and texted her several times. She’d said she was coming, but so far, nothing.
I was trying not to worry too much and put a damper on their fun. Jamaica sat, curled up on the worn once-gold sofa that was more of a pale yellow now, watching the boys while eating a cookie. She seemed to be happy. I was thankful for that. It was clear she had a lot on her with me gone and Silver rebelling.
Saxon’s eyes lifted and locked with mine. He studied me for a moment, then stood to come over to me. “Let me see your phone,” he said.
I pulled it from my pocket and handed it to him. I watched as he opened it with my passcode, which was the baby’s due date. Then, he pressed something and zoomed in.
“She’s almost here,” he told me with a frown. “Look.” He stepped up beside me and showed me a screen on my phone. It said Silver’s name and showed a car moving at eighty-seven miles an hour about two miles from the trailer park.
“Who is driving her?” I asked, looking up at Jamaica.
She seemed tense. “Probably Hike. The guy I told you about.”
“The one in a gang?” I asked, looking back at my phone to see he was still driving entirely too fast for back roads.
“Yeah,” she replied softly.
“What gang?” Saxon’s voice took on a hard edge.
“Red Kings,” DJ answered, looking angry about it. “She’s being so damn stupid. I swear she’s trying to get killed.”
Saxon turned back to me and looked at the app one more time. “This is Life360. You can track her or Jamaica at all times. As long as they have their phones.” He glanced over at DJ. “You keep everyone in the house. I’m going to go meet Silver and her boyfriend.”
I grabbed his arm. “No, don’t. Just let it go. He’s probably just a punk kid.”
“He isn’t. He’s twenty,” DJ informed me.
“Twenty!”
Silver was only fifteen. How the heck had she met a twenty-year-old? What was she thinking?
I heard the music before the headlights came into view.
Saxon squeezed my arm. “Stay inside.” Then, he was gone before I could do anything to stop him.
“He’s gonna get shot!” DJ warned me.
I twisted my hands nervously.
“Saxon is a part of the Mafia,” Jamaica replied. “I’m guessing he’s armed.”
“He doesn’t look threatening.” DJ didn’t look convinced. “Who told you that?”
I was wondering how she knew that too. I hadn’t told her.
“People talk,” she said softly.
I walked over to the window, my heart racing as I watched Silver get out of the car. She stumbled, grabbing on to the door.
