He shrugs and looks back down at his empty can. “Because it’s very far away from here.”
Pressure builds behind my eyes and my nose stings. If I could make one wish, it would be to take away all of Sam’s bad memories.
I reach over and put my hand on top of his, squeezing his fingers. “I won’t let them hurt you again. I swear, Sam.”
I just hope and pray I can keep that promise.
His head tilts to the side, and he regards me with a curious expression. “How are you getting money, Jersey? Are you stealing it from people?”
My smile is sad. “I’m not stealing from people. Don’t worry about how I’m getting it. You only need to worry about getting better. Leave the rest to me.”
It’s a non-answer, but there’s no way I can tell him the truth. What I’m doing to get the money to get us out of here makes my own stomach queasy. The answer is too much for Sam’s young ears. He’s been through enough.
My thoughts move to tomorrow night, and what I have to do. It’s vile and repulsive, but I’d do it a hundred more times to ensure Sam’s safety.
Nothing means more than that.
Chapter 3
WESLEY
Hitting my knuckles on the passenger side window, I don’t wait for a response before I open the door and slide onto the seat. Taylor looks at me, her eyes wide in surprise, as I close us inside the car. I turn partially in my seat to face her. Out the corner of my eye, I notice several empty food wrappers and water bottles in the back seat. It looks like she’s been in this car for days.
“What are you doing here?” she asks. From the look on her face and the way she’s nibbling at her thumb nail, she already knows the answer.
Growing up with four younger sisters who were born only minutes apart was tough. It was made even more so because our mother was pretty much the only one who raised us. Our father was around at times, but when he was at home he spent most of his time screaming or using his fists against one of us kids or our mother. I was six and the girls were four when Mom got sick. Things were better with dad for about a year after that, then it went downhill again at a rapid pace. For years, my sisters and I dreaded when Dad would be home. Thankfully, it wasn’t too often since his job required him to travel a lot. Despite my wild behavior at times as a teen, I grew up fast because Mom, in her sickened state, needed help with the girls. I became more of a father figure to them than our dad ever was.
I blink and stare at my sister, bringing myself back to the present.
“Never mind why I’m here, Taylor. The question is: why are you?”
Despite the girls being identical quadruplets, they couldn’t be more different in personality if they weren’t related at all. They’ve also learned of ways to make their appearances stand out from the others. Taylor’s natural black hair has been dyed a sandy blond.
She looks out the windshield toward the front of Penelope’s office building before she swings her eyes back to me. “I just want to see him once.”
“Taylor.” I sigh her name, lifting my hand to rub my fingers across my forehead. “This obsessive behavior has got to stop.” I look back at her. “Do you want to be charged with stalking? Because honestly, that is where you’re headed.”
Her bottom lip sticks out into a pout, making her look ten years younger than she is. “I’m not that bad.”
A snort leaves my lips. “Yeah, Taylor, you are. Tell me, if some guy were doing what you were doing right now, along with all the other stuff you’ve done, would you think it was creepy?”
Her eyes slide away from mine to stare out the windshield again. “Maybe,” she admits reluctantly.
I grab her hand sitting on the middle console and press it between both of mine. I squeeze it until she looks at me.
“There’s nothing wrong with being fascinated with someone, but you need to set limits. Sitting outside our sister’s place of employment day after day wouldn’t really be a problem, but we both know you wouldn’t just sit here if he showed up. You’d be out of the car and in his face as fast as you could get to him. That’s the line you need to draw and not cross it.”
She looks down at our hands and wiggles her fingers. I let it go and she brings her hand to the steering wheel to wrap both around it. Her shoulders slump with her deep exhale.
“Okay.”
“Go home, Taylor,” I tell her. “Or Penelope said she’s going to call the police and have you escorted away from the premises.”
Her head jerks around. “She would really do that? To her sister?”
“She’s already banned you from the building. What you’re doing out here is just as bad. Your obsessive behavior is affecting her work. She has every right to put a stop to it.”
Her nose wrinkles and she lets out an unladylike growl. “Fine. I’ll leave.”