Griffin stepped forward. “Which one is yours, sweetheart?”
Almost in a daze, because I couldn’t believe it was happening, I showed them my tiny bedroom in the back of the trailer. Tanner closed the door, setting me down, so I sat on the bed, and abruptly, the music that had been blaring ceased.
“Do you have a bag?” Griffin cupped my cheek.
“Um.” I rubbed my eyes. “Yes, something…an old backpack. In the closet.”
“Great.” He walked from me, grabbed the bag, and made his way over to my dresser. I should have been embarrassed. Griffin was going through my drawers, but my heart beat too fast in my ears for me to think of much else besides the fact that my mother was going to give me to that man.
I leaned over, putting my head on my knees, and tried to breathe. The bed dipped as Tanner sat next to me. “Do you ever wonder…like really wonder…what the fuck is the matter with the people we know?”
Lifting my head, I gave him a wobbly grin. “Like every day.”
“Me too.” He rubbed my back, an easy circular motion. “I’m just glad we decided to be nosy right when we did.”
What would have happened if they hadn’t? I caught my breath. Maybe it would have been the night my luck ran out. My chest tightened.Shit.I covered my eyes with my hands. Something had to help this moment, something.
Tanner drew my head to his shoulder. “You’re okay. You are.”
“I think I’ve got enough stuff for you to be good for three days.” Griffin knelt in front of me. “Let’s get out of here.”
I hadn’t really agreed to leave, but I was certainly not going to argue. I didn’t even know where they were taking me, but I’d throw myself into this, because it couldn’t be worse than what was going to happen if I stayed.
All three grownups stood by the couch, watching us with wide eyes. My mother’s hands shook, and casually, like he’d done nothing at all, Rowan waited by the door. “Good. Come on. I don’t expect to have any more trouble from any of you. That’s the deal. Anything else happens that I don’t like, and you won’t get the same deal.”
My mother and her horrible friends nodded fast. I could just leave. Get out, go.
But I stopped and stared at her. “How could you do that? How?”
She didn’t have an answer, and neither did I.
* * *
The colder airhitting me finally jarred me out of my stunned stupor. “She was going togiveme to him.”
We walked toward the car but stopped as Griffin’s arms came around me. “You got away. It’s okay.”
I shuddered in his embrace. Who were these guys who kept offering up so much affection when I’d done nothing to deserve it? “I’m not usually a hugger.”
“Neither are we,” he whispered in my ear. “Maybe you have some sort of theory as to why you bring this out in us?”
I really didn’t, but I was piled back into Rowan’s car before I even thought to ask them the obvious question. “Where are we going?”
“Caesar’s. His father is away for another few weeks, most likely. Tanner, could you—?”
“Already on it, text has been sent,” he interrupted Rowan. “Good idea. You may solve two problems at once.”
“That’s what I thought too. Really, he’ll like having you, Maci. Caesar can never sleep, and he ends up wandering the halls, overthinking things. I’ll feel better having you there. Is that okay? I realize I’m sort of ordering you around. That’s what I do. People listen to me. It’s just how it’s always been. I problem solve…”
I touched his arm to stop his justifications. “I’m grateful, if Caesar doesn’t mind.”
“He doesn’t,” Tanner supplied. “He’s glad you’re coming.”
“Here.” Griffin reached toward me. “Give me your phone. I’m going to put all of us into it so you can reach us at any time.”
Tanner touched my shoulder. “I’m texting Ace. He needs to know what went on too.”
Rowan nodded. “Good call.” We were all quiet for a long minute until Rowan spoke again. “Did you see how they reacted to me? That wouldn’t have happened a year ago. Every month, it changes. And those are people who don’t really know what’s going on. Sorry, Maci. That was rude.”