Page 22

“Take whatever you want, Guard. My home is yours,” she said, a small smile on her face. But her eyes were still scanning the floor, taking in her personal items strewn about.

“Give me a minute to check in with the guys, Mom. Then I’ll come help you clean in here. We’ll get dinner sorted after that,” I told her, pressing a kiss to her check. She looked at me, clarity and embarrassment shining through her gaze. Mom nodded, rolling her lips in like she did when she was upset and trying not to cry.

Following Guard, we headed downstairs, where the guys had already gotten a chunk of the cleaning done.

“She okay?” Bull asked. I shrugged.

“Confused, but she’s not hurt.” I took my phone out. Still no answer from Lilah. Without thinking about it, I dialed her number, pressing the phone to my ear. I didn’t miss the look Bash shot Bull, but I ignored it. Once again, Lilah’s phone rang and rang before going to voicemail.

“Eliot?” Mom’s voice echoed from upstairs.

“Fuck.” I sighed before looking at Bull.

“Lilah isn’t answering me. Can you check on her? I don’t want to leave Ma, but—” I started, but he cut me off.

“Of course. Which house number?” he asked as Guard looked between us.

“You got a girl? And you’re gonna send this scary motherfucker to make sure she’s okay?” he asked, his thumb pointing toward Bull, who frowned at the response.

“I’m worried. She’s alone…” I trailed off as Mom called my name again.

“Bash and I will go with Bull, make sure your girl is okay and not freaked out. We’ll leave Match here to help with the cleanup.” Guard issued the orders, and everyone nodded in agreement. I didn’t care who went. I just needed to know she was okay.

“Alright. Just…be nice. Call me if anything looks suspicious. She’s number 62. The white house with grey shutters. Her name is Lilah,” I told them. Bash nodded before gripping my shoulder.

“We got this. Go check on your mom. We’ll call you in a few,” he assured me. I nodded, forcing myself to leave the kitchen and head back upstairs. Mom had all her drawers pulled out as she tried to put things away neatly.

“Oh, Eliot. I just feel so embarrassed. That you all had to come out here and see me like this!” Tears welled in her eyes, and I pulled her into a hug.

“Don’t ever feel ashamed or embarrassed. Beaten but not broken, remember? Let’s get most of this put away. It’s late, and you should get some rest soon. It’s been an exciting day,” I told her before we went about picking things up. I wasn’t sure how much time passed, but there was still no word from Lilah or the guys. I was folding and refolding the same towel when Mom broke the silence.

“Oh, I meant to give this book to Lilah. I pulled it out so I wouldn’t forget.” At her name, my head whipped around. Mom looked back at me, alarmed.

“Is she okay? Have you spoken to her?” She looked out the window, craning her neck to try and see through the dense rain.

“I sent the guys to go check on her,” I told her honestly.

“Eliot.” Mom froze. Walking over to me, she grabbed my hand.

“You need to go. Go to Lilah. The storm…This could be hard on her.”

“I’m sure Bull and Guard can handle it—”

Mom cut me off, shaking her head. “No. They can’t. She needs someone she trusts. She needs you.” I didn’t know how to respond to that. Not to mention the fact that the need to see Lilah and make sure she was okay was about to swallow me whole.

“Match is downstairs. If you need anything, you ask him. I’ll come back as soon as I make sure she’s okay,” I told her, even as I was already heading out of the room.

“Just go. I’ll be fine with Match. Make sure she’s okay. Please, Eliot,” she said, her expression worried. I nodded before rushing down the stairs. Match was wiping down the last of the kitchen mess when I burst through.

“Don’t go anywhere. Keep an eye on Mom. I’ll be back,” I told him. Thankfully, he didn’t argue, just tossing me the keys to his truck. At a jog, I made my way out of the house and into the truck. The drive was under three minutes, but it felt longer than anything else I had experienced. When I pulled into her driveway, all the lights were out, but I could see what looked like flashlights near the kitchen.

I hurried into the house, following the sound of my brothers’ voices. The scene I walked in on was one out of a nightmare. Lilah was curled up in a ball, hyperventilating as tears streamed down her face, surrounded by Guard, Bash, and Bull. Guard was doing his best to calm her down, but it wasn’t working.

I didn’t know what to say or do. My mind was having a hard time processing the scene in front of me. An odd croak escaped my throat, and all eyes swung to me, but their gazes only held more questions than answers. What happened to my girl?

Chapter 13

Lilah