Reign (The Sainthood - Boys of Lowell High #3)(14)

“Don’t torture me like that,” he whispers back as I watch Mom quizzing Galen out of the corner of my eye.

“Why don’t we sit in the living room and talk?” Mom suggests, circling her arm around Galen and herding him forward.

“She did come here for a reason,” I murmur. Caz keeps a firm hold of my hand, leading me over to the couch.

I sit beside Caz and Saint while Mom sits on the other couch with Galen and Theo takes the chair. “Why are you really here?” I inquire, watching her knotting her hands in her lap and chewing on her lip with growing trepidation. “And how did you know about this place?”

“Don’t be mad,” she says, “but I followed you here one time.” I grind down on my teeth in frustration, and a muscle ticks in my jaw.

I’m calling bullshit on that.

There is no way she tailed us here without us knowing. The guys are way too smart for that, and I’ve never come here alone. She didn’t put a tracker on us either, because we’ve been checking daily.

Why the fuck does she keep on lying? I could call her out, but she’ll just deny it, so what’s the point in even going there. I don’t believe a word that comes out of her mouth anymore.

“I knew the guys must have another place as they didn’t always stay at the house,” she continues, pretending she doesn’t feel the wave of hostility emanating her way. “I wanted to ensure you were safe and resting up.”

“Did you tell him?” Saint asks.

She shakes her head. “I didn’t see the need to.”

Well, that’s reassuring. Not.

“I’d prefer it’s kept that way,” Saint says, placing a warning hand on my knee. He can tell I’m seconds from implosion.

“I’m betting Neo already knows,” Mom replies. “There isn’t much that gets past him.”

Which is pretty much the conclusion we’ve already drawn. But I’m sure she didn’t come here to talk about the barn. “What is it, Mom? Just tell us.”

“I know what he expects of you, Harlow.” Her pained eyes meet mine, and I can’t work out if she means his plans to gang-rape me with his buddies and call it initiation or that he wants me to assassinate the commissioner.

“Which is?” I prompt.

She twists her hands in her lap. “I know he wants to fuck you. He taunted me with it last night.” She raises a shaky hand, pulling it through her hair, and her long-sleeved blouse moves down her arm a little, revealing heavy bruising around her wrists.

Acid crawls up my throat. “He hurt you again.” I glare at Saint. So much for his spy. This is what I was afraid of.

Her cheeks flush red, and she waves her hands about. “It’s nothing, Lo.”

“Just more rough sex, huh?” I bite out, because I’m getting sick of her dismissing his treatment of her. Fuck. I can’t deal with this today. My emotions are veering all over the place, and I can’t handle it.

“Harlow.” Her tone brooks no argument.

“Say what you came to say, Mother,” I snap. “You’re pissing me off now.”

“I’d like you to get out of town for a while. Just until he calms down and I can find a way to keep him away from you.”

Saint and Galen lock eyes, and my curious gaze bounces between them.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Galen says. “We have a way to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

“You do?” I blurt, because this is news to me. From the expression on Caz’s and Theo’s faces, it’s the first they’re hearing of this too.

“We’ll discuss it later,” Saint says in that commanding tone he likes to use.

Mom’s shoulders visibly relax. “I knew I could trust you boys to take care of my daughter.”

“Lo doesn’t need us to take care of her,” Theo says. “She’s very capable without our interference.”

“That I know as well.” Mom’s smile is tinged with sadness. “Lo’s had to grow up way too fast.”

“Why are you with him, Mom? Please tell me.” I’ve asked her before, and she usually deflects.

She tilts her chin up, and all hint of sadness disappears, replaced with a steadfast confidence Mom used to always convey. “Don’t go there again, Harlow. As much as I want to give you answers, I can’t. Just trust that I know what I’m doing, and don’t worry about me. Focus on looking after yourself.”

That is the closest she has come to telling me she’s working some angle. The conversation I had with Saint and Theo in my closet returns to the forefront of my mind, and I drop the subject even though I’m tempted to push her buttons to try to get her to open up. The guys are right. If Mom has an agenda, she’s keeping me out of it for a reason. I’ve got to let it go and concentrate on dealing with my own shit.

“Okay, Mom. I won’t ask you again.” My tone is devoid of emotion because I’m so done with this.

Her shoulders relax again. “I’d still like you to get out of town. Neo is unpredictable right now, and I want you out of his crosshairs. He’s furious someone tried to take you all out, and he’s seething that The Arrows ambushed his delivery. Who knows what he’ll do when he’s like this. I’ve never seen him so angry. It would give me peace of mind to know he can’t vent that anger in your direction. Staying here is too risky, but he doesn’t know about your father’s cabin. Go there for a few days.”