I’ve been checking on him weekly since school started. It’s the best thing I can do since I can’t physically be there to protect him. I learn about his life, ask questions, and try to feel out the situation. It breaks my heart every time I take him to The Burger Shack and see him inhaling his food as if he hadn’t ever had a burger before.
Child Protective Services has been called on my grandparents twice, and both times, they managed to present themselves as fucking loving grandparents, so I’m not even going to go that route. Plus, I know that if he were to be removed, it would make it that much harder for me to see him and possibly be able to win custody in the long run.
“Hey, did you ever talk to your dad about a lawyer who could help me?” I cringe, asking for the favor.
I’m not usually one who wants help, but in this instance, I’m going to use every resource I can get my hands on. And that includes these rich fuckers.
“I haven’t been able to get in contact with the lawyer yet. I’m sure he doesn’t think I am as high profile a client as my dad. But I do have something in the works,” Brock says, glancing in my direction in the rearview mirror.
I pull my legs down, shifting until my arms are bracing me in between the two front seats. “What’s going on?”
Brock glances at Bodhi, who gives a subtle shake of his head, and I frown.
“What the fuck? What aren’t you telling me?”
“I can’t tell you until I hear back from someone.”
I prod and poke, but he won’t give anything up. With a hard hit to the back of his chair, I sit back. For not wanting others to keep secrets, he sure has a lot of his own.
After waiting for only thirty minutes, I sit up straighter when I see Landry exiting the restaurant. Her face is red, and she’s clutching a to-go box in her hand so tight that the Styrofoam is dented in on the top. She doesn’t act like she notices. Without thinking about it, I roll the window down and hang my torso out.
“Look who we have here,” I say, feeling that ping of excitement when her blue eyes meet mine. She doesn’t look very surprised, but I can tell something has shaken her up. “Need a ride back to school?”
“Not from you pricks,” she says, squaring her shoulders and turning to walk down the sidewalk.
Brock quickly backs up, cutting off a car behind us, who honks loudly, but he flips them off and continues crawling down the main road at a snail’s pace, keeping in line with Landry.
“Get in the car, Landry,” Bodhi says, his window rolled down now that she’s on his side of the car.
“Fuck. Off.” She doesn’t even look at us.
“It wasn’t a question,” he says, arm up casually, sunglasses hiding eyes that are most likely flashing with amusement. Bodhi loves a good chase.
“I don’t care,” she replies.
I think part of her is having fun with this since she’s still answering us. I swing the door open and jump out as the car is still moving. I hear muttered curses behind me as I stalk toward Landry. I sweep her into my arms, like I’m carrying a bride, and stride back to the vehicle. The whole thing is done in less than a minute.
“Scoot,” I say, climbing in behind her after gently setting her in the SUV.
“Still kidnapping people, I see.” Her tone is dry as she eyes us. “I guess I’m glad you didn’t wake me up for it this time.”
She rolls her eyes and moves as far over as she can get from me. I scoot closer, letting my thigh touch hers, and this time, she doesn’t move hers away.
Victory, I think as I suppress the urge to smile. I don’t want to piss her off too much.
“Where are we going?” she asks, staring out the window.
I watch her profile, the slight tilt of her nose, the way she sucks her bottom lip in and nibbles on it. She’s probably unaware she does it, but it gets my dick hard every time. I shift a little in my seat, throwing my arm on the rest behind me. She cuts her eyes to me for a second before pretending she isn’t aware that my fingers are touching her hair.
“We want to show you something,” Brock says, and my eyes widen.
This is big. He’s going off script. We didn’t discuss bringing her into it, but maybe he thinks more drastic measures are needed.
“I don’t know that I can take in anything else today,” she says, staring down at her mangled to-go box.
“What do you mean?” I twist a lock of her hair around my index finger, wanting to pull it to my nose and inhale her fresh scent. The scent that has haunted me since our last intimate encounter. It seems like it’s been so much longer than it has. There have been moments that I’ve wanted to text her, and then I was thankful that I didn’t have her number, until I took her phone, because it put a stop to my idiocy. I was right to pull away. I need to stop being so wishy-washy.
I continue to twirl the strand, even as I think those thoughts. Her head leans back toward my hand, almost subconsciously, and I brush her scalp, watching the goose bumps that erupt along her arms with rapt interest.
“Uh, just family drama,” she says.
“So is ours.” Bodhi grins and turns around to look at us. His eyes land on my hand wrapped up in her brown locks, and he gives me a wink.
We pull up to our dorm and park. Hopping out, I grab Landry’s hand, letting her know to come with us as we make our way up to our room at the end of the hall. She steps inside, taking in the three beds, desks, and odds and ends that belong to each of us.
Bodhi walks to the window, unhooking it and pushing it open. He props himself up on the windowsill, grabbing a carton of cigarettes off the nearest desk and pulling his lighter from his pocket.
“Have a seat,” I say, extending my hand toward my bed, and Landry turns toward me, worrying that damn lower lip again.
I lean against the wall next to the window and watch Landry stare me down. Landry’s eyes are focused on my lips, and it’s almost like the other two aren’t in the room, as hyperaware as we are of each other. Everything else has faded away.
“Damn, you can cut the tension with a knife,” Bodhi mutters, arm propped on his raised knee, cigarette between two fingers.
She’s still standing in the middle of the room when Brock finally pulls out a chair, flipping it around and gesturing for her to take a seat. She sets her box on the desk and sits, sighing as we all look at her.
“Out with it. What did you bring me here for?” She clasps her hands together in her lap, meeting each of our gazes with her chin up, eyes flashing. A far cry from the flustered girl who emerged from the restaurant earlier.
I’m praying like crazy that she isn’t involved in anything. I don’t know that I could take it if she was.
“I hear you want to pursue art in college,” Brock says, taking a seat on his bed.
Landry’s eyes snap to mine, and I give a subtle shake of my head. I didn’t tell the guys everything about her, only what was needed.
“How do you know that?”
“That’s not important. What is important is how I can help you.”
Landry narrows her eyes as she stares at him. “What are you wanting in return?”
“Smart girl. You know nothing is free in life.” Brock leans over and grabs his laptop, typing in something before looking up. “My dad has an art friend in Chicago,” he says, and I see Landry gasp.