Unchained (Hogan Brothers 3)

The girl still startled as she tried to move too quickly and cover up.

“Shit.” Loch gripped the girl’s hip to keep her from moving. “Just my mom, Sage. Stay still.” The care and concern in her son’s voice made Lorraine incredibly proud.

Loch had been so absorbed in the blue hues of Sage’s gaze that he hadn’t heard his mother enter the room. When she startled the girl in his arms, he’d been furious, at first. Until he saw the caring look in her eyes.

“Ma”—he waved her over—“this is Sage. Sage, this is my mother, Lorraine.” He smiled at the two women.

“It’s a pleasure to you meet you, Sage.” Lorraine beamed at the younger woman, placing a supportive hand on her arm.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this.” Sage ducked her head, embarrassment tinging her cheeks.

“Hey, now”—Loch forced her chin up with a finger—“nothing for you to be ashamed of.”

“No, dear. Please don’t be shy with me.” He knew his mother would be the perfect woman to help Sage out of her shell.

“I’d like to sit up, please.” Sage’s quiet request was only loud enough for him to hear.

Untangling their arms, Loch got up, pulling the sheet off her body so she could move freely. Her wincing as she turned to her side made him want to hunt her father down and beat him to a pulp.

Her hands hung onto his forearm tightly, so he was able to use the other hand to keep her steady at the shoulder. Once settled upright, he could tell, immediately, that she’d become dizzy and he moved forward, letting her rest her head against his chest. One of his hands cradled her head to him while the other remained on her shoulder. Sage released a satisfied sigh. Whether from his touch or moving, Loch didn’t know and didn’t care. She was in his arms, content and safe. Nothing else mattered right then.

“When’s the last time

you ate?” his mother asked Sage.

He brought her juice and a muffin but had forgotten about it when he’d seen the state she was in. To his knowledge, nothing else had been brought in before then.

“Oh?” She sounded surprised by the thought of food. “Wednesday, I suppose. I had breakfast, but then things happened, and I just wasn’t up to it.”

“That was five days ago.” His horrified words couldn’t be masked.

Meeting his mother’s stare, he saw the same shock and overwhelming sadness reflected back at him. Tears hinged on the edge of her eyelids. Lochlan knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he couldn’t let her go back home.

“Why don’t you lay down and rest some more, Sage? I’m going to go home and make you some hearty soup and perhaps some cinnamon rolls for when you can handle something a bit heavier.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hogan.” Sage’s voice sounded just as tired as she looked.

“Please, call me Lorraine. Lochlan, help her settle then meet me outside for a quick second.”

“Sure, Ma.”

As soon as she was gone, Sage held his hand tightly. “She seems wonderful.”

“She’s the best.” He couldn’t disagree with her. For as long as Loch could remember, his mom had been the rock in their family. Nothing shook her for long.

“She really makes soup?”

He laughed at her question. “She does.”

“My mother can’t cook worth dirt. We’ve always been forced to eat it, though.”

“Cross my heart, Ma is the best.”

“Okay.” She was tired. The word barely made it out before her eyes were closed and she was sleeping.

Not wanting to be away from his angel any longer than necessary, he hurried out the door to see his mother waiting by the nurses’ station. “Oh, Lochlan, what happened to that poor girl?” She had tissues in her hands to stem her tears.

“You know that compound out by Adna?” She nodded. “That’s where she’s from. Her father is the bishop and runs the place with an iron fist.”