The Ruckus

“Please don’t kill him,” I called out as Uncle Jeff started to drive away on the ATV. “It won’t be worth it!”

He hadn’t given any indication that he’d heard me, and I didn’t have the strength to chase him.

“Come on,” Micah said, ushering Axel and me back to the truck. “Let’s get back to your mom’s house, as he said. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you.”

I nodded as they helped me into the cab of the truck, even though I suspected he was wrong.

Had she been worried about me? Yeah, probably. But being worried about someone and being happy to see them were two very different things.

And I couldn’t help but notice the knowing looks my guys exchanged at the mention of my mom. My family had been at odds with Axel’s for so long that I was more than a little worried about how my mom might treat him when we showed up at her door.

It was something we’d have to deal with together, though, since her house was the closest, safest place for us. If my mom had a problem with the guys who had risked their lives to save mine, well... that would have to be her problem. Not ours.

Chapter Fifteen

Jasmine Bailey

My mom was waiting on the front porch for us when we pulled up in front of her house. I’d been trying to prepare for the side-eye and the cold shoulder—or maybe even outright hostility—that we were sure to encounter once she’d set eyes on Axel, but I hadn’t been prepared at all for her to smile and hug me as soon as we’d stepped out of the truck.

A wave of emotions hit me as I stood there in the light rain, clinging to my mom’s arms.

“I was so worried about you, sweetie,” she said, her voice trembling. “When Jeff told me you'd been taken like that, I... I didn’t know what to do. But I know you’re a survivor.”

“Just like you raised me to be.” I smiled before taking a deep breath. “Mom, I need to introduce you to Axel and Micah. They saved my life.”

Axel cleared his throat. “You saved yourself. We just followed your uncle until we ran into you.”

He was being modest. Yeah, I’d managed to get away from Randy on my own, but there was no doubt in my mind that he would have found me again, and pretty soon, if my guys hadn’t shown up when they did.

I braced myself for my mom’s reply as she turned to Axel and Micah, but instead of yelling or saying something rude, her expression softened a little.

“Thank you for helping my daughter,” she said. “No matter what, I’ll always be thankful for that.”

My guys were clearly as surprised as I’d been, and I sensed their moods shifting as she spoke. It was as if the tension that had been hanging in the air finally lifted enough for the four of us to breathe.

It was a nice feeling. Even nicer since it had been unexpected.

“I’m glad we were able to help,” Micah tossed me a quick wink. “Not that she needs much of our help, of course.”

“I raised her to be tough.” Mom nodded with a hint of a smile on her face. “I had to. Looks like it paid off.”

My cheeks started to heat up at all the attention. Not only that, but it seemed like Mom’s comment about needing to raise me tough might have been a dig at my guys.

Which would have been pretty accurate if I was being totally honest. Mom raised me without any frills or luxuries. She also told me almost every day that it didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me as long as I was true to myself.

That lesson was especially helpful throughout the years that Axel and Micah had picked on me and teased me. And it stood up well in my adult life too.

Still, I wasn’t ready to take a lingering trip down memory lane—especially since those first couple of minutes with my mom and my guys had been going so well.

“Should we go inside?” I offered, already taking a tentative step toward the door. “I mean, we could stay out in the rain for a little while longer, but...”

“Oh my goodness,” Mom gasped, nodding and practically pushing me inside all at once as if she’d only just heard about everything we’d been through. “Just look at you! Hurry on in there and take a shower. You’ll find some clean clothes in your old bedroom.” She paused and looked my guys up and down again. “If you two want to wait here in the living room for a minute, I’ll see what I can find for you that’s clean and warm. It might not be fancy, but it’ll at least be dry.”