Catching Teardrops (MAC Security 5)

I shake my head, trying to get the past from my mind. Remembering the pain Kay suffered and the bruises covering her body has me thinking about the bruises on someone else—Lily.

Scrubbing my hand down my face, I try my hardest not to let my thoughts drift to her dark-blue eyes and the marks that were covering her neck.

Warning my mom the day I was standing outside the church didn’t make an inch of difference because a couple of days later there she stands, in my mom’s house. And when Mom told me how old she is, all it did was make me more determined to convince her to stay out of it. But that didn’t stop her asking me if I can help.

I have enough going on in my life without inserting myself into someone else’s. And that’s exactly what I know will happen if she doesn’t stay out of it. She may have promised to look out for her, but it’s not her business or mine. No matter how angelic she looks or how much her eyes punched me in the gut when they focused on me.

I shake my head, clenching my hands into fists. She’s seventeen—a child, a girl. Fuck.

LUKE

“Me and Miles are putting together our own Avengers.”

I flick my gaze to the rearview mirror, meeting Eli’s green eyes as my cell vibrates in my pocket. “Is that right?”

“Yep.” He nods emphatically as I ignore it. “We have dress up day at school soon and we’re gonna go in our suits.”

I chuckle, shaking my head as I pull up at a red light. Eli may be seven years old, but he’s just as obsessed with superheroes now as he was when he first moved onto the compound. Only now it’s not only Spiderman but every single Marvel superhero.

“And where you gonna get this costume?”

He shrugs. “Mom can make it, or you could take me to a superhero dress up shop?”

“Oh, I can, can I?”

He grins, a gap in the front of his teeth where one fell out a couple of months ago. “You can… we could get you one too.” I pull away when the light flashes green, turning onto the private road leading to the gates of the compound. “Are Mom and Ty here?” he asks when I park in front of the warehouse.

“They’ve gone to talk to Uncle Charlie but said they’d be back after dinner.” I push open my door, opening up the back one for him before he jumps out.

“So we get some guy time?”

“We sure do.” I cross my arms over my chest. “What are we thinking? Movie and Pizza? Boxing?” Both me and Evan started to teach him how to defend himself, and it turned into him wanting to learn to box. I know Kay isn’t the happiest about it, but it’s better for him to learn than not know any skills.

He looks up at the clear blue sky, tapping his finger on his chin. “How about we practice boxing and then order pizza and watch a movie?”

Holding my hand out, he slaps his against mine before I pull my cell out. “Awesome plan, lil’ dude.” I tilt my head at Ty’s house. “Head on home and get changed, I need to make a call, but I’ll wait here for you.”

He spins around, running to the house and up the stairs before flinging the door open and leaving it like that. I roll my eyes as I unlock my cell and walk toward the open door.

Clicking on the missed call from my mom, I call her back. The tone sounds over the line twice before she’s answering, “Luke!” breathless.

“Mom?” I frown, walking up the steps and closing the door before I sit on the porch swing. “Everything ok

ay?”

She catches her breath before panting out, “I think something is seriously wrong, Luke.” I can practically see her holding her chest as she says it.

I’m not a stranger to calls like this, but over the last few weeks, they’ve become more erratic. After what my mom went through for years, nobody would be surprised to know she has anxiety. It took her years to manage it, and she had it down to a fine art until something tripped a switch. Only it’s not her she’s having anxiety about, it’s—

“I think Lily is hiding something… no, I know she is. You have to help, Luke. You have to.”

I swipe my palm up and down my face before fisting my hair, spotting Eli out of the corner of my eye.

Standing up, I nod for him to follow me before walking across the gravel and toward the warehouse. “Mom… you need to count to ten.” I want to tell her to calm down, but it only makes her worse. “Are you sitting down?”

I hear some shuffling over the line as I pull the door open.

“Yeah.”