Beneath the Stars (Falling Stars 4)

She tugged at my pant leg when she asked it, and light laughter tumbled out. That smile didn’t feel so forced as I looked down on the little girl that turned me to mush. “Sounds like a good plan to me, Daisy Mae. Right after practice, yeah?”

Only, I could feel that smile slippin’ when Royce answered the phone, his casual, “Hey, Mag Pie, what’s up?” shifting to alarm when he stopped talking to hear whatever his sister was saying.

I couldn’t make it out.

Didn’t need to in order to feel it.

To get dragged right into the undertow of worry.

The current this raging toil I could feel crashing against my feet.

Had no idea what was up, but I was ready to go flyin’ out the door.

“What? Are you okay?… Fuck… Are you sure?”

His eyes were wild as he glanced at Emily who’d stepped away from the counter in concern.

“Okay. I’ll be there in a second,” he said before he dropped his phone to his side. Man looked like he was about to crack. Was it fucked up it felt like he was gonna take me right along with him, too? “Maggie tripped on her run. I have to go pick her up.”

I was already moving before he finished talking, handing Amelia off to Emily. Without missing a beat, she accepted her, bouncing her as she rushed to ask, “Is she hurt?”

Royce roughed an agitated hand over the top of his head. “Hurt enough that she called…so knowing my sister, I’m going to say, yeah.” He started for the door before he whirled around. “Shit. Our rental isn’t being delivered until eleven.”

I was already halfway to the door, dragging the keys to my baby from my pocket. “I’ve got you covered.”

Dude actually tried to snag the keys from my hand. Like I was gonna let him go without me? Like I could abandon the fear that burst in my blood?

Shit.

This was stupid.

Stupid bad.

Didn’t matter.

I snatched the keys out of his reach.

“You think I’m gonna let you drive my baby?” I drew it out like the idea was ludicrous as I whirled around, walking backward with my arms stretched wide.

Good excuse.

Everyone knew the love I had for my car.

Royce didn’t argue. “Then hurry up, asshole.”

He angled around me, and I turned at the same time, following him out into the heat of the day.

Sun obnoxious as the rays blazed down.

Daggers of fire.

Or maybe it was just the worry.

The antsy irritation that slicked my skin in an instant sheen of sweat.

We raced for where my car was parked in the circular drive, car bleeping as I pushed the fob to unlock it. We both jumped in, and I had the engine turned over and was peeling out of the drive before either of our doors were shut.

Zero to sixty in a blink.

The powerful engine roared as I gunned it the second we hit the street.

Royce gave me quick directions as I flew around the corners.

Normally, driving was my freedom form. Where I felt like I could outrun my ghosts. Where nothin’ could catch up to me.

It was pure fuckin’ fun.

Not today.

“She’s fine. She’s fine,” Royce rumbled in the seat next to me. “Talked to her myself.”

“Yeah. Sure she’s good, man. She’s good. Would have gotten a call from the hospital if it were something significant.”

Think both of us needed to see it to believe it, though.

Because saying it out loud didn’t seem to soothe a thing.

I took a sharp right, the tires squealing as I fishtailed around the corner. The wheels caught, and the car righted, and we shot down the road.

“There.”

I was already coming to a screeching stop when Royce sat forward to point to where Maggie sat off to the left side of the road with some old dude hovering over her.

Royce was out of the car and rounding the front before I could put it in park.

“Maggie,” he shouted.

The guy was all fury and darkness, and I think I got it then, his devotion to this girl.

His fear.

The truth that he would do absolutely anything to protect his sister.

Could feel it coming off him in staggering waves as he knelt in front of her.

Didn’t mean I didn’t want to push him out of the way so I could get to her when I climbed out from the driver’s side.

My own shout of protectiveness rose to fill my chest.

My damned hands twitched with the urge to run them over her. Search out every injury.

Had to physically restrain myself from busting through to toss her over my shoulder and carry her away to safety like some kinda fatheaded dolt.

The blotches of blood staining her light-blue running shirt and the webs streaking from her knee sure weren’t helpin’ things.

My bad behavior was about to get worse.

Charcoal eyes found me from over his shoulder.

“Mags.” It was an exhale from my lips.