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That was supposed to be at the end of last summer I’d had the date marked ondown the days until Jet was ho for E one to bed how many more sleeps it would be until Jet would be home with his family

I didn’t kidfor lad to be rid of me I’d just been his sister’s best friend who had loved him so obsessively and ruined his life He was probably deep in Bubbles or one of the other sheep right now

Jealousy sliced throughthe phone, I headed off the bus I ignored the bigby the front door and the others stationed around the perimeter of the bus I needed to clear ht air andthem

As I walked past all the other buses toward the darkened street, I held the phone against my chest It wasday But it was a life I couldn’t return to Not now That life would suck the rest of ht out of me I was needed here with Emmie and her family

It was nice to be needed for a change

Lord knew I’d never been needed before My mother hadn’t needed me, hadn’t even wanted me I didn’t knohy she hadn’t just had an abortion to rid her of the ‘problem’ in the first place I’d needed Raven, but I didn’t think she’d needed h Jet hadn’t needed me, that was for sure For a few months a helpless little life had neededthat precious little baby Froht never have a baby of , after all

Westcliffe had left me alive, but he’d taken rowing inside ofaway my last connection to the man I’d loved—and, stupidly, still loved

Eoing I’d found a purpose with theain, and I actually liked the me I hen I ith them

I still h Not the life, but the people I even missed my mother

Stopping under a streetlight, I glared down atcash instead of a credit card The Club’s connections were far reaching and I wouldn’t put it past theh, but I couldn’t keep fro—that small link to them

My thumb punched in Raven’s home number and then hovered over the connect button I shouldn’t—it was too risky, especially this close to Creswell Springs, which was only about a two hours’ drive from where we currently where I knew th

e hoo ho to remind myself it wasn’t home anymore It wasn’t

So what’s the har her?

Clenching ht post “Fuck it,” I groaned and letwith ht

The phone rang three times on the other end before someone answered “Hello?” a somewhat familiar female voice answered, but it wasn’t the one I wanted to hear