Page 81 of My Darling Mayhem
Archer took my hand and gently held it. “What did you do next?”
I used him as an anchor as I drifted back to the bad memories of a life of fear. “I left. At first, I was just being dramatic. I thought my mom would call or one of my cousins would push Juan to find me. I had been away from El Peligro so long that no one even welcomed me back to their old haunts. But I was too prideful to go back home.”
Archer processed it all, then brought my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.
“Your mom…did she come after you or your stepdad?”
Another tiny slice of hurt radiated through my chest as I recalled how easy it was for them to let me go. “They assumed I had just fallen back in with El Peligro and was back on the streets. I hadn’t exactly been the model child before that, so I think once I left for good, everyone was just sort of relieved.”
Archer squeezed me into him. “I’m sorry, beautiful. That sounds like an extremely lonely journey.”
It was. He had no idea. I slept under bridges, in shelters, and worked shitty jobs, saving every penny I got. I made friends and rented rooms from them occasionally, only to always have it blow up in my face. It was always some argument, drugs, or a creepy boyfriend who snuck into my room at night. I was even desperate enough one extremely depressed night to consider prostitution, but I’d walked into a diner instead and asked if they were hiring.
I finally found a rhythm, living in the city, working multiple jobs, and living in the basement of my elderly boss. It wasn’t until I heard one of my regulars talk about some tourist town that resembled a movie set just outside of New York City that I realized I could start over somewhere new. I was dating Cruz’sdad at the time, but I was too nervous to tell him my big dream of having a small house in a cute suburban neighborhood. While I had been working up the courage, just two weeks after that he was arrested.
“It was,” was all I managed to say. I hated going back through my memories. Most of mine were terrible.
Archer tugged his hands through my hair while propping his head up with his fist.
“So your mom is visiting?”
I gave a slight nod, toying with a thread. “She just showed up…it’s strange.” I glanced up, catching his gaze as he reached for his phone. “My brother called me today, too.”
Archer seemed to freeze behind me. “Is that normal?”
Shaking my head, I started to explain, but my phone dinged with a text.
Leaning over, I pulled it off the side table. “It’s my mom. She says I need to come back so we can talk.”
“I’m coming with you.” Archer slid out of bed and started pulling on clothes. I followed suit, tugging my bra on, then my shirt. “It’s late…shit, nearly eleven. I’m not sure it’s?—”
His side drawer opened, and he pulled out a handgun. Pointing it down, he checked the clip and slid it into the back of his jeans. I knew he was in a club that didn’t obey the laws of the land, a one percenter club. His patch meant that, but seeing him with a gun was different.
“Archer…”
“Wren, if your brother called you and your mom just showed up, something is wrong. My men are mostly here, in Atlas. The ones who aren’t are watching Saul’s movements. He’s back in Gentry territory, so we can’t attack him. All that means is we’re not watching our regular routes. I have no idea if we angered the leaders or not.”
“Why does everyone keep referencing that? What new leaders?”
Archer stopped gathering supplies while he slid into his leather cut and faced me. “Your brother doesn’t lead El Peligro anymore. Two brothers do, as far as I know, and they’re ruthless as fuck. If they’re after me for some reason, they have targeted you. I’m coming with you to your house.”
He held his hand out for me, and I took it.
TWENTY
WREN
The sky was darker,and the moon was hidden behind clouds. The stars were visible but not nearly bright enough. I'd kept my porch light off, but Archer's hand anchored me as we walked down my driveway and scaled my porch steps.
A chill ran down my spine at how quiet the neighborhood was. "Your men are out here?"
Archer's hand found my lower back. "They are."
I pushed inside the door, holding Archer's hand, and tried to brush the feeling off. The soft lighting in my living room filtered into the foyer, where I slid my shoes off, but Archer didn't. In fact, he was completely frozen as his gaze went over my shoulder.
I turned to see what he was staring at and tried to calm my breathing.
My mother sat on one of my couches, her hands folded across her chest and an angry scowl on her face. On the other couch, twisting at the waist to see me, was my brother.
