Her pain filled the room like a physical entity, and as I watched, she grabbed the counter, her head bowing as she began to sob.
Unable to stay away a moment longer, I rushed across the space that separated us and hugged her from behind. It felt so good to hug my mom again, it brought tears to my eyes. Nothing in the world was better than being hugged by the ones who loved you most, and while I had reason to question Ryan’s love now, I would never doubt Mom’s.
Her hands covered mine. “I-I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to start crying again. I just… This was her favorite.”
“It still is,” I murmured soft
ly, my tone teasing, praying I didn’t freak her out or scare her. “I hope you didn’t get it all soggy from all those tears.”
She turned to a block of ice in my arms. Slowly, as if she were the one afraid of scaring one of us, she turned. I eased my hold but kept my arm around her in case she fainted.
Her blue eyes drank in the sight of me even as her chin wobbled. “Nova?” she breathed my name. “Nova?” Her hands touched my arms then my face. “Y-you’re real?”
I covered one of her hands with my own, pressing it closer, savoring her soft touch. “I’m real, Mom. I’m here and very, very much alive.”
“Then this is another dream,” she said, her face filling with so much sadness, it broke my heart.
Needing to convince her she was awake, I pinched the back of her hand.
“Ouch!” she squawked, jerking her hand away from my cheek. But then reality hit her, that she was actually standing there—and so was I. More tears filled her eyes. “Nova! Oh my God, how are you here? Wait, I don’t care. I’m just s-so happy to see you.”
“It’s a long story,” I said with a small smile. “And I don’t really have time at the moment to explain everything.”
“This is crazy, Nova. Everyone said you were dead. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t at first. But then Ryan convinced me.” She was touching my face, my arms, anywhere she could reach, running her hands over me as if needing to prove to herself over and over again that I was alive and whole. “No one else but him could make me understand that you were gone. Especially after that call…” Her voice faded, and a look of horror filled her eyes. “That really was you who called, wasn’t it?”
I hesitated, not wanting to cause her more distress, but unable to lie to her, I finally nodded.
“Oh, dear lord.” She pressed her hand to her mouth. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Your dad… They said it was Sheena O’Brion playing games. That it was probably a voice app that made her sound just like you somehow.”
“No, it was me. I’ve been in Colombia with Cali this whole time.”
Mom’s blue eyes narrowed. “Colombia? But your dad took the MC down there. They brought back Ramirez’s body. They put his head on a pike. It was…bad. Garret even went with them. They said…” Her face twisted with pain. “They said Cali was dead too.”
“No,” I bit out. “And they didn’t even try to come in and see if we were there. It was the middle of the night. Security gave them Manuel’s body, and they just left. All they had to do was come inside, Mom. But they didn’t.”
“Wait until I get my hands on Jet Hannigan,” she growled, her entire body vibrating with her anger. “I’m going to kill him. All this time, and you could have been home with us. There was no reason for any of this pain. And Ryan… Oh God, Nova. Ryan hasn’t been the same. That poor boy—”
I clutched at her, cutting off whatever she was about to say about Ryan. “Mom, listen to me. You can do whatever you want to Dad and anyone else later. Right now, I need you. But more importantly, Cali needs you.”
Mom’s face softened. “Cali?”
“Yes, Mom, Cali. Or, as Garret calls her, Lis.” I grasped one of her hands. “I need you to come with me. Now.”
“Okay. Just let me call—”
“No.” That one word came out hard as steel, cutting her off again. “I need you to come with me now. I don’t want anyone to know where you’re going. They don’t deserve an explanation. They can just deal with you being gone for a little while.” She hesitated, but I wasn’t about to give in. Deep down, I knew that what I was asking was wrong, that it would make everyone who loved Mom worry, but my anger at them all made me want to punish them. None of them had come looking for me. Let them suffer. It was vindictive, but I found I didn’t give a fuck. “Mom, please. I need you more than anyone here possibly could right now. So does Cali…and your granddaughter.”
* * *
I drove the car off the cargo plane and straight to the house. Mom sat quietly in the seat beside me, her eyes wide as I stopped at the gate. The guard saw me and gave a wave before pushing a button in his little shack to open the gate.
As soon as I pulled up in front of the house, Guzman came out, his normally stoic face easing into a relieved smile. “Did you have any trouble?” he asked before turning his dark gaze to Mom, who was just getting out of the car.
“No, it was a smooth trip,” I assured him. “How is Cali?”
“Maria said the bleeding got a little worse last night. It is heavier than the spotting, but not so bad that we should call the doctor yet.”
“English, please,” Mom grumbled. “Or at least translate for me.”