look at him as I realize that we might not be so different after all. “While last night was the first night I’d ever spent out in the world, I know what you’re saying. Just… in a different way.”
I turn the handle and the safe opens. Inside is another lock box that I stare at. “Shit. It’s locked.”
“You know where the key is?”
“Yeah. It’s upstairs, I’ll go get it.”
“I’ll go with you.”
I hesitate. “Aren’t two people louder than one?”
He shrugs. “If you run into trouble, what will you do?”
I think about it for a moment. “Probably just give up or wallow around or tell them that a sexy man who loves really tight shirts kidnapped me.”
His eyes narrow at that last part. “I think once you hit twenty, you’re not a kid anymore so you can’t be kidnapped.”
I feel like I haven’t been a kid for many years. “Find. Adultnapped me.”
“You would enjoy it too much if I adultnapped you,” he says which makes me grin for some reason. I kind of feel like I might enjoy it as well.
Even though I barely know this man, I feel like I know him better than anyone else in my life. He’s up front with me and doesn’t hide everything like most people in my life.
“Stop looking at me. It’s creeping me out, pervert,” Shepherd says.
“You’re an asshole, and it’s no wonder why you’ll be alone for the rest of your life,” I say as I hurry over to the stairs. He’s grinning as he takes the lockbox from me and carries it up the stairs next to me.
“If there is no money in here and it’s just like… sex toys or something, I get to beat you with one.”
“Is that supposed to turn me on?” I ask, acting confused.
“Maybe a little.”
I grin but quiet down as we reach the top of the basement stairs. I stand there for a moment to see if I can hear anything out of the ordinary, but the house is extremely quiet. So I lead him over to the next set of stairs that will take him to the second floor, the floor where my mom’s bedroom is as well as mine. I find it funny that I really have no interest in going into my room because there’s nothing in there that I give a shit about. As my hand closes around the railing, my mind drops back to Rose insisting on going up them.
“Let’s hang out in your room.”
“Rose, let’s go.”
“Come on, Killian. What’s it hurt? Why do we always have to go somewhere else?”
I round the corner and creep my way down the hallway and over to the only closed door since my father’s room is upstairs. He hasn’t slept beside my mother in years, says it’s because she doesn’t sleep well and he wakes her when he moves on the bed, which is hilarious when she rarely notices anything. Just like she doesn’t notice as we walk in and shut the door. Sometimes, I feel like Father doesn’t even want to be on the same side of the house as her.
I walk over to her and give her a nudge. “Mom?”
She groans and squeezes the pillow she’s hugging tighter.
“Why are you waking her?” Shepherd whispers.
I wave him off and shake her. “Mom!”
“Hmm?” she mumbles.
“That key Father gave you that you used to wear on your keychain. Where is it?”
“Fuck off,” she groans.
“The keychain.”
She tries pushing me away, but her hand misses me by a foot.
“Fuck,” I whisper before heading over to her dresser and slowly starting to pull drawers open, but it’s too damn dark.
Shepherd comes over and shines a small beam of light on me. “Your mom’s phone was sitting next to her,” he explains. “It’s on a keychain?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re positive it’s the right one?”
“Yes, of course,” I say as I start digging around. Her jewelry sits on the top of the dresser that I start rummaging through, dragging necklaces and watches out. Father used to shower her with jewelry before she got sick and he had to shower her in other things.
We’re careful as we move things, but there’s just so much shit haphazardly thrown inside.
That’s the moment something crashes behind us, making me jump. I turn to see that Mom has swatted her water glass off the nightstand while trying to reach it. She’s still smacking her hand around before knocking something else off.
“Fuck,” I hiss.
I look up as I hear the noise of footsteps coming from upstairs. Panicked, I