trousers when his phone rang.
Guilt burst over his face. “That’s my sister’s ringtone.” He pulled his phone out and pressed the button to answer the call. “Hey, Sistine. Do you mind if—” The smile fell from Saxon’s face. “What? Say that again.” His eyes had gone glassy.
I moved past him to the bedroom door and turned on the lights. I knew two things off the bat. The caller was not his sister and the news they were imparting wasn’t good. I grabbed a fresh pair of boxer briefs and pulled them on.
“Sweet Jesus,” Saxon half-whispered. “The girls? Where are my nieces?” He nodded, sending tears cascading down his face. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Saxon disconnected the call.
“What is it? What happened?” I took his hand, holding it tightly.
“Sistine is dead. Overdose. A neighbor heard the girls screaming and she called the police. The medics did all they could, but she’d been gone for some time.”
“What about Sophie and Lola?”
“Safe. The police have them at the hospital. I need to go pick them up.” Saxon looked lost.
“I’m coming with you, but first, I’m calling my parents.”
“Why?” Saxon asked, looking gobsmacked.
“The girls are little. You’re going to need car seats to bring them home and warm pajamas and so much more.” I reached for my pants and pulled my phone out.
“You don’t have to be involved in this. It’s my family. You’re just…just.” Saxon looked as though he didn’t know what to say.
“I’m your friend, Saxon. At this moment, that’s all that matters. I’m going to do everything in my power to get you through this.” I set a hand on his shoulder and he pulled me into his arms.
“My big sister is dead,” he sobbed against me.
All I could was hold on to him. What mattered now was getting to Sophie and Lola as quickly as we could. I knew, all too well, how scared kids got when life hit them with a sucker punch to the gut. If anyone would know how to help these girls, it would be Mom and Dad.
18
Saxon
I’d never felt so numb. Not even when my parents died. Losing Sistine was worse. Much worse. I might have been her younger brother, but I still felt like it was my responsibility to protect her and my nieces.
Speaking of the girls, how was that going to work? Was I going to have to fight for custody? Would they be sent into the foster care system? Tears cascaded down my face.
“It’s going to be okay.” Dallas gave my leg a squeeze. He insisted he drive his truck with the new car seats to Salisbury to pick up my nieces.
I hadn’t wanted Dallas to come with me, at first. I’d wanted to do this alone. Five minutes with Mandy and David changed my mind. They knew exactly what needed to be done to welcome traumatized kids into a new home. “A million things are flying through my mind at the moment. Funeral arrangements for Sistine. Calling Sedona to tell him about our sister. What if he wants the girls? They don’t even know him.”
“One thing at a time. Let’s get to the girls and make sure they’re safe. Everything else can wait until later.”
I’ll say one thing for Dallas, he’d been an absolute rock from the moment my phone rang. As many times as I’d tried to push him away, he’d pulled me closer. Christ, I’d been sucking his dick when my sister was lying dead on a mortuary slab and my nieces were being held by strangers.
“Okay, this is it.” I pointed to a right-hand turn. The girls had been brought to Newburyport General Hospital to be checked over. Social workers and the police had been with them ever since.
Dallas parked in the lot and turned to look at me. “Whatever happens next, you’re not alone. We’re all going to be here for you and those little ones, no matter what. Got it?”
I nodded. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing. I was in no fit state to drive. I…” I trailed off, knowing if I went any further, I’d start bawling and not be able to stop.
“Here’s the deal. Cry your last tears now. Once we get in there, you need to be strong for those babies. No exceptions.” Dallas gave my hand a squeeze before hopping out of the truck.
Dallas was right. I needed to pull myself together. This wasn’t the time to only think of my needs. I had two