Irrational (Underneath it All Series: Book Two) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Ava Claire Page B

just-”
    “Shut your filthy mouth!” Mrs. Ludlow repeated. It stung as much as the first time she said it. “Tommy would never !” She snatched Tommy to her, stroking his back in a way that made me want to vomit. The tiniest bit of jealousy flared in my chest too.
    She held Tommy at arm’s length and narrowed her eyes. “Did you hurt Hope? Or did these miscreants hurt her?”
    Was she serious? “We didn’t hurt Hope!”
    “I would never hurt Hope!” Tommy lied, shaking his head from left to right. “I came out here to stop them. Isn’t that right, Hope?”
    My heart dropped to the dirt. Joe was pleading with Hope to tell Mrs. Ludlow what really happened, but I knew she was too afraid. Hope didn’t stop crying, scared of all of us. I knew that ultimately, she was way more scared of Tommy.
    “Hope, did Tommy hurt you?” Mrs. Ludlow snapped. “Tell me the truth.”
    Hope didn’t stop shaking, her voice shuddering. “I...he...they...” Her blue eyes shot from us to Tommy. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head no.
    “Hope, how could-”
    “Joe, don’t.” I put a hand on Joe’s shoulder and he stopped, letting out a ‘Fuck!’ before he angrily kicked a piece of broken glass.
    “That temper is probably why no one wants you,” Mrs. Ludlow said vehemently, bringing her son back in and pressing a kiss on the top of his stupid head.
    Joe shrugged off my hand, but I knew who he was really angry at. I knew that like me, this was not his first foster home and wouldn’t be the last, and being reminded of that sucked harder than any punch we got from Tommy.
    Mrs. Ludlow gave her son one last peck on the top of the head and sent him inside. “Take Hope. I don’t want her to see this.”
    She conveniently missed the way Hope shrank from Tommy’s touch and the apology in her big, blue eyes for us before she scurried back to the house.
    Mrs. Ludlow’s face turned into shadows, like her anger ate up the sun. She pulled out her pack of Virginia Slims. She withdrew a cigarette and perched it between her red lips. With a flick of her thumb, she lit it.
    “You two. Thick as thieves.” She inhaled and made the tip glow and blew out a cloud of smoke. “You hurt Hope. Hurt my son.” Her eyes were icicles and they cut me down to the bone. “Who else is going to teach you that life has consequences, if not me?”
    *
    I reclined in my chair, the movement completely silent and seamless. I wish I could say the same about my mind. The thoughts that rattled through my head were out to get me. I couldn't focus. I couldn't carry on like it meant nothing. I couldn't pretend that it was just a simple, business transaction between two adults, and now the business was done.
    And it was all her fault.
    All her fault, huh? No blame is yours? Never let anyone close enough to hurt you? Congratulations! You pushed her away.
    The numbers on the page all seemed to be her number. Every digit lead back to that damn number. A number I'd texted more times than I was comfortable admitting.
    In the past, when a woman approached the danger zone, i.e. started asking questions beyond when I was free to hook up again, I shut it down real quick. It's why The Tower was a godsend and my preference as opposed to what Joe did, which was finding someone beautiful and ambitious, dying for hashtags and snapchats with someone rich and famous. Models and socialites eventually got clingy and wanted something more. The proof was in the string of broken hearts and restraining orders Joe left in his wake. Escorts didn't care about where I came from. They didn't whine when I didn't text them. They didn't expect anything more than their fee.
    I was the one that was asking Sadie for more. Who was masking my need to see her again with jokey texts and emojis. Who felt remorse for everything that I'd walked away from when I booked it out of that room like a bat out of hell.
    I was the clingy woman.
    Shit.
    I absentmindedly stroked my right bicep, my