Page 80 of A Lesson in Obedience

Beau whined at her feet, circling her and looking at the front door. Asher came down the stairs, the minute I let Beau outside. Jade leaned against her car, sunglasses propped on her nose and a big smile on her face the minute she saw my familiar.

“Ah!Mi amor!” She got down to his level and scratched behind his ears.

We walked outside, Jade taking my bag from Asher and Beau jumping into the backseat.

“You call us the minute you get there.” River said this like it was a fact.

“Call you when I get to the hotel or the mysterious woman’s house?”

“All of it,” they all said in unison. It stunned me to hear them agree completely on something.

Corrin and Jade giggled behind me, pressing their lips together and trying not to make eye contact with me when I peeked over my shoulder at them.

I shook my head, giving them each a kiss on the cheek before I rounded the front of the car to the passenger seat. River jogged over, leaning against the open window. “I mean it, gorgeous. I don’t hear from you and I will find you.”

“Just say yes to the hot man, please.” Corrin pleaded, turning on her car.

I snuck a glance at the others standing on the opposite side of the car as if they were waiting for my answer as well. River waited patiently for my response. I ran my hand through his hair and Beau barked loudly.

“Yes, I’ll call.”

“That’s a good girl.” He leaned forward and kissed me quickly. “Take care of her. Both of you.”

“You got it!” Jade answered from the back seat.

“You havethe cutest toe beans, did you know that?” Jade asked Beau who simply licked her cheek and panted.

Corrin looked in her rearview mirror at them and chuckled. She lightly shoved my shoulder. “Are you prepared with what you’re going to say?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I scrolled my phone. “Not in the slightest. How do you start that kind of conversation, while also just completely dismissing the fact that your brother went FBI level hunting to find her?”

“We can leave that part out.” She shrugged nonchalantly, changing lanes. “She did some sneaky shit too, so really she has no room to judge.”

“Well, when you put it like that…” I started to say sarcastically before my phone vibrated in my hand. My mom’s name appeared on my screen.

I answered, putting her on speaker. “Hey, Mom.”

“Hi honey, why is there an echo sound? Where are you?”

“Um, Corrin, Jade and I are driving to Napa Valley.”

My mom was silent on the other side of the line. “Napa Valley?”

My eyes met Corrin’s and then I looked in the back to meet Jade’s. The wolf shifter widened her eyes at me as if to say,well fucking tell her.

“We are going to see Teresa Lowe. Or Teresa Fowler, or whatever.”

“Riley!”

I reduced the volume on my phone. “It’s all very spontaneous okay. I’m sorry I’m just telling you now, but mom, just listen to me.”

“Riley, that woman wants nothing to do with us. I’ve told you, she didn’t like me then and I’m sure she will think the same about you. I don’t understand what you think you’ll achieve. You are trying to separate yourself from that man, but it seems like you are just getting closer in a different way.”

I rubbed the side of my head. “I know, I know. Mom, if she didn’t like you very much then why was she involved in getting you my necklace.”

“What do you mean?” She sounded genuinely surprised.

“I know you went to Samia to get my necklace made and she sent you to Evie Malcolm. She was a part of Celica, Mom.” I explained everything I knew and she listened, like she always did, without interrupting me.