Page 23 of Need (Men of Inked Sinners #3)
Liam nearly swallows his tongue at that figure. As soon as he has money in his hands, he spends it. He’s never had more than a few thousand in an account and probably never will, especially with Sharla around.
“I’d rather have you than the money, Ma,” I say to her.
“Me too,” Liam says, and there’s sincerity in his voice, which shocks me.
“Randall thinks of you two as his boys, and since he’s not close with anyone else in his family and I’m not close with anyone else in mine, it’ll all go to you two.”
“Thanks, Ma,” Liam says.
She pins him with a stare. “Do not spend it all on ass and tits either. We worked too hard for that money for it to go into some woman’s G-string.”
I burst into laughter. She knows her son. There’s no denying what kind of human he is since she breathed life into him.
“Damn, Ma.”
“Don’t damn, Ma me. I know what you do. Boy has been led around by his dick since the moment he realized he had one.”
“I won’t spend it on tits and ass,” he grumbles. “I’ll save it.”
“Liar,” she mutters and shakes her head. “Buy yourself a house or something.”
“I plan to do that way before you die.”
“I like to hear that. I’d like to be a grandmother before I go. Can one of you make that happen?” She shifts her stare between the two of us, waiting for a response.
“I’m not ready to be a dad,” Liam tells her, speaking the truth. The man is barely a grown-up most days, and there’s no way he could be responsible for a tiny human when he’s barely responsible for himself.
“I have to marry the girl before we have a baby,” I say to her.
“No, you don’t.”
“I do, Ma.” I shake my head. “I want to enjoy my wife a little while before we start a family.”
“Well, put a ring on it quick and get to enjoying her. That’s how babies are made.”
“You don’t say,” I tease her, smiling at her as my phone rings. I glance down, and it’s the business line. “I’ve got to go.”
Liam’s eyes dip to my phone. “Want me to grab it?”
I shake my head. “I don’t have shit to do for a while. I got this one,” I tell him as I stand up, putting the phone to my ear. “Hello.”
“Bye, baby,” Mom whispers, pulling me down by my arm to kiss my cheek.
“Bye, Mom,” I mouth back. “How can I help you?” The lady on the other end explains her problem and location as I make my way outside to my truck. “I’ll be there in twenty.”
The afternoon is busier than I expected.
With the sun shining most of the day, I didn’t think there’d be many people who needed a tow.
Boy, was I wrong. The potholes on the city streets have become so bad, people’s tires are getting fucked up quicker than I can tow them in.
Bad for them, but great for the business.
I hadn’t even noticed that it was after five, and I haven’t heard from Lulu in hours. As soon as I climb out of the truck and transfer the business line to Liam’s cell, I shoot Lulu a text.
Me: Just checking in and getting an ETA for dinner tonight.
I wait, staring at the phone, but the three little dots don’t appear and the message stays unread.
Liam’s sitting at his desk, ready for the evening shift, picking up right where I left off .
“What happened?” he asks as soon as I make it to my desk and collapse back into the seat.
“Busy day, and Lulu hasn’t messaged in a while.”
“When did you hear from her last?”
I scroll back and realize she hasn’t messaged since she arrived at her client’s house, which was hours ago.
“Fuck,” I growl, swiping my finger over the location button.
She hasn’t moved either. She’s still an hour outside the city in a northern suburb that’s filled with expensive homes and old money.
“What?” Liam asks, his eyes fixed on me.
“She hasn’t moved.”
“I’m sure she’s busy in someone else’s junk drawer.”
Maybe the location isn’t updating because she’s in an area without cell service. It happens to me all the time on the road. I press the location button again, hoping it’ll show she moved. “Damn it,” I mutter as my heart starts to pick up pace.
“You’re really worried.”
“Duh,” I tell him as I try to convince myself everything is fine. I don’t want to overreact, causing Lulu to get pissed at me and ruining the entire night we have planned.
“Call her sister. Maybe she’s heard from her.”
I swipe over to a new message and shoot one off to Zoey. She entered her number into my phone the other night when she agreed to stay at Lulu’s place for a few days. She said it was for her safety, but now I know it was for my sanity.
Me: Zoey. It’s Oliver. Have you heard from Lulu since she left?
It only takes a minute before the three little dots start moving.
Zoey: No. I usually do, but not today. Weird.
I shoot up from my chair as a knot forms in my stomach.
“Where are you going?” Liam asks as I grab my keys off my desk.
“To wherever her phone is to find my girl.”
“Oh boy. Be safe,” he says as I open the top drawer of my desk and grab a small Glock I keep in there just in case, even if I thought I’d never need it. “Call me if you need bail money.”
“Have it ready, because if something’s happened to her, someone’s going to take their last breath,” I tell him as I stalk out of the garage, ready to find my girl and make sure she’s all right.