Page 53 of Extraction Play
“You,” Pixie said, her voice hushed.
Eva’s dark eyes grew soft, and a wry smile played on her lips. Relief pumped through Pixie’s veins. “So, I’m not the only one all tangled up here?”
“Not in the slightest.”
“Our timing’s terrible.” Eva smirked, and lightness bubbled up inside Pixie.
She bit her lip to swallow back her laugh. Thank fuck, Eva understood. “Micah happened to overhear a phone call with my art dealer about the interview, which was why he knew.”
“Leave it to my brother to be nosy.”
“There are more where that came from.” Pixie cast a glance over to the coffee counter. Sure enough, Fin was staring at them. Considering Fin had been a part of their first scene together, they’d probably figured out the attraction between them. For as much as Fin earned a lot of shit among the crew, they were astute when they chose to be.
Pixie’s phone buzzed in her pocket with an incoming call. She didn’t want to interrupt this conversation, but she usually answered phone calls. They tended to be important, since everyone knew she’d only respond to text.
Her mother’s name popped up on the screen, and her adrenaline spiked all over again.
“Let me check this,” she said but didn’t move from her seat. Eva was the one person she’d told about her mother, so she didn’t need to hide. “Maisie?”
“Oh, thank god you answered,” she said, a rising panic in her voice Pixie remembered all too well.
Her stomach dropped, and she clenched her jaw. Her mother wasn’t in her right frame of mind. “What’s going on?”
“Someone changed my locks,” Maisie said, genuine fear bleeding through her tone. “I can’t get in my house.”
Lord. She wasn’t in a full-blown episode, but she had a gap in her memories. This had happened before, but not in a long while. Pixie swallowed hard. The warmth circulating through her veins got dumped down the drain like rancid dishwater. She gripped her phone a little tighter. “Stay put. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Pixie ended the call, resisting the urge to sob.
Life with Maisie had clearly been too easy.
This was the other reason the idea of running tempted her so damn much. Because not having to answer the call, not having to take care of her mother any longer felt too appealing. And she hated herself every time she thought of it.
“What’s going on?” Eva’s voice broke through the fog.
“Uh, I have to get out of here,” Pixie said, tugging on her purse strap asshe rose to her feet.
Eva slipped her laptop into her bag and stood just as fast. “Is there an emergency?”
“With my mother.”
“Do you want company?” Based on the way she gripped the strap of her laptop bag, she would rush after her no matter the answer.
“You don’t need to deal with my mess,” Pixie said, even though her throat tightened at the idea of having Eva there.
“That’s not what I asked,” Eva said, her tone firm. She wrapped a hand around Pixie’s wrist.
The contact did her in. “Yes.”
Her chest throbbed. Not being alone? Fuck, she’d always imagined what that would be like but never believed it’d happen. She’d parked outside, so she at least didn’t need to go back to her condo to get her car. “I’ll drive us.”
“Works for me,” Eva said. “I walked over here on a break. You’re doing me a favor anyway. I don’t want to know what Micah and Parker are getting up to back at the condo. There won’t be enough bleach.”
Pixie snorted, even though it came out a bit watery. Her eyes already stung, and she needed to get out of here before she broke down. “Hey, Fin,” she called over. Fin glanced up from recalibrating the espresso machine. “I’m heading out with Eva, but we’ll catch up soon.”
Fin tipped two fingers in a salute, and Pixie hurried to the door. Her heart thumped hard enough she was shocked it wasn’t echoing through the place. She couldn’t get to her mother’s quick enough, yet it would take at least an hour’s drive. The temptation to call the cops rose, just to keep her mother safe, but she also didn’t want her to vault back from a minor episode if this was a blip.
She pushed the door open, and the cool air greeted her. San Francisco was alive with the thrum of city traffic, the whistle of the wind, and the occasional shouts of passersby. The smack of the breeze againsther cheeks was what she needed right now to keep her grounded, even as her mind floated away.