Claimed by my Brother’s Best Friends (Alyssa) novel Chapter 4

King

I never thought Alyssa Bennett would reach out to me. For her to be that desperate, I guess she finally got tired of her piece-of-shit husband.

It's been a while since I've driven anything other than my bike, but when she called, I pulled my truck out of its resting place in the garage.

I park beside the red car on the side of the road, the sun starting to set on the horizon. Alyssa immediately jumps out of the driver's seat and rushes to the rear. First, she grabs a diaper bag, then a car seat.

I squint to make sure I'm seeing it right.

Yeah, it's a fucking car seat.

Stepping out of my truck, I offer to help with her bag. I watch as she secures the car seat in my backseat. I didn't know what to expect, but a real baby, dressed in a pink onesie and making little noises, wasn't it.

Maybe it's her niece or something, I wonder silently.

It's been three years since I last saw Alyssa, and she's really grown up. I'm not sure if it's for the better or worse. She looks worn out, like she's been fighting for her life.

And I have a gut feeling she has been.

She's wearing a black hoodie and jeans. Her dark curly hair is pulled into a messy bun, strands escaping to frame her face. There are dark circles beneath her hazel eyes. And if I wasn't the observant son of a bitch I am, I wouldn't have noticed that there's makeup on her cheeks, poorly concealing the purple blotches underneath.

The sight boils my blood. I shouldn't have listened to Gray, we could've saved her a long time ago. I don't give a fuck if she didn't leave willingly, I would've killed that motherfucker and brought her back home.

Alyssa jumps into the front seat and quickly buckles herself. Her knee bounces nervously, and she gnaws on her lip as I climb back into my seat.

"Can we leave already?" she asks, her voice edged with tension.

"Any reason we're abandoning your car on the side of the road?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

I wonder if I push enough, she'll be honest about what's going on. We could always make a pit stop by her house, and deal with the issue. It's been a few days since I've had my fill of violence, anyway.

"It's dead," she answers, but there's a hint of anxiety in her tone that I don't miss.

"I have some jumper cables in the back. I could just-"

"The engine is dead, not the battery," she interrupts, her words rushed.

"Do you want me to call a tow truck?" I ask, sensing her growing more antsy by the second.

Yeah, she's lying her ass off.

"No, it's okay. Isaac says he will pick it up when he gets back home," she says, the lie slipping smoothly from her lips.

"Wanna call him and make sure?"

"No, that's okay." Her desperation is starting to become more evident, but I can tell she's trying to maintain her calm demeanor.

I smirk at the effort. "Have somewhere to be, Kitten?"

She doesn't answer, her hazel eyes silently pleading with me. Usually, I enjoy fucking with her, but I'll save that for later. When she's safely in my home.

I pull back onto the highway, glancing between her and the car seat in the back.

I clear my throat. "So, who's the kid?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Zuri," she murmurs.

"And she's-"

"My daughter."