Under an Endless Moon (Moonlit Ridge Book 2)

Otto hustled up the sidewalk that cut through the yard that was nothing but dead grass toward the small, tattered house. Its white paint peeling and the screen on the front window dislodged and barely hanging on at the corner.

He didn’t pause to knock. He didn’t want to give his pathetic excuse of a mother the chance to prepare for him.

He wanted to be sure what he was walking in on was legitimate and not fabricated. Not a result of more of her stellar manipulation.

The door complained against its hinges when he threw it open. The television was on, tuned too loud to some soap opera, though he could actually hear his sister’s laughter rising over it from somewhere in the kitchen.

He closed the door behind him and strode through the living room filled with worn furniture and old pictures, though for once, it was actually tidy and not littered with garbage. He edged right up to the small square arch and peered inside, gaze sweeping the surroundings.

Shock nearly knocked him flat when he found his mother stirring something at the stove. But it was Haddie laughing where she sat at the round table in the nook, clearly cackling at whatever wild story their mother was telling, that had him reeling.

His little sister squealed when she noticed him, a bright smile filling her face. “Otto!”

The chair legs screeched against the floor when she threw herself out of it to get to him. The angst he’d carried like a millstone around his neck lessened a fraction when she threw her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his chest. “I missed you.”

Devotion tugged at every cell inside him, and he curled his arms around her, mumbling, “Missed you, too,” to the top of her head before his attention lifted to his mother who’d turned with the commotion.

Annoyance colored her features, and she lifted her chin as she stared him down. “What are you doin’ here?”

There wasn’t a whole lot of love lost between the two of them. He’d been subject to her bullshit for too many years, her selfishness and greed, way she always came before anyone else.

Well, herself or whatever prick she decided to drag home to share both her bed and her needle.

She’d kicked him out when he was just fourteen after he’d called the cops because some dickbag had been beatin’ on her, like he was the one to blame, like it was his duty to keep her dirty secrets.

He’d been living on the streets since. Starving and scared until he’d figured out what it took to survive.

He’d basically run alone until he’d met Cash, Theo, and Kane, and they’d decided that things would go better if they teamed up. If they made a pact to forever have each other’s backs. It was only the four of them until River and Raven had come to them a week before.

“Wanted to come check on things.”

His mother scoffed and went back to stirring the pot. Even though the life she led had frayed her edges, she was still beautiful. Stunning, really.

His baby sister was starting to look so much like her it was painful.

Tall and willowy. Warm brown hair and these big brown eyes.

“You don’t need to come around here checkin’ on me. I’m just fine,” his mother grumbled.

Funny, she never had a problem with him stopping by when he was bringing her money.

Otto angled back and turned his focus down to his sister. “Well, someone had her first ballet class, so I had to stop in to see how that went.”

Yeah, he was paying for that, too.

Not that he was complaining. Only issue was where that money was coming from. How he just got deeper and deeper. He guessed he’d been a fool that he’d thought by now he’d have shucked this lifestyle like a bad skin.

Moved beyond it to bigger and better things.

He was beginning to believe once you were there, you were trapped.

Which was why he was going to make sure Haddie got out of it before it had the chance of ruining her.

Excitement blazed in her demeanor. “It was amazing,” she drew out, tipping her face toward the ceiling. “And the dance bag I got with the money you gave me is so cute! You have to see it.” She grabbed his hand to tow him back through the arch and to the hallway that led to the three rooms on that side.

She dragged him into her room that was decorated frilly and pink.

She had her ballet stuff out on her bed like she couldn’t wait for her next class in a week.

“See!”

It was a big pink duffel bag that had Born to Dance embroidered on the front.

“Now that looks right up your alley to me.”

“Because it’s pink, right?!” she enthused.

A big grin pulled to his mouth. “That’s right.”

She was so damned cute. Her joy still true.

Disquiet buzzed through him when he thought about Raven back at the abandoned house. How shy and timid she was. How she’d been stilted. He hated it for her, and he hoped to God that she was able to come out of it.

Haddie scrambled onto her bed and crisscrossed her legs, and he settled himself on the floor, which was pretty much their routine when he came to visit. “So, how’s everything else going?” he asked.

He tried to keep the edge out of it, but he couldn’t help it. Way he was always waiting for things to go south.

“Well, I got an A on my math test, and we’re learning long division, which is bleh, but I still totally aced it.” She rolled her eyes dramatically before she threaded her fingers together and sat forward. “And oh my gosh, guess what?”

“What?” he asked, his worry fading since it was clear his sister was doing just fine.

“I got invited to have a sleepover at Stephanie’s this weekend. Mom said it was totally fine.”

“She nice?”

Haddie groaned like he was impossible. “Why would I want to be friends with her if she isn’t nice?”

Well, that was pretty simple and plain, but he also knew girls could be mean as fuck. Probably making her wear pink on Wednesdays or some shit.

“Just checkin’.”

Haddie giggled. “You’re always checking on everything, and I already promised that I would tell you if anyone was mean to me.”

“That’s my girl.”

She beamed.

Otto roughed a hand through his hair, wondering how to broach it. “Speaking of friends…I met a new friend who has a little sister about the same age as you.”

Her brows rose. “Really?”

“Yeah…they’re staying with us for a bit.”

Haddie’s brows that had been high in exhalation knitted in worry. She knew where he lived only because he’d had to take her there once when their mom had disappeared for three days. He’d had half a mind to keep her, but in the end, he’d decided it was better for her here.

Where she had a real house.

He made sure she had a phone so she could reach him at any time, though, and she knew to use it if she needed him.

“She doesn’t have a house?” she whispered.

Air rushed from his nose. “Not a good one, Haddie, and she’s kind of sad and scared, so I thought it might be cool if she had a friend.”

“Like me?” She perked right back up.

“Yeah. She’s shy, though, so it might take her a bit to warm up.”

Hell, he didn’t even know how to facilitate it.

Haddie squealed as she tossed herself from her bed. “I have the perfect idea. I’ll write her so she can get to know me, and then we’ll totally hang out, and if she has a phone then we can text.”

She marched for her little desk against the wall and dug through the bottom drawer. She pulled out a pink notebook with a buckle, and she immediately went to work, her head down for at least five minutes before she passed it to him. “Here. But you can’t look at it. Girls only.”

Otto’s chuckle was low. “Fine. Fine.” Then he blew out a sigh. “All right. I’d better go. Need to talk to Mom really quick before I head out. Give me a minute with her, yeah?”

Her nod was slight and tinged in disappointment. “Okay.”

He tipped up her chin. “I’ll take you to get ice cream soon. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds nice.”

He dropped a kiss to her forehead before he headed back out and into the kitchen where his mother was smacking dollops of mashed potatoes onto plates.

He leaned against the arch and said, “Hey.”

“I’m not in the mood for a lecture from you, Otto, so you can save it. Like you’re livin’ your life so much better than I’m livin’ mine.”

A splinter of pain jabbed at his spirit.

Sometimes he wondered why the hell she hated him so much. But the feeling was pretty much mutual.

He figured he’d cut to the chase. “Brought you money.”

Her eyes flicked to the cash that he pulled out of his pocket. “Good. Groceries are runnin’ low.”

He tucked the notepad under his arm as he crossed to her, his voice a low gruff of indignation as he leaned in closer to her and passed her the thick wad of cash and gritted, “Only reason I live that life is so I can take care of my sister. So I can put a roof over your heads. Make sure those groceries aren’t runnin’ low. I didn’t pick this life. You picked it for me.”

And he walked out without saying anything else.