Abandoned

Chapter 41

I was still giggling.

"That’s as bad as the punishments go in this family." Max said softly.

I looked up at him and smiled. He kissed my cheek gently.

"Did he hurt your ribs?" Sam asked softly. "I thought that he was going to tickle your feet."

I looked at Sam and saw that he was frowning at Max.

"He didn’t." I said, shaking my head.

"I am not an idiot, Sam." Max sighed, rolling his eyes. "I didn’t touch her ribs once."

"Good." Sam said, smiling at me. "Hungry?"

I gave him a small nod, and he smiled at me.

"How about pizza?" Milo asked, making Sam sigh.

"That’s not really healthy, Milo." Sam mumbled.

"Blame Zack." Milo said as he stood up. "He mentioned it."

All of us started standing up. We walked to the kitchen together. Max never moved his arm from my shoulders. I was glad. I felt safe and comfortable with him.

Well, I felt safe and comfortable with Milo and my cousins too, but there was something about Max that brought calmness into my body and soul. I didn’t know what it was, but I didn’t care. I needed it.

"I know where they are." Milo mumbled just as we entered the kitchen.

I looked at him with a confused expression on my face.

What was he talking about? He knew where who was?

"Where?" Sam asked immediately.

He clenched his fists, making me lean more into Max. Why was Sam so angry all of a sudden?

"They recently bought a house up North." Milo said, looking at Max. "Do you remember? We heard them talking about it when we came from school about a month ago."

I looked up at Max. His eyebrows were furrowed, but then his eyes widened.

"I remember." Max mumbled.

"Where is the house?" Ryan asked as he pulled the phone out of his pocket.

"I don’t know the exact address, but I know the area." Milo said as he grabbed his phone from the kitchen island.

Who were they talking about?

"What is going on?" I asked Max, as I watched Ryan and Milo staring at Milo’s phone.

Ryan nodded, unlocked his phone, and walked out of the kitchen.

"The police caught your foster parents, but our parents ran away." Sam said, making me look at him. "They couldn't find them, so they asked us if we knew where they could have gone to. Milo just remembered a possible location. Ryan is calling his friend at the police station to inform him."

My heart raced.

"My foster parents are in jail?" I mumbled, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Yes, baby." Sam said, giving me a small smile. "They are never going to hurt you again."

Shivers went up and down my spine.

"Will I need to testify against them?" I mumbled quietly.

I didn’t want to. Just thinking about facing them had me ready to throw up.

"No, love." Sam said softly. "They found enough evidence to lock them up without your testimony."

Evidence? Did they find the photos and the videos?

My stomach turned.

Did my brothers and my cousins know about it?

Oh, God, no. I hoped they didn’t know. I didn’t want them to know that he recorded everything.

Max tightened his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest, seeking the comfort only he could give me.

"We love you so much, Mads." Max mumbled as he kissed the top of my head.

My heart was racing.

"The police are on their way." I heard Ryan’s voice.

I raised my head and looked up at him.

"My friend will call once he knows something." Ryan added.

"Okay." Sam mumbled. "Let’s make pizza."

Max placed another kiss on the top of my head and guided me toward the kitchen island.

I sat down and took a deep breath. Milo wrapped his arms around me and leaned his head on mine.

My whole body was trembling. I tried to take a deep breath to calm down, but it was pointless. The only thing that really helped were my brothers’ arms around me.