Page 1 of Hidden Empire

Chapter 1

Jade

“Ican’t deal with her anymore!” The scream is one of finality, and it echoes around the hollow room, cracking through the air like a slap straight to the face.

I’ve finally done it.

I’ve finally pushed Kim Donovan to her breaking point.

I didn’t think it would feel like this—getting to this terminal place. I didn’t think it would hurt, but a pain like I’ve never experienced radiates from my chest, rolling down into my ribs. It feels as though all the air has been sucked out of the room, knocked out of me in the process.

I’d given up on Kim years ago. Given up on her ability to love, to nurture… given up on calling her my mother. So why? Why does this ache sting so horribly?

Am I the kind of person who can handle being thrown away twice? I ask myself this, and yet, I know. I’m not. I’m not strong. I break easy, and I break hard. It’s less like a crack and more of a shatter, making the pieces of me painfully difficult to repair.

I’ve grown, yes. Learned to protect myself in ways I never imagined myself capable of. I’m not sure if that makes me strong or stupid, given that protecting myself is exactly what put me in this position.

Eyes blazing with burning rage, she continues. Verbally twisting an invisible knife in my gut, tearing up my insides without a second thought. “I don’t want her in this house for even one more second!”

The social worker who has been forced to be here with us looks as if she’s witnessing a puppy being kicked. And I’m the puppy.

It’s not her that speaks in return, though. It’s the uniformed officer at her side. “Ma’am, if you attempt to remove your daughter from your home before she becomes of age, you’ll be charged with reckless abandonment of a minor.”

I didn’t realize the state cared so much about the abuse of minors. I figured a few weeks wouldn’t make a difference to them and I’d be finding somewhere else to sleep tonight. Maybe the school—if I could break in without being caught.

“She’s only got two weeks!” Kim seethes, practically pulling her hair out at the root. “Surely no jury would convict me of removing that lunatic from my home! She’s unstable and unwelcome! She should be the one in handcuffs!”

Even the cop winces at her cruel words. “We’ve been over this, Miss Donovan. Your daughter can’t be charged, her actions have been decided as just. The district attorney will not bring her to court for actions made in self-defense.”

Self-defense. Self. Defense.

Does he really see it that way? I find myself hoping he does.

He’s a random man I’ve never met before, but anyone understanding what happened even a little bit feels like a cold brush of relief. Someone not only believes me but thinks I have a right to do what I’ve done.

Kim screeches so loudly that my ears throb. “I. Want. Her. Out!”

The officer lets out a long sigh. “Unless there is a blood relative willing to assume custody of your daughter, she’ll need to remain housed here until she turns eighteen, ma’am. That’s the law.”

“Don’t they make homes for troubled kids for shit like this!”

The social worker makes a noise of protest. “That is not how that works.”

Before Kim can scream again, the cop holds up a hand. “Is there another family member who can assume responsibility for Jade? Someone you can call?”

I’m waiting for her to exasperatedly tell him that there’s no one. Kim doesn’t keep in touch with any family. The only connections she keeps are ones she can forget at the drop of a hat, and that’s harder to do with blood, so she doesn’t keep them close.

But as I stare at the heated scene from my uncomfortable spot on the couch, something on her face shifts. It’s as if she’s molding into a supervillain right in front of me, eyes sparkling with mischief, lips turning up into a dark grin.

“Oooh, there’s someone who can take her.”

What?

My eyebrows draw down as the cop pulls a pen and pad from his pocket. He dots the tip of the pen on his tongue, preparing to write.

“How is this person related to Jade, and do you have their current contact information?”

“Oh, I think you have their current details, Officer Brian.”

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