Page 4 of The Devil and His Sparrow

No matter how used to Valerie Winters I was, it was still so exhausting to deal with her.

I moved away from the counter and pulled out my phone to dial my one reprieve from the stress.

“What’s up, sexy bitch?”

I immediately snickered. “My mom just left. We went and saw Gemma.”

“Shit.” Nahla’s tone immediately softened as she asked, “How was she today?”

“I didn’t get to see her long. It wasn’t one of those kinds of visits. The doctor said she had some good days this week, but he still doesn’t know exactly what’s wrong with her. Just that her own body is trying to kill itself from the inside.”

“Iyla, I’m so sorry. I know you must be ready to fall apart. Why don’t you hang with me tonight? You could really use a night out.”

I shook my head, even though she couldn’t see me. “Can’t. I have homework.”

“Homework?” Nahla asked with a disbelieving laugh. “You don’t have homework. You already did it.”

I weaved around the end table in the living room to sit on the black suede couch. My backpack was still at the foot of it with my textbooks and notes spread out on the coffee table. “I have that exam on Monday, remember?”

She sighed deeply from the other end of the phone. “And I bet you’ve already studied for it. To the point where you know the material better than the Professor.”

I absently flipped through my notes but stayed quiet, because … I couldn’t argue with that.

“There is such a thing as too much studying,” Nahla continued. “And you’re basically there. Your brain is literally going to fall out if you try to force anymore info into it without taking a break. Especially with everything else you have going on with Gemma and your mom.”

“I took a break,” I argued, raking a hand through my long, brown hair. “I visited Gemma.”

She scoffed. “That’s not the kind of break I’m talking about.” She paused then declared, “You know what, you don’t get a choice. I’ve decided. You’re going out with me tonight.”

Nahla always had something cooked up for Friday nights. Parties. A hot date. Mini vacation to some resort or casino. There was absolutely no telling what she had planned for tonight, but whatever it was, I knew I couldn’t get involved. Not only would it probably be completely outside of my comfort zone, but my mom would kill me if she found out I’d done whatever Nahla had planned, no matter how innocent it was.

“You know I can’t go out,” I said. “My—”

“Your mom isn’t there. What she won’t know won’t hurt her. Plus, you’re twenty, babe. You can do whatever the hell you want.”

Not when Valerie Winters is your mom. Not when your life doesn’t belong to you.

I didn’t bother saying that to Nahla. It never did any good, but what did I expect? Trying to explain why I followed Mom’s demands so faithfully to someone whose parents encouraged her to live her life to the fullest was like talking to a brick wall. I couldn’t explain my mom’s ability to control so easily or my swift compliance, not when that reality was as normal as breathing for me.

It wasn’t until I saw Nahla with her family that I realized how different other people’s relationships were with their parents. Where my mother demanded obedience and perfection, Nahla’s mom and dad smiled at her differences and embraced both of their daughters—Nahla, who was spunky and determined to carve her own path in the world, and Noya, who was reserved and chose to embrace her family’s traditions. The Turkish sisters couldn’t have been more different in attitude and goals, yet the Bayrak’s loved them fiercely and equally.

Could I say the same of my own mom? Maybe. Maybe she loved me in her own way. It wasn’t something I had truly questioned until Nahla.

“I’m going to be there in forty-five minutes,” Nahla barreled on, stopping my wandering thoughts in their tracks. “I’m taking you with me, forcibly or not. Either way, you are coming with me tonight.”

Knowing Nahla meant every word—she would absolutely kidnap me, if necessary—I rubbed a hand over my forehead. “No need to resort to violence. I might come willingly. Just depends. What exactly would we be doing, may I ask?”

I could hear the smile in her voice as she answered, “We’re going to a concert.”

I raised my eyebrows, because that wasn’t what I’d expected. That sounded too contained for the boisterous Nahla, and I actually found myself considering letting her whisk me away. A concert? It didn’t sound too crazy, dangerous, or like something my mother would disembowel me for joining in on.

But then I remembered that this was Nahla.

“And …” I drew the word out, already dreading whatever answer I was about to get. “Who would we be seeing?”

“The best, obviously,” she answered excitedly. “Sinners Do It Better.”

Chapter 2

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