Page 192 of Fallen Princess: Shadow Stalker

“Thank you, but I have a date with Ash, and I don’t know what he’s planned, so I’d rather avoid ruining his plans and meet him where I said I would.”

I open the passenger door and slide in. It kind of stinks in here, and it’s messy with her personal belongings, so unlike the organized Catalina I know. I observe her getting in the driver’s seat and starting the vehicle.

There’s something off about her. She seems stressed out, and like she's not looking after herself.

“Catalina, how’s your sister?” I ask. I have never met the woman, but I know that’s where she’s been staying these last weeks.

“Good,” she says, not turning to look at me. For once, she remains silent.

Fine by me, I look down at my phone and text Asher with the latest plan, telling him wait at the diner for mewhen he arrives.

I feel the car slow down and make a turn, I look up at the parking lot she’s just driven into, and I’m confused.

“Why are we here?” I ask, looking at the dark mall and empty parking area. I have no idea where we are, and it’s nighttime, making my orientation worse.

“We need to talk, Eden.”

She parks the car, and I’m getting serious creepy vibes.

“Catalina, I agreed to pick up your financial documents from your hotel. Asher is waiting for me at the diner. Can’t we just do that?”

“You were just fourteen when I came to look after you. I treated you like my own daughter, and I never cared about the money. Hearing about your childhood history on Tone Wars resonated with me in a way I had never felt before. You never had a mother, and I wanted to be that woman for you. Every daughter needs a mother.”

“I wasn’t your daughter, Catalina.”

“Yes, you were. I also had a daughter I was forced to give up for adoption. I know that baby was you.”

“No, Catalina. You’re not my mother. My biological mother gave me up for adoption when I was six because I had a heart condition. I remember my mother, and that woman isn’t you. My mother died three years later from a drug overdose. I looked her up when I wanted to be emancipated from the state to make sure she wouldn’t come crawling out of the woodwork. My mother died, and she never declared who my father was at birth either.”

“But, that’s not …”

“Catalina, please take me back to the diner now,” I say, feeling uneasy and regretting getting in the car. It’s obvious Catalina is suffering from old age dementia, maybe mental instability or something.

“No! You need to sit here and listen.” Catalina’s voice is strained, the words barely escaping her clenched teeth. “I had to take care of you for fourteen years. Watch you pass out, undress and bathe you, put you to bed. So I deserve to be your mother! Do you think some caretaker would go to that extent! I loved you like a daughter, Eden!”

“I passed out because you drugged me, Catalina. No mother with a sane mind would do that to her daughter!”

I go to open the door, and it’s locked.

“Open the goddamn door,” I yell angrily, turning to look at her straight in the eye. I’m so done with this woman.

“No!” Catalina’s eyes flash with anger, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggles to contain her emotions. “You’regoing to sit and hear me because I deserve it. After everything I did for you, I deserve to be heard.”

As I struggle to get the door open, the familiar metallic sound I know so well goes off, and the blood in my head suddenly turns to stone-cold fear, sending shivers down my spine.

Slowly turning around, my eyes drop to the gun in her hand, pointed at me, and I already know she’s released the safety clip.

“Catalina, what are you doing?” I demand, my voice quivering with a mixture of frustration and fear. My heart’s pounding so hard, it’s ready to break out of my chest and make a run for its escape.

“You wanted to know where I spent my money all these years. I don’t have documents for them to show your accountant.”

“Okay, well, we can sort something else out with Frank.” I feel a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead realizing with a sinking feeling that I made a grave mistake getting in this car.

Fuck, fuck, and more fuck.

“I spent all my money paying a man called Victor to keep you on the straight and narrow, and for ten years, it worked. You were mine, and we were happy. But those men had to come looking for us again. And then you threw me out of your life. I raised you, Eden. How could you replace me with those men after everything we’ve been through together.”

Tears fill my eyes with the realization of what she did to me.

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