Page 67 of Devil's Vengeance

Which was more than a little frustrating.

I didn’t know who I could talk to about it. Chase didn’t tell me not to tell anyone, but I felt like I alienated myself after everything that went down the other night. He told me about how one of their people hadn’t been released by the cops yet. How a public defender was now working overtime to get him out. I wasn’t even surprised when Chase dropped me off at my parents’ house without complaint. I probably wasn’t welcome at the clubhouse anymore.

Mom was home when I got back, and she smiled brightly at me when I kicked off my shoes. “Mariah! Look who came to visit!”

I stiffened automatically, worried Trick had somehow weaseled his way into my home, but it wasn’t Trick who sat in the kitchen with my mother. It was my sister.

Somehow, that felt worse.

At least I was mentally prepared for Trick to show up. Dealing with Angelica needed days of mental preparation beforehand. Now was not a great time. Not that I’d say that out loud. Despite our constant bickering, our mom was determined to get us to spend more time together. She didn’t understand why we couldn’t just put our differences aside.

Angelica and I might share DNA, but we looked nothing alike. Her skin was lighter than mine. She dyed her hair blonde and straightened it, or wore a wig to fit in better with her friends. She was never a fan of my natural curls or my refusal to hide them. I overheard her once telling her friends she was adopted just so she didn’t have to be aligned with me in any way. Not only did we look different, but our personalities were so vastly different that everyone was always surprised to find out we were related. She sneered as she took in my appearance.

“Do you seriously dress like that every day? Are you fishing for guys who are only interested in the librarian kink?”

“Angelica!” Mom protested.

I ignored them both, heading to my room. I brought my bag in that morning, so I could wear my own clothes instead of stealing any more from my mom and potentially finding things I didn’t want to see. I still shuddered at her tease about the lingerie she wore for my dad.

I was taking off my makeup when Angelica stumbled into the hall, glaring over her shoulder. No doubt sent by our mom. I ignored her as she sulked into my room and flopped on the edge of my bed with a heavy sigh.

“So Mom said you were traumatized last night and need your family to support you. What happened? Did you see a dead dog on the side of the road again?”

Through the mirror’s reflection, I gave her a flat look. “I was eight, and it was a neighbor’s dog that we used to play with. I was allowed to be upset about it.”

She rolled her eyes. Angelica wasn’t an animal person. She didn’t care one way or another if an animal died, even if it was a pet she was familiar with.

“So was that it, then? Because I had plans, and if you–”

“I saw someone die. Tried to stop the bleeding, but he didn’t survive. Iwas in shock when I came home last night. I’m sorry if that somehow interferes with your personal life. You can go. I’ll be fine.”

I hadn’t intended to tell her anything. I didn't share stories with my sister. We weren’t that close. But she was acting like it was a huge inconvenience to come see me after my mom told her I was upset and I was still feeling off balance. It was hard to regulate my emotions. Just like when I slapped Chase. I still felt awful about that.

Angelica looked stunned by my confession and, in a surprising turn of events, she didn’t reply with some selfish comment or a dismissal of my feelings.

“Oh. That sounds… I’m sorry. That sounds sucky. Did you know them?”

“A little,” I admitted. “I had a few conversations with them. We weren’t friends or anything, but they were nice. He was friends with the guy I’m seeing.”

Her face screwed up and I could tell she wanted to comment on me seeing someone, but one scathing look shut her up. She switched tactics.

“Are you moving back? Because if you do, Mom won’t leave me alone to do the same thing. I am not moving back home. Who lives at home at our age?”

Ignoring the fact that she was only asking because it affected her, I shook my head. “I’m not moving back. I’m just staying a little while. I don’t… feel safe alone right now.”

She nodded slowly. “Well, that makes sense. You’ve kinda had shit luck lately. First a kidnapping, then witnessing someone die? How’d it happen anyway? You said they bled out. Stabbing? Shooting? Because if that shit is happening in your neighborhood, you should probably consider moving.”

I couldn’t tell her everything about what happened to Nevada. And I wouldn’t, even if I could. My sister was a gossip, and it would take less than a day for everyone in my family to know what was going on in my life. Not to mention her friends, who were all nosy and probably not the best people to trust with a secret. I trusted Lacey more than I trusted anyone my sister considered a friend.

“It wasn’t in my neighborhood. I was at a friend’s house. And isn’t your neighborhood like ten times worse than mine?”

“My neighborhood is fine!” she complained.

“Didn’t an old lady just get mugged by her own grandson two doors down from you?”

She scoffed, crossing her arms. “You sound like Mom. It’s fine. It’s not like I talked to them.”

This was an age-old conversation, and the familiarity relaxed me. I’d rather listen to my sister argue about how her insane life was fine than face what was happening in mine.

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