Page 99 of The Forbidden Note

I freeze.

“My mom can’t see you like this.” Her eyes slide over my blood-stained hoodie and knuckles rubbed raw from the fight. “It’s better this way. You can shower and change here.”

I agree and drive into the garage.

Viola greets me with a hug when I walk through the door. I see her eyeing the blood on my hoodie, but she doesn’t ask any questions. Given the rough neighborhood she grew up in, she must have learned to keep her mouth shut the hard way.

“Hey, kid.” I ruffle her hair.

She smacks my hand away. “I’m not a kid. I’m almost fourteen.”

“Exactly. You’re practically a baby.”

She sticks out her tongue. “You’rea baby.”

I press both hands over my heart and stagger back. “Ow.”

Grey chuckles, her eyes sparkling in a way that makes my chest tighten.

Viola smiles at her. “Oh, you’re pretty. Can I do your makeup? Wait, I don’t think I have a foundation that would match your complexion. If you bring your own foundation, I could totally rock a soft glam.”

“Um…”

“Forgive her. She barely talks English.”

“I talk English,” Vi says.

“You talk makeup.”

“Makeup is not a language.” She rolls her eyes and then presses insistently against Grey, inspecting her like a designer with a model. “You have such thick eyelashes. I wouldn’t even have to use my lash set.”

“Rein it in, Vi.” I give her a little nudge. “Grey is tired.”

“I’d love for you to do my makeup another time,” Grey says, being way too nice as always.

“Where’s your sister?” I cross the room to grab a bottle of water for Grey.

“She and Dutch went to buy groceries.”

“Really?” I arch a brow.

Dutch has never bought groceries in his life. I can’t imagine my giant, scowling brother browsing the vegetable aisle, picking out the freshest cucumbers and haggling over salmon.

Love really has changed him.

“Zane, how about I do your makeup, huh?” Viola wiggles her eyebrows.

“Sorry, kiddo.” I crack the water bottle open and hand it to Grey. “We’re not staying long.”

Viola doesn’t miss a beat. “How about another collab with me on my makeup channel?”

“That depends.”

The kid sighs heavily. “I’ve been practicing.”

“Is that why you haven’t sent in your homework for three days?”

She scrunches her nose. “Why do I have to practice every day?”

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