Page 114 of Twisted Redemption

“Well, that was a dead end—as I said it would be.” Willow smirks at Felix, turning the wheel expertly as she backs out of the parking spot. “So now it’s time to enact my plan, which was the better one all along.”

“Which is?” Felix and I say at the same time.

“Who’s the last person you’d expect Brooke to crash with?”

“Her mother,” I say.

“Mmm. Gotta love a girl with mommy issues. We’ll head there first. Where do I turn?”

“Right. Remind me again why she’s tagging along with us?” I grumble, glaring daggers at Felix.

Willow laughs as she pulls out of the parking lot, turning right. “I’m curious about that, too. Can’t get enough of me, Felix? Don’t you think I’m a bit young for you?”

Rolling his eyes, Felix turns to face her. “Stop flirting with me. You’re bad at it.”

I suppress a smirk. Because Felix’s cheeks are burning red, a testament to the fact that Willow is, in fact, quite good at flirting with him.

“Then let me go.”

“Look, Blue, I don’t know what your fucking angle is here, and until I figure it out, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

Willow hits the brakes too hard at a red light, and I lurch forward. “What do you mean you don’t know what my angle is? You’re inconsiderate, a menace, and a pain in my ass, Felix, but you’re not stupid. So don’t pretend with me.” Her voice is dripping with poison.

He just stares at her like she’s grown an extra head. “What?”

“Typical,” she hisses, and I’m pretty sure there’s hurt in her voice. “Always too self-absorbed to care about what’s going on around you.”

The silence on the way to Everly’s is tense, only broken by me giving Willow instructions. When we get there, Felix stays in the car with Willow while I ring the front door.

It takes a while, but Everly answers. “Blaze! What a lovely surprise!”

I’m at least three feet away from her, but I can smell the stench of alcohol rolling off of her, along with a sharp, nasty smell I can’t quite place. God. It’s not even noon yet.

“Hi, Mrs. Hendricks. Is Brooke here?”

Everly frowns. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking after her? She didn’t even tell me David attacked her, you know. Had to find out from Alex. Stupid girl.” Everly shakes her head. “Never could make good decisions for herself.”

My fists clench at my sides. Then Everly sways, giggling when I catch her. Her skin is cold.

“So strong. So handsome. Whatever happened between you and my girl?”

I sigh, leading Everly back into her house and to the kitchen. She’s always been a nasty woman, even before Francis turned abusive. But that doesn’t mean she’s deserved a single thing life has thrown in her face.

She just needs someone to care for her, Brooke used to say. My Daisy tried to be that person, but in the end, it was too painful for her to try to help a person who only ever tore her down.

On the kitchen counter, I notice an empty bottle of whiskey and the absence of a glass.

“How much was in that bottle before you started drinking, Everly?”

She sways, grabbing onto the counter. That’s when I look behind her and see the puke on the floor. “What bottle?”

“Everly.”

“What?” She looks ready to pass out. Or puke. Or both.

Shit. She’s not playing innocent, either. She’s genuinely confused.

I sigh. “Come one, Mrs. Hendricks. We need to get you to the hospital.”

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