Page 76 of Bad Mother

I kept tabs on Mother, my anger and confusion keeping pace with my loneliness. The big winner, my brother, achieved more and more success as he strategized and built his empire.

I had no empire. I had no success. I had nothing and no one. I had only memories that still sometimes made me scream in the middle of the night. Screams that went unheard by anyone other than the decaying bag of bones in the room three doors down.

I watched Mother, the pride in her eyes as she gazed upon her son. The one she’d chosen over me. The one she protected.

In some ways I understood why she’d chosen him. She must have seen in him all the things I lacked. He had her sky-blue eyes and her easy laugh. He was a master of cards just like her. He’d inherited the ability to effortlessly keep track of the ones that had already been played and intuit the likelihood of what would be drawn next. I watched him—I recognized what he was doing because I’d watched Mother do it too. Once upon a time. Long ago. I had tried. I’d practiced. But I simply didn’t possess that talent.

He was a game master.

He was a big winner.

He was who I wanted to be.

I was nothing but a hack.

An embarrassment.

Yes, no wonder Mother had chosen him and left me behind. But I had something he didn’t. I had Father’s ruthlessness. Or I could if I tried hard enough. I knew I could. Because the boiling heat I felt inside me wasrageat her abandonment when I’d still needed her. Rage at the man who’d lived the life I should have lived.

I’d start by punishing the very first ones Mother had chosen over me, the ones who’d helped her sneak and lie. And then I’d move on to the big winner and his detective. I’d make them pay. And I’d make her watch it as I did.

Oh yes, I’d make Mother see me. I’d make her look my way. I’d remind her that mothers who abandoned their children to monsters didn’t deserve to live.

Oh no. Oh God.She went to reach for her phone in her back pocket. She needed to call Gavin. She needed to call Kat.He has Mirabelle. He must.

Strong arms wrapped around her from behind, and she jerked, reaching for her weapon as a strong chemical smell invaded her airways. She smashed her head backward, making contact with the man holding her, and he let out a grunt, tightening his hold. She struggled, taking in big gulps of the chloroform-laced rag, her muscles growing heavier and heavier, tears stinging her eyes as she tried desperately to stay awake, tofight. Her weapon was so close... so close. She couldn’t make herself move.Oh God. Gavin.She folded, drooping to the ground, the words coming to her just before she lost consciousness.

“I knew you’d come here, Detective. I gambled on it.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Gavin pressed end and tossed his phone on the counter, his concern ratcheting a notch higher. Sienna had told him she’d text when she left his mom’s. He’d second-guessed himself, thinking maybe she’d meant she’d text when she left her house after showering and changing, and so he’d given it a little more time, but that had been an hour and a half ago. He’d tried Mirabelle’s number several times, too, to no response.

Had something come up regarding work? Still, though, wouldn’t she have let him know? He understood the nature of her job was that she dealt withemergencies, however, so he’d tried not to worry. And wasn’t succeeding.

His phone dinged as a text came through, and he grabbed for it when he saw Sienna’s name. His breath gusted out as he opened the message, his brows knitting.

Can you meet me at Argus’s? Come quickly. Come alone.

What?

He attempted to call her, but again, it went to voice mail.

Was something wrong with Argus? Or with his mom?

But if so, Sienna would call him. She wouldn’t send a cryptic text message.

He paused, trying to figure out what to do, and finally went to his safe and removed his gun and holster.

Come alone.

Sienna’s partner’s name was Kat, he was pretty sure. Should he try to call her? Or the police? The problem was, the police wouldn’t just meet him there and follow his instructions to stay out of sight and park three streets over in case he needed them.

Come alone.

What if not doing so put Sienna in danger in some way? If it wasn’t her texting him, then someone had her phone. Someone hadher.

And potentially his mother, too, because that was where Sienna had been headed. God, he shouldn’t have listened to his mom earlier. There’d been something in her voice. He’d passed it off as sickness, but... he should have gone there himself and checked on her whether she’d asked him to or not.

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