Page 78 of Bad Men

My heart sank.

I had no memory of having been holding my breath until it burst out in a rush at the sight of my Aunt Victoria and Liana standing on the threshold.

My cousin, a gorgeous brunette with Bambi eyes and a small, round face resembled no one in our family. Even standing next to her tall, imposing mother, she appeared small and fragile, a dainty bundle of warmth and love. But Aunt Victoria was a daunting woman with hard, black eyes, pursed, severe lips and a posture that could make a ruler jealous. Since the death of Liana’s father eight years before, she’d settled on a stern, black wardrobe that suited a widower of the eighteen hundreds. Her dark hair was pulled back tight from her face and twisted into a harsh bun at the back of her head. The rigid strain pulled back the skin on her face, elongating the corners of her eyes.

Aunt Victoria was my dad’s older sister. He used to tell me that she hadn’t always been uptight, but that was hard to believe when it was the only side of her I knew. In contrast, Liana was a ray of sunshine.

But that light seemed to be missing. There were dark rings beneath her bloodshot eyes and a downward tilt to her mouth.

“Hello, Uncle Luis. Has there been any news?”

“Properly!” Aunt Victoria chastised without taking her attention off her brother.

Liana straightened. “Hola tio Luis. Hay noticias?”

My father opened his mouth to speak but Liana took that moment to spot me hovering at the top of the stairs. Her eyes brightened even as she charged past him and sprinted towards me.

“Mia!”

I hadn’t realized how much I needed a hug until she’d engulfed me in her scent of pine, soil, and sunshine.

“You’re home!” she breathed around a sniffle. “I’ve been up all night worried sick.” She pulled back to search my face, big eyes enormous and wet behind her glasses. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, refusing to speak when the lump in my throat brought tears to my eyes. She must have seen it because she squeezed my arms and nudged me upstairs.

Neither of us spoke as we reached my room.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she exclaimed the moment my bedroom door closed us in. “Did they kidnap you? Did they hurt you?”

I took a seat on my bed, mind whirling and tired. Even my anger was tired. I just felt used up and empty all over like a pumpkin the day after Halloween. My whole body wanted to rest, to skip the rest of that day, but there was no way. This would not simply go away. Tomorrow would not be easier. I couldn’t change that, but I hoped I could make at least one person understand why I did the things I did. So, I told her everything. Maybe I had to tell someone and why not my best friend? But I spilled it all out, even the part about making a deal with them to cover the missing amount my family owed. When I got to the end, Liana stared at me with guilt and remorse. Her gaze lowered to her fidgeting fingers, a nervous tick she’d had since we were kids.

“What?” I pressed.

The muscle under her right eye twitched. “I know why your parents were late.”

I stared at her, baffled. “Why? How do you know?”

Liana pulled in a deep breath and moved to take the spot next to me.

“Your dad called my mom a couple of weeks back asking if he could borrow some money.” She nervously met my eyes. “You know my mom would if we had it, but he was asking for a lot.”

I tried to think why. We hadn’t had any new expenses. None of us were working less hours, if anything, dad had pulled doubles every day for a week the previous week. We shouldn’t have been short.

“Did he tell her why?”

Liana hesitated. “I thought you knew.”

“Knew what?”

Her pause was longer this time before she whispered, “Your mom’s treatment.”

I blinked. “What treatment? What are you talking about? The pills?”

Liana shook her head. One finger lifted and lightly poked her glasses back up her nose. “The pills aren’t working as much anymore. They’re not a cure and she’s been on them a lot longer than she should be.”

Nausea pooled at the back of my throat, collecting across my tongue until I was sure I was going to be sick.

“Why has no one told me any of this?” I cried at long last.

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