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CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Kate
“Iheard a rumor that Marcus Matthews is going to be here tonight,” Brandi says from the lounge chair she’s lying on.
My sunglasses slide down my nose. “The guy from that vampire hunter show?”
“Yeah, Fangs For Hire.” She smirks. “He’s a vampire who hunts other vampires. I’ve seen all six seasons, and I swear he gets hotter with each one.”
“Why would he be here?”
Her lips fumble for the bright green straw hanging out of her margarita. Cheeks hollowing, she takes a long sip. “I dunno, but that man can suck my neck all he wants.”
I shove my toes into her calf, eliciting more laughter. “Me first!”
“Don’t worry, we can share.” Brandi waggles her brows.
My phone buzzes inside the canvas bag Damon gave me yesterday.
“You’re a bad, bad girl,” I tease, blindly swiping around for the device.
When I see my mother’s name scrolling across the screen of my phone, any humor I felt swiftly dissipates. I’ve been forwarding her calls all day, but if I don’t answer now, there’s a good chance she’ll find a way to alert the Topican police of my disappearance.
“I need to take this. I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”
Brandi lazily waves a hand. “I’m actually gonna head up to get ready. I’ll see you at dinner?”
Slipping on my sandals, I manage a nod. “Yeah, for sure.”
My pulse thunders so wildly that when I move to stand, my hands begin to shake.
I almost don’t answer.
Almost.
“Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
Her voice is unnaturally calm. “Don’t take such a careless tone with me, young lady. It’s been nearly two weeks, and we’ve heard next to nothing from you or when you’re returning home.”
I knew this was inevitable, but I was hoping my stalling would save me at least until I returned to Georgia. “Mom—”
“How could you be so selfish? Do you know how worried I’ve been about you?”
Funny, there hasn’t been a single text or call from her expressing as much.
My tone turns cold when I remark, “Worried about me or your precious wedding?”
She pauses long enough to recover.
“I will not stand for you embarrassing this family, Katelynn. Henry has provided safety and sanction for each of us for years, and you repay him by running away?”
Anger burns like a hot iron in my gut. I briefly wonder what it would be like to have a mother who was gentle and kind. One who would have kissed our scuffed knees and chased monsters from our closets.
Does she love me? Sure. I bet deep down beneath all her Vera Wang diamonds and Prada apparel, there’s a warm little spot in her heart just for me.
The trouble is, it’s the size of a pea, and I’ve outgrown it.
“You know that’s not what I’m trying to do, but you’ve been forcing all these plans on me, and I just needed a second to breathe. Some time to figure out what I want. Is that truly so hard for you to understand?”
