Total pages in book: 149
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 740(@200wpm)___ 592(@250wpm)___ 493(@300wpm)
But instead of showing any sign of remorse or regret, a strange sort of hunger filled Vince’s face.
Oh God.
This was worse than she’d thought. Nausea bubbled in her stomach. He was taking pleasure in her pain.
No . . . in the pain that he’d caused her.
As quickly as that look entered his face, it disappeared.
Had she imagined it?
Maybe she was overreacting. She was tired. She hadn’t slept.
“Did you spray paint my garage door?” she blurted out.
It probably wasn’t wise. But Maya wasn’t known for being wise. She was known for being rash, impatient, and annoying.
Well, that’s what her stepmother liked to tell her. Along with some stronger words.
Like ridiculous, worthless, and stupid.
Vince’s eyes widened then narrowed. “Someone spray-painted your garage door? What did it say? And you think I did that? I’m insulted. I’m an officer of the law.”
“Should an officer of the law bruise me? Have tried to pull me into his car? What were you planning on doing to me?”
“Careful, Maya. You’re becoming delusional. I don’t know what you’re talking about but if you go around telling people this false story, then I’m going to have to do something.”
Great.
A shiver ran up her spine. That was a threat if ever she heard one.
“Because I would never touch you in anger or abuse my powers as a police officer, would I? I’d certainly never spray paint private property. That would be illegal and what reason would I have to do that?”
And who would believe her over him? Not her father. Not her stepbrothers.
Vince was their friend and colleague. In fact, she was pretty sure that her father saw him as another son.
Maya was on shaky ground here.
She felt like she was walking into a den of vipers. Which was an awful feeling when this was where she’d grown up.
“Vince? Who is it?”
And there was the biggest viper of them all.
A shudder ran through her.
Her stepmother appeared behind Vince. She was made-up like always. Her hair was pale blonde. it was never allowed to show any gray. It was shiny and bouncy, the curls round and perfect. She never had a hair out of place.
Her eyes were a cold black-blue, much like the depths of the ocean. Or at least that was what Maya imagined. Pale skin with few wrinkles or splotches. The woman didn’t even seem real. She was tall and thin. Everything she did was so calculated and precise. She never made a mistake.
And she kind of terrified Maya.
The worst thing about her was that other people didn’t see her evil side. They all lauded her as a pillar of the community. And she did do a lot of good deeds. She was on committees for a number of charities. She raised money for sick children and veterans.
She’d even received accolades for her charity work.
But from the moment she’d moved in, she’d made it clear to Maya that she wasn’t wanted. That they would never be friends or even just acquaintances.
They were enemies.
Kathryn had managed to sever the last of her relationship with her father. Now, it felt like he was a stranger that she talked to occasionally.
And he certainly didn’t make much of an effort.
Kathryn put her hand on Vince’s arm as she stepped up beside him. He turned toward her. There was a look on his face that Maya couldn’t quite decipher.
It almost looked like . . . adoration? Love?
What the hell?
But when Vince turned back to her that look was gone. Maybe he wasn’t a psychopath. Surely a psychopath would be better at hiding his true thoughts than that.
Just an asshole then.
“Maya, we were expecting you fifteen minutes ago.”
The censure was thinly disguised behind a level of politeness.
Very. Thinly.
Someone else might not pick up the disapproval in Kathryn’s face. But she’d had years of practice at this.
“My apologies. I was here fifteen minutes ago, perhaps you missed me ringing the doorbell. I’ve just been having a lovely chat with Vince. He’s just a regular chatterbox, as I’m sure you know.”
Kathryn pressed her lips together before smiling. Her smile didn’t reach those dark eyes. But then Maya wasn’t sure that she’d ever seen her smile reach her eyes.
Deep breath.
Kathryn is not the devil incarnate.
Maya was aware that she liked to cast her stepmother as the villain but it was a bit cliché, wasn’t it?
“Yes, I suppose he is,” Kathryn said. “He does like you, after all.”
Gross. No, he didn’t. He liked to torment her. To scare her. To hurt her.
This time Kathryn’s smile seemed more genuine. Great, obviously her fear was on her face.
Shit.
Get it together, Maya.
She drew her shield around her to keep her safe.
“So? Are you planning on leaving me on the doorstep all day or am I allowed in? I do have an appointment after all.”
The smile disappeared off Kathryn’s face and she frowned. “There is no reason to be rude, Maya. You know that you never need an appointment to visit here. It’s your home.”