My stomach’sstill a knot of emotions as we walk into Faith’s mansion. Santos—Rafael—is the last brother to the family I unwittingly destroyed. The man who’s tried to hurt me, fuck, even kill me.
And I said I understood him.
What the fuck was I thinking? Understand him?Have I gone fucking soft?
“Hey, come back from the ledge. I can see you about to jump off into psycho land.” Faith waves a hand in front of my face, and I have half a mind to snap at her fingers.
Instead, I roll my eyes. They snag on the first shiny thing I see—they don’t go far. Everything’s shiny in here, and for a brief moment, I allow myself to take in the grandeur.
It’s gaudy, even for me.
The stairwell, a double-banistered piece, positioned at the entry’s center is decked in black carpet, gold flakes pressed into the dark wood. My mouth flops open when I pan back to thegirl who lives here in her black joggers and tattered pink sweater with the collar stretched over her shoulder.
“It’s—”
“Hideous? Ridiculous?” Faith waves me off.
“I was thinking slightly over the top.” Adalene smiles at her warmly, and I just stare. Are they always so…nice to each other?That can’t be fucking real.
“Hey! This guy’s insisting on parking my car like I’m incapable. Tell him to back the fuck off. I don’t know him and—” The fiery blonde vixen, a wide eyed baby on her hip, stomps into the entry, stopping short when she sees me. Her eyes flash between Faith and Adalene before landing back on me.
“Stetson,” Adalene says through gritted teeth.
“Uh—” Stetson’s brows draw together as she bites her tongue.
“Let William park your car. The poor guys worked here for years, and it’s one of the better jobs my mom expects him to do.” Faith dismisses us all, walking farther into the palace. Her blonde bun quickly disappears, and I don’t bother checking with the other girls before racing after her.
I’m afraid of very little in this life, but I don’t know the first thing about girls.
“Faith, the blonde one looks like she might bite,” I whisper shout as she walks straight for the kitchen, just like she does at my house.
Faith looks over her shoulder at me with a deadpan expression.
“You’re not my type. Faith, this house is more horrible than you described. I can’t believe you have to live in this museum.” Stetson hoists the baby higher on her hip, and the little girl giggles, grabbing a fist full of Stetson’s braid and shoving it in her slobbery mouth.
I unwittingly gawk. I’ve never been around kids, and seeing one this close feels like looking through a magic mirror into a world I’ll never live in.
“Stetson, for the love of God, can’t you be nice for once?” Adalene scowls at her, snatching the baby off her hip. There’s a familiarity between them, like sisters, and the ache in my chest intensifies.
“Trust me, when this place becomes mine, I’m burning it to the ground.” Faith pulls a platter of meats and cheeses out of the fridge, setting it on the black marble counter, veins of gold running through it in a pattern reminiscent of the banister.Seems to be a theme around here.
I pop a grape in my mouth before looking around. It’s all black and gold, pristine, a museum, just like Stetson said. As I look closer, I realize there’s a thick layer of dust coating every item, even the stools gathered around the bar top. It’s eerie, like a haunted house, and a shiver rips down my spine.
“Nothing like some ghosts to make me forget my problems.” I mumble around another grape.
“Ghosts and tequila; what could go wrong?” Adalene winks at me, and I stare at her in confusion. Am I supposed to wink back? Forget everything that’s happened between us?
What’s the protocol here?
“Tequila, then ghosts, but only after I get caught up on the drama from this morning—Gus told me we weren’t invited, but it went down.” Stetson looks at me as she takes a glass from Faith’s steady hand, pouring golden liquid as she waits.Does she expect me to tell her what happened?“That’s you, Red. Spill. It’s what we do at these things: get drunk and swap horror stories.”
Adalene slaps her hand over her face, rolling her eyes as she drags it downward. “You’re a fucking nightmare, you know that?”
“It’s okay. I, uh, I’ve never had friends. You’ll have to tell me the rules as we go.”It’s no great confession; surely, they know I’m a loner.
But Faith still squeezes my elbow as she hands me a glass, and I give her small smile, hoping against all hope I’m not royally fucking this up yet.
Stetson stares back at me for several tense seconds and then cracks into a grin so wide, the corners of her eyes crinkle. “Red, welcome to the Damaged Darlins, the self-proclaimed fucked up crew of misfits of Moztecha, Texas.”
