For almost three hours he didn’t so much as twitch – other than when he called me over for some stupid mundane bullshit. There had to be something wrong with his ass muscles, right? That was the only explanation I could think of. Not that I was thinking about his ass or anything. I was simply concerned for his rear end health, and maybe a little for my ability to continue breathing.
There was something seriously unnerving about a man who could stay that still for so long. On the upside, Gio had a promising future as a living statue. Atlee was another story. He only lasted about an hour, before saying he had something to do.
I assumed the something was someone. Thanks to Memphis, I knew way more about Atlee’s reputation than I wanted to. Like details, names, and other things that Memphis shouldn’t know. Apparently any part of the body could be tattooed, including the family jewels.
My best friend may have his nose poked in everyone’s business, but I had something he didn’t. A nice pornographic image that Atlee drew on a napkin and gave me before he left. The idiot did have skills. The attention to detail, like the veins in the dick and shape of a mouth when stretched open were top notch. And slightly disturbing.
I rounded the corner to our trailer and immediately cocked a brow.
There were plenty of things I expected to see on this block. Mr. Garabaldi chasing some vermin in his bathrobe around the yard. Winnie enjoying some moonshine while trying to surf across her fence – which was also made of plastic – or those little pissants Billy and Kyle slinking around in the shadows. What I didn't expect to see was my sister dancing barefoot in the moonlight.
Surprise morphed into confusion as I stared out the windshield, trying to comprehend what I was seeing. Was I dreaming? Did I take something I forgot about? Deluded, drunk or asleep was the only place where my sister smiled anymore. And she certainly didn’t twirl around outside in a pink nightgown.
This was the same girl that hid in her room for three days because someone knocked on the door while she was home alone. She’d improved a lot since then. But not singingTwinkle Twinkle Little Starin the moonlight improved.
Dumbfounded didn’t even begin to explain how I felt. I barely even noticed Veda’s friend Rita standing on the deck with her hands on her hips.
My first instinct when I climbed out of the truck was to look for the baby. Even though I knew it was wishful thinking, I hoped to find Knox sitting in the grass. Maybe he wanted some fresh air with his lullaby, or something. That would explain someof Veda’s behavior. But the baby wasn’t anywhere to be seen. He was probably already asleep.
That did not bode well for this situation.
I’d never wanted to see my nephew more than when I headed for the crappy plastic gate I was terrified to open. What exactly was I walking into? And more importantly how would it end? That was the part that made me swallow down a lump of dread.
“Nova,” Veda sang and rushed over to throw her arms around my waist.
The weight of that hug was so suffocating that I missed the pain of Gio’s hand around my neck. His hate I could take. Hell, I wanted it. It was easy to ignore that. But this… The bright twinkle in my sister’s eyes was more heartbreaking than anything Gio Mancini could do.
“Come dance with me,” Veda grabbed my hand and pulled me into the middle of the yard. “It’s so beautiful out.”
I forced a smile on my face, “yes, it is.”
And so was she, all happy and beaming. Oh how I missed that look on her face. It was the one thing that could cheer me up when I had a bad day. And now, all I could think as I watched my sister’s hazelnut hair fan out while she spun around was, is this it? Was this the moment I’d been dreading for two years? When there was nothing more I could do for my sister other than watch doctors lock her away.
Veda closed her eyes and tipped her chin up to the sky. “I love how fresh the air smells.”
As broken as she was, I couldn’t lose her too.
My hand trembled as I reached out to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. For just a moment she was my sister again. Full of life and ready to take on the world. It was a reminder of what could’ve been. A mocking glimpse at the woman Veda should’ve grown into. Like all illusions, this one would fade into hard reality, and this moment was too cruel to bare.
“Veda…” a weight pressed down on my chest when her eyes opened and locked on mine.
That dark void that swallowed my sister up, was still there behind the fake life etched in her expression.
It physically hurt to ask, “what are you doing out here?”
A part of me hoped that Veda would say something to let me know that the girl I grew up with was still in there somewhere. Another part didn’t want her to answer. I wasn’t ready to face the ramifications of what might happen.
Confusion wasn’t one of the emotions I thought would come when she opened her mouth to talk.
“I can smell colors out here.”
Smell colors?“What?”
That’s when I realized that this wasn’t some psycho happy moment, signifying her inevitable breakdown. Veda’s pupils were dilated and that hazy smile wasn’t mentally induced. It was drug induced. My sister was high. And there was only one person I could think of who would’ve given her something. Rita Evans, my sister’s so-called best friend.
With a sigh, I swung my gaze to the girl standing on the deck. “Did you drug her?”
“Of course.” Rita stated like it was a perfectly normal act.
