humiliation. “I wasn’t spying for her!”
Mia took in more details. The teen had jet-black hair, the color that could have come only from a bottle, and a cheap one at that. It was long, hanging in her pasty white face. Her makeup consisted of thick black eyeliner and black gloss, both of which had run in the rain. She wore a myriad of silver hoops up one ear and a brow piercing. “I don’t know what this is about,” Mia said. “But I’m busy.”
“You’re going to want to hear this.” Kevin gently but firmly pushed the teen inside past Mia, following uninvited into her foyer.
Kevin let go of the girl, who crossed her arms over herself and hunched her bony shoulders, the two of them dripping on her floor. “Tell her,” he said to the teen, who rolled her lips inward. “Oh, now you go mum. Great. Nice.” His lip was a little puffy, and there was that bruise beneath his eye, and he looked like maybe he’d come to the end of his patience. “You’re done screaming holy murder then?”
“You grabbed me!”
“You were in my house. In my bedroom. Searching my drawers!”
Mia shook her head. “She was breaking and entering? Why didn’t you call the cops?”
Kevin sent her a scathing look. Nope, he was definitely done lusting after her. “You ever been to juvy, Mia? Not a friendly place. I just want to get to the bottom of this, and I want to get there now.”
“But I have no idea…” Mia started, breaking off when the teen let out a harsh laugh that might have doubled as a sob.
The girl stood there, skinny and scrawny and maybe all of sixteen, quivering in her black lace-up boots as the sound escaped her lips again. Confused, Mia turned to Kevin, whose eyes were downright chilly.
“Are you really that self-absorbed,” he asked, “that you don’t recognize your own niece?”
Chapter Five
M ia stared at Kevin as the words sank in, then turned back to the girl.
Much of the teen’s bravado had faded away. With the heavy black of her eyeliner and mascara smudged beneath her eyes and all that stringy black hair in her face, she looked like an Addams Family reunion reject. She was nibbling on a chipped black fingernail, already chewed to the nub.
“What’s your name?” Mia asked hoarsely.
The girl shrugged, and though she looked like a drowned rat, it did nothing to dispel the obvious fact that she had a major attitude.
Kevin divided a look between them, then turned to the teen. “So she didn’t know? She had no idea you were in my place?”
“Of course I didn’t—” Mia started, stopping in shock when he held up a hand in her face.
“I was talking to the kid,” he said.
Yeah, and he’d be talking to her fist, except…She stared at the girl. “Your name?”
Once again the girl pressed her lips together.
“Tell her,” Kevin said, nudging her, though doing so with a clear gentleness. He seemed so tall and big next to her, almost formidable, a definite contrast to the sexy lover and basketball player Mia had already seen.
The girl looked up at him, silently imploring.
“Tell her,” Kevin said again in that same infinitely patient but inexorable tone.
He had a voice on him—Mia would give him that—the kind that could coax the most saintly to sin, the law-abiding to throw caution to the wind, and a woman to forget her inhibitions. She thought of him teaching, talking to teenagers, and she had to admit, he could probably sell the most boring textbook ever written.
It certainly had sold her last night. One naughty, wicked word from those lips to her ears and she’d been gone.
The girl reacted by sidling slightly closer to him as she looked at Mia. “Hope,” she whispered.
Mia leaned in. “You hope what?”
A glare was her only answer.
“Her name is Hope,” Kevin clarified.
And Mia froze. “Hope… Appleby ?”
Her answer was the universal gaze teenagers all over the country had perfected, the one which said Fuck off and die, but before you do, please take care
Mia took in more details. The teen had jet-black hair, the color that could have come only from a bottle, and a cheap one at that. It was long, hanging in her pasty white face. Her makeup consisted of thick black eyeliner and black gloss, both of which had run in the rain. She wore a myriad of silver hoops up one ear and a brow piercing. “I don’t know what this is about,” Mia said. “But I’m busy.”
“You’re going to want to hear this.” Kevin gently but firmly pushed the teen inside past Mia, following uninvited into her foyer.
Kevin let go of the girl, who crossed her arms over herself and hunched her bony shoulders, the two of them dripping on her floor. “Tell her,” he said to the teen, who rolled her lips inward. “Oh, now you go mum. Great. Nice.” His lip was a little puffy, and there was that bruise beneath his eye, and he looked like maybe he’d come to the end of his patience. “You’re done screaming holy murder then?”
“You grabbed me!”
“You were in my house. In my bedroom. Searching my drawers!”
Mia shook her head. “She was breaking and entering? Why didn’t you call the cops?”
Kevin sent her a scathing look. Nope, he was definitely done lusting after her. “You ever been to juvy, Mia? Not a friendly place. I just want to get to the bottom of this, and I want to get there now.”
“But I have no idea…” Mia started, breaking off when the teen let out a harsh laugh that might have doubled as a sob.
The girl stood there, skinny and scrawny and maybe all of sixteen, quivering in her black lace-up boots as the sound escaped her lips again. Confused, Mia turned to Kevin, whose eyes were downright chilly.
“Are you really that self-absorbed,” he asked, “that you don’t recognize your own niece?”
Chapter Five
M ia stared at Kevin as the words sank in, then turned back to the girl.
Much of the teen’s bravado had faded away. With the heavy black of her eyeliner and mascara smudged beneath her eyes and all that stringy black hair in her face, she looked like an Addams Family reunion reject. She was nibbling on a chipped black fingernail, already chewed to the nub.
“What’s your name?” Mia asked hoarsely.
The girl shrugged, and though she looked like a drowned rat, it did nothing to dispel the obvious fact that she had a major attitude.
Kevin divided a look between them, then turned to the teen. “So she didn’t know? She had no idea you were in my place?”
“Of course I didn’t—” Mia started, stopping in shock when he held up a hand in her face.
“I was talking to the kid,” he said.
Yeah, and he’d be talking to her fist, except…She stared at the girl. “Your name?”
Once again the girl pressed her lips together.
“Tell her,” Kevin said, nudging her, though doing so with a clear gentleness. He seemed so tall and big next to her, almost formidable, a definite contrast to the sexy lover and basketball player Mia had already seen.
The girl looked up at him, silently imploring.
“Tell her,” Kevin said again in that same infinitely patient but inexorable tone.
He had a voice on him—Mia would give him that—the kind that could coax the most saintly to sin, the law-abiding to throw caution to the wind, and a woman to forget her inhibitions. She thought of him teaching, talking to teenagers, and she had to admit, he could probably sell the most boring textbook ever written.
It certainly had sold her last night. One naughty, wicked word from those lips to her ears and she’d been gone.
The girl reacted by sidling slightly closer to him as she looked at Mia. “Hope,” she whispered.
Mia leaned in. “You hope what?”
A glare was her only answer.
“Her name is Hope,” Kevin clarified.
And Mia froze. “Hope… Appleby ?”
Her answer was the universal gaze teenagers all over the country had perfected, the one which said Fuck off and die, but before you do, please take care
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