Whiskey Witches, F.J. Blooding [ap literature book list .TXT] 📗

“Paige?” Rachel asked in surprise. “You’re calling early. Do you have a date?”

Guilt flared in Paige’s chest. Was she being selfish for calling early? She just wanted to take a bath, let some of the pain ebb before she went to bed, maybe push the nightmares aside for one night. “No. Just calling early. That’s all.”

“Well, Leah’s in the middle of something right now. I could interrupt her if that would make you happy.”

Paige ground her jaw. What could she do? Argue with the woman? What good would that do? Every time she stood up to her, Rachel used Leah as a hostage, buying Paige’s submission. “Fine. I’ll call back later.”

“Wait,” Rachel said quickly before Paige could hang up. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something without Leah here.”

Paige raised an angry eyebrow. “What? Need more money?”

“What did I ever do to you?” Rachel admonished. “All I ever did was love you.”

Paige kept herself silent for fear of losing her chance this evening.

“I want you to come up some weekend. Soon,” Rachel said.

That threw Paige completely off-guard. “What?” Hope flared painfully in her chest, poking at the numbness she so desperately needed to cope.

“Leah misses you and I was just thinking that it would be really good for her.” Rachel paused. “I didn’t want to mention it in front of her. You know how you are. You’re never on time and were never dependable.”

She was as dependable as she could be. Sometimes traffic or work on a new case would interfere, but she tried to—she shook her head. Paige always tried to be dependable.

“It hurt Leah more than she ever let on that you didn’t come home when you said you would.”

“But—”

“Just because you gave birth to this little girl doesn’t make you a mother. There’s more to being a mother than having a job.”

Guilt pounded through her like a gilded hammer. “I did the best I could.”

Rachel’s tone turned silky sweet. “I know you did, baby. I should have been there for you more when you were growing up. I should have shown you how to be a better mother.”

Paige leaned up against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, said nothing.

“Okay. You don’t need to say anything.” Hurt laced her words. “I understand.”

“What do you want me to say, Rachel?” Paige asked, her voice slipping. “You abandoned us when I was ten.”

“You just had to throw that in my face, didn’t you?” she said, sniffling. “Can you be up here this weekend?”

“That’s tomorrow. I can’t afford the plane ticket with that little advance. Even if I got in the car now, I doubt I’d make it in time to get up there and come back in time to get to work.”

“Work. It’s always work with you, isn’t it?”

“Someone has to pay the bills. You don’t.”

The line was silent. “I’m trying to help you.”

Paige swallowed. “How about next weekend? Gives me time to talk to my boss, get a day off. I’ll drive up there and then drive back.”

Rachel clicked her tongue. “Sounds fine. You can’t stay here, though. I can’t run the risk that you’d steal her in the middle of the night.”

Like you did? “Of course. I expected nothing less.”

“Paige.” Dexx fought to regain control of his body. Something tied his arm to hers. The rune? The demon? Why would the demon want him to see this? Dexx had to get her to wake up. Had to get her back. Just…fucking…how? “Come on! Wake up.”

“Dexx?” Paige asked, her voice tight with tears. “What is this? What’s happening?”

“I need you to wake up.”

“Is this real?” she whispered.

He grimaced. “Yes.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, God.” She closed her eyes.

She had drove days straight without stopping for more than gas and sleep. She called Rachel to let her know she had made it into town and to ask if it was okay to come straight over. Rachel had been cheerful when she’d said okay. Too cheerful. A sinking feeling filled Paige’s stomach, but she pulled up in front of her mother’s house, a tall beast built onto the side of the mountain itself.

Hope loomed heavily in her chest as she walked up the steep concrete stairs to the front door. Would Leah be happy to see her? Would Rachel allow them to play games or sit and hold each other? Would they be allowed to talk? How tall had she grown? She was almost four. What size pants was she wearing? Was her favorite color still pink?

She clutched Leah’s early birthday gift a little tighter. She'd spent two hours trying to pick out the perfect gift, not knowing when she’d be allowed to see her daughter again. It had to be perfect, something Leah would want to keep with her, to remember her by. She took in a calming breath and knocked on the door, pasting on a hopeful smile. She heard footsteps and the doorknob rattle. Nervous excitement shot through her. Did she still like daisies? Had she grown out of Blue’s Clues? Did she like Dora the Explorer? Was she into Barbie yet, or My Little Pony? Did she like Care Bears or maybe Rainbow Bright? It was coming back. So was Strawberry Shortcake.

“Ms. Paige Whiskey?” a male voice said.

Paige looked up in surprise to see a uniformed officer standing in the doorway. “Yes.”

“What are you doing here?”

Paige’s mouth opened and that sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach grew. “Rachel invited me up for the weekend. She said I could spend some time with my daughter.” She knew. She knew what going on. She saw the trap for what it was now.

“Please don’t do this,” she whispered, her eyes filling with hopeless and heart-broken tears. “Please.”

“Ms. Whiskey,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave now.”

Silent sobs wracked her body as she shook her head. “No. Rachel told me to come. She said I could see my daughter. Please, don’t do this.”

“I have a restraining order. You were supposed to have been served with it yesterday.”

“I was on the road yesterday. Rachel knew this. I called her when I left.”

“If you don’t leave now, I’m going to have to arrest you.”

Paige looked up to the sky as tears fell from her eyes. “Can I—can I just see her?”

He looked at her, his dark eyes filled with sympathy as he shook his head. “You know the law.”

She tried to still her sobs as she attempted to look behind him. “I’ve been driving two days for this.” She looked him in the eye. “Please. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Whiskey,” he said, opening the screen door and taking her arm. “Really, I am.”

As soon as he stepped through the door, Paige was able to see her.

She’d grown. The top of her blonde head was even with Rachel’s abdomen. Her hair was in poofy pigtails and she wore a bright blue shirt with matching shorts.

Her baby.

Rachel wrapped her arm around Leah’s shoulders. The woman’s expression was smug.

Leah’s expression was…crushed.

Paige broke. She reached for the door even as the officer pulled her away. “Leah.”

“Momma!” Leah screamed with all the sorrow and heart-ache one little girl could muster.

“Leah!” Paige cried, trying to fight the officer, trying to get one last glimpse of her girl. “I just want to hug her. Please, just let me hold her.”

“I’m sorry,” the officer said, taking his arm around her middle and practically carrying her down the steps.

“Momma!” Leah screamed again.

“Leah,” Paige cried. “I love you.” She twisted in the officer’s arm. “I got you a present.”

“Stop. Paige.” Dexx ran up to the officer holding her. “I’ve got her. I’ll take over from here.”

“Just keep her away from the house,” the officer said. “Or I will have to arrest her.”

“Yeah,” he said, fighting her resisting, sobbing body. “I’ve got her.”

She knew what she had to do.

The vision stopped.

“Oh, God.”

The link between their arms broke with a sudden release.

Dexx rolled off the bed and stood, crouched, in the middle of the room, breathing hard as if he’d gone rounds with the demon.

Instead, he’d lived with Paige through one of the worst moments of her life.

A sick pit widened in Dexx’s stomach.

The demon was using those memories as his door, the chink in Paige’s armor.

The demon was going to strip her of the wards and memory blockers. It was going to use her rage as his way in.

Jesus Christ. They were so screwed.