“Did they ever find who ran your mother off the road?” She asks, a triumphant grin on her face.
I pushed her back. “What are you playing at, Bianca?”
“Who says I’m playing? I just wanted to give you a little insight, the closure you never had.” She pouts.
“I knew your mother. In fact, I watched her for months while she worked. She never once recognized me; she would tell me all about her wonderful daughter. At first, I was curious about her, then it turned to hate. Your mother is the reason mine is dead. So, I thought it is only fitting that I let you know the same pain.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t even know you.” I tell her.
“Of course, you don’t, how could you? But when you started working under Tobias and Theo, I could tell straight away you were their mate, I couldn’t take it. It infuriated me, watching them, watching you. And you were completely unaware of the effect you had on them. Your family, once again, taking from mine. What’s the saying? Like mother, like daughter. So, I decided I would take something from you.”
I don’t like where this conversation is going, my brain tries to come up with anything to make sense of her words.
“So, when I saw your mother leaving work that day, I followed her. She was singing happily to the horrendous music coming from her stereo when I plowed into her. You should have seen the look on her face when I got out of the car and walked over to her. She honestly thought I was her friend. I went to finish the job, killing her there on the spot when people started coming out while I tried to squeeze the life out of her. So, instead, I broke her neck, but even that didn’t kill her. Your mother was a tough bitch, I will give her that.”
I take a step forward clutching the lamp.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, you don’t stand a chance. But wow that feels so good to get off my chest, like a weight lifted. Do you feel better, Imogen, knowing the truth? Did it give you closure?” She says, stepping impossibly close.
I want to kill the bitch, want to rip those hairs off her head and skin her alive. Only I know she has the power here and she won. The triumphant smile that breaks out on her face, as my tears start to brim makes me want to smash her face till there is nothing left of it.
“I can’t wait to see the heart ache on their faces when they come home and realize their mate killed herself, so weak and pathetic like her mother,” she says before she grabs me, her hands going around my throat and squeezing as she lifts my feet off the floor, my legs kicking at air, as I struggle to breathe.
I claw at her hands, trying to loosen her grip. My head is becoming light from the lack of air. Giving up on clawing at her hands, I instead jam my thumbs in her eyes, digging in deep, I can feel the slimy feeling of her eyeballs as my thumbs glide into the sockets. She releases me, dropping me on the floor and clutching at her eyes and screaming.
“You fucking bitch!” She screams, making me look up at her.
She moves toward me, her foot swings back as she goes to kick me where I lay on the floor, I even brace myself for it when her strangled scream breaks out in the room, everything happens so fast I’m sure I imagine it. One second, she is aiming her kick, the next she is thrown backwards. I sag in relief when I realize it is Caroline. She grabs Bianca by her hair, ripping her upright before dragging her towards the door.
“You can’t kill me,” Bianca laughs.
“No, I can’t but that doesn’t mean I can’t teach you some respect,” she says, before throwing her through the door and into the shed. I can hear Bianca screaming and begging as Caroline does god knows what to the woman. I stand up just as she walks into the room again, dusting off her clothes.
“Are you okay, Imogen?” She asks. I nod but I’m not alright, that bitch killed my mother, took the only person I had left away from me, for reasons I don’t know. How could anyone be alright after learning that information? I feel tears start to brim before flowing over.
Caroline’s arms wrap around me, pulling me close. “There, there, child she can’t hurt you anymore. I’m here now,” she whispers soothingly.
“She killed my mom,” I whisper between sobbing.
I feel Caroline freeze before pushing me at arm’s length. “What did you just say?”
“She killed my mom, said it is to pay back for my mother killing hers.” Caroline looks just as confused as I feel about Bianca’s reasoning. My mother would never take anything from anyone, she was a good woman and a great mom to me.
Caroline pulls me back towards her, hugging me tighter. “We need to leave; we can figure out everything else later. But for now, we have to go before they come home,” she tells me. I nod and let her drag me to the car. When I get in the silver Audi, I notice a woman sitting in the passenger seat. Caroline ducks inside to grab my suitcase.
The woman has an eerie feeling about her, she isn’t that old, she looks around my age but there is something off about her. Her energy is off, I can’t explain it. She doesn’t scare me, but it is like I can literally feel the power rolling off of her. She turns in her seat, flicking her auburn hair over her shoulder and peers back at me. Her pale blue eyes flick to mine before she smiles softly.
“You must be Imogen, I am Claire,” she says, reaching over the seat to shake my hand.