Wretched (Never After Series)

Nobody asked what happened to the vase in the foyer, and I didn’t offer an explanation. But it’s been four days and I’ve been reeling with my emotions ever since. Truthfully, I’ve been cowering away in the cottage, because the next batch of pods are ready for lancing and it’s a perfect excuse to hide from the world and keep my impulses in check.

“Bug.”

My father’s voice rings out through the greenhouse and I pause, taking a deep breath before spinning to face him. I’m glad he’s here. Part of the reason why I’ve been locking myself away is to figure out how to approach the situation, to let him know I’m not okay with expanding. I don’t want to work with the Cantanellis. I don’t crave change the way he seems to need it.

Instead of meeting his eyes, I meet the sparkling browns of Dorothy.

My heart nosedives to the floor, cracking and splitting in two.

How could he bring her here?

I school the look on my face, not wanting her to know it bothers me. The very sight of her makes me rage, and it takes all of my willpower not to take the straightedge from the table and dig it into her eyeballs, so she can never look at me again.

This is my place. My sanctuary. The one spot I had to just be without worrying that others would come and find me.

And my father just ruined that.

The anger creeps in and I close my eyes, counting back from ten.

When I reopen them, I lick my lips. “What is she doing here?”

A large smile beams across her face. “I told you before, didn’t I? Dad’s showing me the ropes.”

“You said you couldn’t handle production,” he chimes in. “Meet your new protégé.”

“No thanks,” I bite. “I don’t need any help.”

The warmth on his face disappears entirely and he takes a step closer to me. “It wasn’t up for debate. Don’t forget who runs this, Eveline.”

His words are knives that slice through my middle like paper cuts.

“I’m not expanding.”

He blows out a deep breath and walks toward me. My spine stiffens as I stand my ground.

“Listen, I get what you want, I really do, but you need to understand where I’m—”

Crack. 

Blood coats the inside of my mouth, my cheek throbbing as my face is thrown to the side from the back of his hand.

He bends down close. “Now, because I love you and you’re my daughter, I’m going to let this… incident slide. But if you try me again, you’ll force my hand. You do a lot for me, but let’s not pretend you aren’t replaceable.”

My chest squeezes so tight I lose my breath.

“Understand?”

I close my eyes and nod, my body trembling from the rage that’s begging to escape.

“Good. I’ve added Dorothy to the security scanner. She’ll be back tomorrow to learn the ropes.”

I blink, and my vision blurs, but not enough to miss the way Dorothy grins before she turns around and follows our father as he leaves.

Ten. Nine. Eight…

“I need your help.”

Cody spins around in his chair, headphones wrapping his neck and blond hair spiked in a hundred different directions. “What else is new?”

He smiles, but I don’t, and his face morphs into something more serious.

I shake my head, not knowing where to begin, and honestly not sure how much I should tell him. After Dorothy and my dad left my greenhouse I wanted to grab my Desert Eagle and shoot them both in the head.

The idea still holds merit.

But I’d rather see my dad’s face as everything goes up in flames.

And Dorothy? I want to watch her burn.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

My legs shake, making the desk chair I’m sitting on swivel back and forth. “How long have we been friends?”

Cody rolls his eyes. “Feels like forever.”

“Can you be serious, please? I’m trying to open up to you here, which is what you’ve been asking me to do since you moved back—”

“Three years ago.”

I nod. “Right. Three years.”

“Longer if you count high school,” he notes.

“So I can trust you, right?”

His brows furrow and he uses his heels to push his chair forward, rolling across the ground until he’s close enough to take my hands in his.

My insides tense, not liking the touch, but I don’t pull away.

“You’re my best friend, babe.”

Swallowing, I nod. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

He gasps, throwing a hand to his heart. “I’m shocked. Let me guess, you’re fucking that Brayden guy?”

“I—what? No…” I shake my head. “Well, yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

He snaps his fingers, chuckling. “I knew it. I knew he was twisting you up.”

“That’s not what this is about,” I say. “I need you to hack into a security system for me.”

His brows rise at that, and he crosses his leg over the opposite knee, resting his chin in his hand. “Go on.”

“There are things important to me. Things I’d rather not allow my father or my sister to be able to access anymore until I’m ready for them to.”

“Like a safe?”

“Does it matter?”

He tilts his head. “Kind of.”

I exhale, my stomach somersaulting as I push the words off my lips. “It’s a greenhouse.”

He nods. “You want me to help keep your plants safe?”

“Yeah. It’s for… they’re poppies.”

He moves forward in his chair. “And why would there be a security system for some poppies, Evie?”

“It isn’t necessarily for the poppies.” I glance up at him. “It’s for the lab.”

He blinks, then his face changes, surprise filtering through his features. “You’re the flying monkey?”

“I’m the creator of The Flying Monkey,” I correct.

He whistles, shaking his head. “Damn. I should have known. Okay… tell me everything about it, and then I’ll get to work.”