Page 82 of Broken Princess
She winced as she rubbed her back again. “I’ll be fine. I hit that table very hard, though.”
“You should sit down for a while,” I said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Come with me.”
I escorted her to the sitting room and helped her onto her usual spot on the sofa. Then I gave her a warm smile and reached into my pocket to grab two small white capsules. “I actually have some Tylenol on me. Thought I might need it for the hangover this morning,” I said. “It should help with any pain.”
She accepted the capsules with a grateful expression. “Thank you, darling. It’s aching quite a lot.”
“I can’t believe that idiotic maid. She could knock someone down a flight of stairs with that clumsiness.”
My mother sniffed. “I know. It’s so hard to find good help these days, no matter how much money you throw at them. People just don’t want to work hard anymore.”
“Yeah. Did you notice how she didn’t even apologize?”
Mom’s brows gathered together. “Yes, I did notice,” she said in a venomous tone. “Honestly, I’m wondering if we should fire her for that attitude alone.”
“I think we should,” I said, nodding gravely. “Do you want me to get her in here?”
“Yes, please.”
I headed over to the door and flung it open. “Speak of the devil,” I muttered, glancing back at my mother over my shoulder. “She’s right down the hall dusting a painting.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Call her in.”
I turned back to the door. “Hey, you!” I shouted down the hall. “Get in here!”
Willow scurried inside, head down and hands clasped in front of her.
I slammed the door behind her and locked it before standing right in front of it to block the exit. “Do you know why you’re here?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest.
Willow nodded and raised her eyes. At the same time, she removed her glasses and short wig before tossing them to the floor. “Hi, Liz,” she said in the coldest tone I’d ever heard.
Mom’s eyes almost bulged right out of their sockets. “Willow!” she choked out, leaping to her feet and pasting on a nervous, wavering smile. “You’re…. uh… you’re back from your trip. How lovely!”
I pressed my lips into a thin line as I watched her pathetic attempt to recover from the surprise. “Save it, Mom. I know everything.”
Her fake smile faded, and her gaze jumped to my face. “What… what do you mean?”
“I mean I know you’re Q, and I know you sold Willow to the Keshari Crown Prince.”
She gaped at me for a long, tense moment. Then her eyes went flat and cold as she finally dropped all pretense of innocence and normalcy. “How the hell did you survive that crash?” she asked, eyes snapping back to Willow.
“I was never on the plane,” Willow replied. “Jamie went behind your back and stole me from the prince. He put another girl on that plane instead of me.”
Mom’s eyes widened again, and she reached for her coat pocket. I snapped my fingers at her. “Before you go for your phone, know this,” I said. “Firstly, our friend Rowan has jammed all the signals in this room, so you can’t call or text anyone. Secondly, you don’t even need to call Jamie to rip into him for what he did, because he’s dead.”
Her brows shot up. “What?”
“I said he’s dead. We killed him yesterday,” I said, lips curling into a disdainful smirk. “If you’ve been trying and failing to contact him over the last eighteen hours, now you know why.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe you. Jamie would never let anyone get the best of him. He’s too smart and too paranoid.”
Willow took a step forward. “Everyone has a weak spot. Something that’ll make them drop their guard,” she said, arching one eyebrow. “Jamie’s weak spot was actually pretty simple. The same as most men. I’m sure you can figure out what it was.”
My mother’s face blanched, and she took two shaky steps back.
“Take a seat, Mom,” I said, motioning to her spot on the sofa. “I’m sure you’re not feeling very well right now.”
She quietly sat down, shocked gaze focusing on the fireplace on the opposite wall. “How did you find out about me?” she asked, scrubbing a hand across her right cheek.
