Page 21 of Petals of Blue: Part Two
Jolting a little, I glance at her. "Yeah?"
"Do you need some help?"
I can't contain my smile. Violet's dad died, and from what she's told me about him, they were very close. She loved her dadsomuch that even I cried about her loss.
"How about you double-check my cut?" I suggest sitting on the toilet beside where she's curled into a ball in the tub. Her anxiety about being in this crappy home with all the crappy people around is understandable. If she wants to help me change my hair, I'll absolutely give her something to do.
My heart pangs when Violet glances at the door as if to make sure it's still locked, and the broom is angled across it. Linda had a small party last night, and a few of herfriendsare passed out in the living room and kitchen.
Violet climbs out of her safe space and approaches mehesitantly. I spin and wait for her to do something. Tiny, gentle fingers tickle the back of my neck as Violet runs them through my shoulder-length locks.
"This is actually really good," she says with a touch of awe in her tone. I laugh quietly and wiggle my head from side to side.
"Why, thank you. I studied pretty hard," I tease.
Girly giggles erupt from sweet little Violet. "I had to turn your phone off last night because you fell asleep watching a tutorial."
I turn and huff at the child sassing me. "Yeah, then I practiced in my dreams."
She narrows her eyes at me, scrunching her nose. "I don't believe you. You never sleep long enough to dream."
Oof, right in the heart. No, I don't sleep very long, I never have, because I've never felt safe enough to do so. I'm going to die by the time I'm sixty due to the sheer exhaustion I don't see myself ever fixing.
Shaking off those feelings, I whip my hair back and forth. "Hmm, don't believe me, but you even said it looksreallygood."
Violet's mouth twists, and she crosses her arms. "Hmm."
I laugh, loving her sassiness. We've gotten along pretty well so far when she's not crying, and I'm not being harassed by shitty men and my aunt.
I grab the box of hair dye and wiggle it in front of her rosy cheeks. "Want to apply it?"
A quiet squeal erupts from Violet and she snatches the box from me. She doesn't waste time in opening it. Instead, she rips through the cardboard like a feral cat.
Will it be a mistake to let a seven-year-old get anywhere near me with permanent blue dye? Probably. But this has been the most fun we've had together, and I'll cherish this moment forever.
Sixteen
DECLAN
“Son of a fucking bitch!"
Shit. My hands are out in front of me as if I'm trying to tame a wild boar. "Felix, babe. Stop."
He doesn't stop. Instead, the persistent fucker grabs Roman's living room lamp and chucks it at the wall. Jared curses behind me, but I pay him no mind. We're about to lose Felix to the same kind of rage we lost him to the night I was in the hospital.
Hearing how we were all manipulated by our parents that day sent Felix over the deep end. Now, after coming home from day two of searching through nearby arboretums and smaller gardens with no luck? I'm afraid we're going to lose him for good.
My worry about Jared's temper was surface-level. With Felix, it's different. My boyfriend has an undercurrent of bubbling anger. We've seen it boil over plenty of times to know this time isbad.
"You're lucky we aren't at Blue's. I'd be kicking yourass for breaking her shit," Jared grumbles, passing us and beelining for the kitchen.
There's nothing but a pizza in the freezer, I bet. No new muffins or fresh dinner from Roman. We haven't been home since Blue went missing four nights ago, but the police are only just now taking shit seriously. Unfortunately, that means Blue and Violet's apartment is being searched for clues.
According to Smarty Pants Jared, around eighty-six percent of missing adults are found within two days. We're past that, landing us right into a pretty fucking serious investigation.
Tomorrow is day four. I can't believe it was only yesterday morning that Violet got that horrific message and we sent her to stay with Clara and Derrick.
Where is Blue fucking Bennett?
