Prey Drive by Jen Stevens

Author:Jen Stevens [Stevens, Jen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32

the lamb

A head of long, auburn hair walks through the doors of Old Soul Cafe, and a heavy feeling settles through my body like someone just dumped a pack of lead weights down my throat. I know it's her before she lifts her face to scan the counter, searching for me.

My mother.

The same dreadful feeling that always follows seeing her snakes down to my back, skittering across my legs like a million tiny spiders. Her dark eyes lock on mine, and I'm frozen to my spot. I should have run the moment I realized it was her. But there's no use. She'll always find me because there's too many people she's collected pity from over how I've treated her in the past year to keep my life a secret from her.

Too many people who don't know the truth about what she did that night.

Keeping me locked in her predatory gaze, she walks toward the counter with slow, careful steps. As always, she's playing the part of the wounded mother to a T. Pretending to be cautious about approaching me like I'm some sort of rabid animal, though the hardness in her stare paints a different story.

“Jovie,” she greets, stopping a few feet in front of the counter.

It's a slow Monday morning at the cafe. Not many people have filtered in for their morning brew, and only one person is working away on their laptop at a faraway table. Unlike with Gabe, I can't shrug her off with the excuse of being too busy.

“How can I help you?” I refuse to greet her in a casual way. To call her Mom or pretend she holds any value in my life.

It's the kindest way I can force her to get to the point, and then get her out of here.

“I tried calling,” she begins softly.

I can tell by the fullness in her cheeks and the color all over her body that she's in a sober stint. Probably going through rehab for the umpteenth time and is looking to complete one of her steps.

I've been burned enough times in the past with false hope to believe this time will be any different than the last. That this one will stick.

Still, the little girl inside of me wants to believe there's a chance. But I shove her down and force myself to remember what the woman standing before me did for a handful of drugs. The way she betrayed me—almost killed me. And ruined my life.

“Halen gave me your number. I had to beg her for it,” she goes on, cracking a small smile the way she always does when Halen comes up—her golden child who can do no wrong.

I know she's been calling. I've been ignoring every single one, deleting the messages before even listening to them. There's nothing she can say that will justify what she's done to me. The biggest favor I can offer her is to stay silent about it, and even that is killing me. Especially when people like Halen and Kennedy try to pressure me into forgiving her.

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