Read Online Angel of Redemption by J. A. Little - Free Book Online Page A

Richard refused to even let me see her. He was
afraid I ’ d
be a bad influence, but eventually Mom convinced him that my absence was
hurting Claire more than it was helping.
    Walking
in the front door of the penthouse, I set my purse down on the entryway table.
    “ Anybody home? ” I call out.
    I
round the corner and laugh as I see my sixteen-year-old sister. She ’ s wearing a long-sleeved, threadbare
white shirt over a navy-blue tank top and the shortest pair of shorts
I’ve seen in awhile—especially for the middle of winter. She ’ s got her earbuds in and is swaying
her hips, occasionally singing as she cleans the countertop. She twirls around
and lets out a scream as she spots me, grabbing at her chest.
    “ Kayla, ” she screeches, taking out her earbuds and letting them hang
limply at her neck. “ You scared the crap out of me. ”
    “ Well, that ’ s not my fault, ” I laugh. “ Where are Mom and Richard? ”
    “ Last minute errands, ” she says, shrugging.
    “ Are you ready to go? ” I could wait for my mother and stepdad to get back, but I
don ’ t
really want to. They seem to tolerate me now that I ’ m an adult, but I think they hold a
lot of things against me, and I know that Richard doesn ’ t trust me. The only reason he ’ s leaving me with his baby girl for
two weeks is because Claire begged him nonstop for a month, and I think he grew
tired of saying no. She likes spending time with Andy and me — we ’ re not as uptight as her other options. Compared to the
kids that we deal with, Claire ’ s an angel.
    “ You don ’ t want to wait until they get back? ”
    I raise my eyebrows at her. I don’t think my
sister knows the whole story of our parents—I’ve never told her and I
doubt anyone else would have, either. Despite being raised by an egocentric
fuckhead and a cheating bitch, Claire has a good heart. It would devastate and
embarrass her to know what they did to my father, and how badly they’ve treated
me. But she’s smart enough to realize we’re not on good terms, and that there’s
no way in hell I want to stick around and wait for them.
    “Right,” she laughs. “I’ll go get my suitcase.”
    “ So we ’ re going to have to get up pretty
early to get you to school on time, ” I tell her as we drive back to my place. My sister attends
a private school not too far from their penthouse. It ’ s the same one I went to until I was
sent away. It ’ s completely out of my way, but Richard
refuses to let her get a license, so I ’ m
stuck driving her every morning.
    Claire
is lost in her phone and doesn ’ t answer. She spends the entire drive
texting. When we get home, she heads straight to the guest room to put her
things away. My phone rings, and Andy ’ s picture pops up.
    “ Well, hello, ” I greet happily.
    “ Hey, buttercup, ” he says. “ I ’ m guessing you ’ ve got the package, and she ’ s getting herself settled? ”
    I
laugh. “ I guess so. She ’ s been glued to her damn cellphone
since we left the penthouse. ”
    “ She ’ s a teenager, Kayla. That ’ s what they do. You know that. ”
    “ I didn ’ t do that, ” I protest.
    “ That ’ s because cellphones didn ’ t exist that long ago, ” he teases.
    “ Shut up, jerk, ” I laugh. “ Yes, they did. And you ’ re older than I am, so I wouldn ’ t play that game. What ’ s up? ”
    “ I ’ m heading home. Do you want me to pick up some food? ”
    Just
as I ’ m
about to answer, Claire wanders in.
    “ You hungry? ”
    “ Starving, ” she moans.
    “ Andy ’ s picking up food. What are you in the
mood for? ”
    “ Chinese? ” she asks, her eyes lighting up.
    “ You hear that? ” I ask Andy.
    “ I got it. I ’ ll be home in about forty-five. ”
    After
hanging up, I reach into the fridge and grab two bottles of water, handing one
to Claire. We flop down on either side of the couch and I pick up the remote,
flipping through the channels aimlessly.
    “ So how ’ s