Read Online Inferno (Blood for Blood #2) by Catherine Doyle - Free Book Online
Authors: Catherine Doyle
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around me, at the commotion. From her vantage point, she couldn’t see Mrs Bailey and Mrs Bailey couldn’t see her, and I was stuck in between them both, wondering which was the greater annoyance in my life.
‘Mrs Bailey,’ I laboured, turning around. ‘I’m kind of in the middle of something.’
Mrs Bailey was pottering up the street as fast as she could. She was shiny with sweat. Her cropped hair was flopping into her eyes and her dress was bunching around her ankles, threatening to trip her.
She grabbed on to my arm, gasping for air like she was drowning. ‘There. You. Are.’
I mentally ran through the checklist for CPR in my head, just in case. I didn’t particularly like Mrs Bailey, but I wasn’t above trying to revive her if she collapsed at my feet. ‘Is everything OK?’
She removed her grip from me and clutched at her heart. ‘I’ve. Been. Looking. For. You. For weeks!’
I was still acutely aware of the girl behind me. Time was of the essence. I was about to hand out a much-needed lesson in Inappropriate Snoopery. After all, I was the expert. ‘Can you hang on just a sec, Mrs Bailey?’
‘Why? Where are you going?’
When I turned around, Purple Hair was back in her car. Mrs Bailey blinked over my shoulder at apparent nothingness.
Crap . I started towards the Mercedes. ‘Hey!’ I yelled. ‘Wait!’
She revved the engine and pulled away from the curb. I tried to run after her but I fell short, stumbling and panting. ‘Hang on! I want to talk to you!’
The car sped off down the street, squealing around a faraway bend, and I had to swallow the string of curses welling up in my throat.
I doubled back towards Mrs Bailey, already feeling fed up with her company. She had the worst timing.
‘Who was that in the car?’ she asked.
Count to five. Calm down. Do not punch her . ‘I don’t know.’
Her face changed, and she remembered why she had stopped me. ‘You haven’t been at work in weeks, Persephone. I’ve barely seen your mother. I thought you were an apparition when I saw you just now.’
‘Well, I had an accident,’ I told her. ‘I’m sure you heard?’
She cocked her head, running her gaze along my stiffened frame. She lingered over the faint swelling around my eyes, stared for too long at the faded bruises near my jaw. ‘You look dreadful,’ she informed me.
‘I’ve missed this.’
‘You look like you have jaundice.’
‘Yeah, well you know how it is …’ I trailed off, gesturing at myself and searching for the words I needed. ‘One minute you’re standing on the top of the stairs playing on your phone, and the next minute you’re hurtling down them, toppling over yourself … and just generally … hitting your face off stuff … repeatedly … until it bruises … a lot …’ I flashed a sheepish smile. That ought to do it .
Mrs Bailey ignored the flimsiness of the lie, waving it away on the wind. ‘What a terrible business, Persephone.’
I shrugged haplessly. ‘I bruise like a peach.’
‘Indeed,’ she muttered.
‘Was there something else?’ I asked.
She was staring at me – at the old bruises around my jaw. I had tried to cover them with make-up, but clearly I had failed. My skin was still pretty Simpson-esque. I smoothed my hair down and brought it in front of my ears so that it fell around my face – a fashionable yeti.
‘Have you been keeping to yourself, Persephone?’
‘I should go,’ I said. ‘I’m supposed to meet Millie.’ I side-stepped around her, but she tugged at my arm, pulling me back.
‘I wanted to say something to you.’ She started fidgeting with the folds in her dress. ‘I wanted to tell you that if youwere feeling upset about … well, about anything, perhaps I could help. I’m going to church tomorrow morning. It’s a good place to find comfort.’
The surprise inside me swelled. ‘Thanks,’ I offered, aiming for politeness. ‘I’ll give it some thought.’
*
I was almost at the diner when Millie
‘Mrs Bailey,’ I laboured, turning around. ‘I’m kind of in the middle of something.’
Mrs Bailey was pottering up the street as fast as she could. She was shiny with sweat. Her cropped hair was flopping into her eyes and her dress was bunching around her ankles, threatening to trip her.
She grabbed on to my arm, gasping for air like she was drowning. ‘There. You. Are.’
I mentally ran through the checklist for CPR in my head, just in case. I didn’t particularly like Mrs Bailey, but I wasn’t above trying to revive her if she collapsed at my feet. ‘Is everything OK?’
She removed her grip from me and clutched at her heart. ‘I’ve. Been. Looking. For. You. For weeks!’
I was still acutely aware of the girl behind me. Time was of the essence. I was about to hand out a much-needed lesson in Inappropriate Snoopery. After all, I was the expert. ‘Can you hang on just a sec, Mrs Bailey?’
‘Why? Where are you going?’
When I turned around, Purple Hair was back in her car. Mrs Bailey blinked over my shoulder at apparent nothingness.
Crap . I started towards the Mercedes. ‘Hey!’ I yelled. ‘Wait!’
She revved the engine and pulled away from the curb. I tried to run after her but I fell short, stumbling and panting. ‘Hang on! I want to talk to you!’
The car sped off down the street, squealing around a faraway bend, and I had to swallow the string of curses welling up in my throat.
I doubled back towards Mrs Bailey, already feeling fed up with her company. She had the worst timing.
‘Who was that in the car?’ she asked.
Count to five. Calm down. Do not punch her . ‘I don’t know.’
Her face changed, and she remembered why she had stopped me. ‘You haven’t been at work in weeks, Persephone. I’ve barely seen your mother. I thought you were an apparition when I saw you just now.’
‘Well, I had an accident,’ I told her. ‘I’m sure you heard?’
She cocked her head, running her gaze along my stiffened frame. She lingered over the faint swelling around my eyes, stared for too long at the faded bruises near my jaw. ‘You look dreadful,’ she informed me.
‘I’ve missed this.’
‘You look like you have jaundice.’
‘Yeah, well you know how it is …’ I trailed off, gesturing at myself and searching for the words I needed. ‘One minute you’re standing on the top of the stairs playing on your phone, and the next minute you’re hurtling down them, toppling over yourself … and just generally … hitting your face off stuff … repeatedly … until it bruises … a lot …’ I flashed a sheepish smile. That ought to do it .
Mrs Bailey ignored the flimsiness of the lie, waving it away on the wind. ‘What a terrible business, Persephone.’
I shrugged haplessly. ‘I bruise like a peach.’
‘Indeed,’ she muttered.
‘Was there something else?’ I asked.
She was staring at me – at the old bruises around my jaw. I had tried to cover them with make-up, but clearly I had failed. My skin was still pretty Simpson-esque. I smoothed my hair down and brought it in front of my ears so that it fell around my face – a fashionable yeti.
‘Have you been keeping to yourself, Persephone?’
‘I should go,’ I said. ‘I’m supposed to meet Millie.’ I side-stepped around her, but she tugged at my arm, pulling me back.
‘I wanted to say something to you.’ She started fidgeting with the folds in her dress. ‘I wanted to tell you that if youwere feeling upset about … well, about anything, perhaps I could help. I’m going to church tomorrow morning. It’s a good place to find comfort.’
The surprise inside me swelled. ‘Thanks,’ I offered, aiming for politeness. ‘I’ll give it some thought.’
*
I was almost at the diner when Millie
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