Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(37)

Not anything! She glared down where her tattoo had been dancing up and down since she answered the phone.

“Tell me you aren’t selling drugs, young lady!”

“Mom!”

“Every time you turn around Tabitha is getting you into trouble.”

“What has she done?” Miranda thought she heard footsteps outside her door. No one came in. They’d moved Miranda to a double room an hour

ago. Her sister had yet to show up.

How freaking long did an MRI take?

“That girl is a bad influence on you,” her mom said.

Her mom couldn’t accept that Miranda had become friends with her half sister. But that was just tough.

In the background, Miranda heard her father’s graveled voice defending his other daughter.

“Neither of the girls is on drugs!” her father’s raised voice came through the line.

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Miranda slammed back onto her pillow. Bad enough she had to hear them fight when she went home, she refused to have

to listen to this over the phone.

The arguing continued. Miranda closed her eyes. Her mom had known about Tabitha and Mary Esther even before Miranda was born. But since the

secret had been yanked out of the closet, her mom had turned into a bitch on mud-slinging wheels and a revved-up engine.

It took everything Miranda had not to remind her mom that she was the other woman, not Tabitha’s mom!

Not that her mom was the only one misbehaving. Now that things were out, Tabitha’s mom regularly called her dad to discuss issues about their

daughter.

Last month when Miranda had gone home for the weekend, Mary Esther had called three times. And each time she called, she’d kept Miranda’s

father on the line a little longer. Her mom flipped. She’d come close to flipping her father a pinky and turning him into something

unpleasant. Miranda had nightmares about the last baboon incident.

Not that Miranda felt all that sorry for him. He’d caused this monster of a problem nineteen years ago by having an affair with her mom. Oh

sure, according to him the marriage to Mary Esther had been over, but why hadn’t he told her mom? Then again, her mom had practically admitted

she’d suspected her father was hiding something when they started dating.

Who was wrong?

Everyone.

Everyone except who it was hurting the most. Miranda and Tabitha.

“Are you listening to me, young lady?” Her mom’s voice dragged Miranda back to the call.

I’m trying not to. “Can we talk later? My arm’s hurting.”

“Fine, but you’d better have your facts straight when we arrive.” Her mom hung up.

Facts? Miranda had no facts. She was factless!

Frustrated, she dialed Holiday’s number.

“Hey sweetie, you okay?” the woman asked in a soft, caring tone that nearly brought tears to Miranda’s eyes. Love emanated from Holiday—

even through the phone lines.

“Yeah, I just … my mom and dad are about an hour away and the DEA agent left a message and told them that Tabitha and I are into drug

trafficking.”

“Oh! Burnett thought he took care of that. I’ll let him know.”

“Can you or Burnett be here when they arrive because I don’t even know where to start?”

“Sure. I’ll touch base with Burnett. I can’t come until Jenny shows up to watch Hannah, but I was wanting to come up. I thought I’d bring

your books so maybe you could study.”

Miranda collapsed back on her pillows. Holiday knew how much Miranda wanted to get into the college. The fae kept assuring Miranda that if she

applied herself, really applied herself, she’d make it. Was Miranda going to disappoint Holiday?

Miranda scratched her arm where the tattoo caused her skin to tingle and itch. “Yeah, bring them.” She closed her eyes.

Holiday started telling her a cute baby Hannah story. Normally, Miranda loved cute baby Hannah stories. But right now all of Miranda’s

problems swam around her head and splashed over to her chest like it was high tide. But she couldn’t let any of this keep her from making the

needed score.

Why was it her life always felt like a test?

Then again, the SAT might not be an issue if she was convicted for drug trafficking. At least she wouldn’t have to get a jailhouse tattoo,

because she already had a doozy.

“Did you find anything out about the tattoo?” Miranda asked, cringing when she realized she’d interrupted Holiday’s story.

“No, I haven’t gone through all of my Wiccan books, but so far I’ve found nothing. I’ve got a call in to an old professor of mine who is an

expert on everything Wiccan. But she hasn’t called me back.”

“Did you tell my parents?”

“No, I wasn’t aware of it when I spoke with them.”

“Holy crap! What am I going to tell them?”

“You could go with the truth,” Holiday said.

“I don’t know the truth.”

“Then that’s what you tell them. I know it’s hard, but maybe telling them is the best thing. Your mom was a high priestess, so maybe she’ll

have heard of this.”