Vicious Minds: Part 2 (Children of Vice 5)

I brushed my hair over my shoulder as the dress fell to the ground and I stepped out of it, standing only in the white silk slip. “The necklace, too.”

“You’re changing jewelry, too?”

“The only thing that stays the same is the ring,” I said, lifting my hand and the red diamond on my finger. “Luckily, red goes with everything.”

“I thought that was white and black.”

“Nope. It just the shade of red that matters,” I muttered.

“If you say so. Where is your other dress?”

“Behind the closet door.”

“Hold on.”

Nodding, I went to the dresser, taking off my bracelet, watching in the mirror as she lifted the backless, white-silk wedding dress from the hook and took it to the bed.

“Simple, elegant, and beautiful,” she whispered as I opened the drawer, pulling out a thin sliver pocket knife. “You really are planning to make Ethan’s jaw drop.”

“Isn’t that the goal of every wife?” I asked, turning back to her.

“True.” She snickered, staring down at the dress. “I still have my dress. I tried to pick the most elegant and simple one because I wanted my daughter to wear it on her wedding day.”

“Have you told her that?”

“Helen never wants to cause trouble, so of course, she would do it. But I don’t want her to feel pressured. So, I never told her. I want her to wear the dress she wants to wear.”

“I promise you, she will,” I whispered, causing her to look at me.

“Calli—”

Her eyes widened, slowly her head dropped to look at the knife I’d just stabbed into her chest, the blood soaking through the champagne-colored dress she wore. When her eyes lifted back and met mine, all I could say was, “Thank you.”

Bang!

I heard the door burst open before the gunfire and immediately flipped, rolling over the bed, reaching underneath for the gun before popping up—gun draw at the one and only,

“Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan…or should I say, hello, Mom.”

23

“How cruel,

your veins are full of ice water

and mine are boiling.”

~ Emily Brontë

CALLIOPE

Her olive-toned face was almost all red. She breathed in and out of her nose as if she were a wild bear, her brown eyes glistened over with hate, rage, determination…and pain. So much pain that her hand shook, and she grumbled.

“You. Will. Die. Today,” she hissed through clenched teeth as she stepped over Coraline’s body, as if she really thought she could save her.

“I know how I’m going to die, and it’s not today, nor is it going to be by you, Mom.”

Bang!