Cutthroat Carmine (Book 1)(COMPLETE) (Wattpad Featured Novel)

13 [ruhn]

Chapter Theme Song: "Howl" by Florence & the Machine

Sebastian's feeble pleas fade into the background as Carmine pushes open the heavy hotel doors and feels hundreds of fat rain droplets slap her face.

Great. A thunderstorm. Just what she needs.

She wraps her arms around herself, teeth chattering. Before she can even make it cross the street, her dress is already sopping wet and clinging uncomfortably to her skin.

I will never trust a man again. Mother was right. All humans, especially human men are assholes. What did I ever see in him?

The scabs on Carmine's feet rip open once more, bleeding freely. For the second time in three days, Carmine finds herself sprinting home, agitated beyond belief.

By the time she arrives at her front door, Carmine can barely keep her eyes open because they are so flooded with hot tears and cold rain. She tries to wipe some of the water away from her eyes but only succeeds in smudging her makeup further. Fumbling with the keys in her clutch, Carmine drops them on the doormat. As she bends down the retrieve them, the front door swings open with a creak.

Red looms in the doorway, hands on her hips. Her lips are drawn in a tight scowl. "Where have you been?"

Carmine stands up slowly. "A-At a school party." She pushes past her mother and enters the warm living room.

"Go get changed and then come back downstairs," Red instructs, "We need to talk."

After peeling off her soaked dress, Carmine pats her body dry with a towel and slips into her pyjamas. She groans at the thought of having to explain to her mother about what happened tonight.

Carmine pads down the stairs, one at a time, reluctant to face her mother.

Kardinal Redoza's imposing figure sits motionless on the sofa, seething. "Why didn't you tell me about this 'school party'?"

"I was too embarrassed...I- After-After Billy ditched me the other night...I just didn't want to-" Carmine stutters, unable to get her story straight. "Sorry," she finally squeaks out.

"You're still living under OUR roof, Carmine. That means you obey OUR rules. Just because you're almost an adult, does not mean you can do whatever you want." Red folds her arms tightly across her chest, her scowl showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon.

"Sorry Mother. It won't happen again, I promise." I will never go out with a man ever again, Carmine silently broods.

"Okay, I trust you this time. But this is not what I wanted to discuss with you. Come, sit down beside me." Red pats the sofa gently. Her features soften momentarily.

Carmine tentatively walks over and obediently plops down beside her mother. Her instinct tells her this won't be a simple mother-daughter talk.

Red reaches over the edge of the sofa on the other side and pulls out a garbage bag. The garbage bag. "Can you tell me what this is?"

Without even looking inside, Carmine knows it's the bag full of Blake's bloody clothes. She decides to tell the truth. "It's Blake's clothes. From last night. After we found the dead girl."

"What was it doing under your bed? And why is there so much blood on it?" Red throws the bag onto the floor in front of them, face twisted with anger.

"I didn't want you to worry too much and I promised Blake I would clean it up so-"

"Clean it up? Clean it? Have you seen how much blood is on it? It looks like these clothes have been dunked into a vat of blood!"

"I'm sorry Mother. I'll get rid of it."

"Did Blake kill that girl?"

"No! No, I swear. He didn't. We found her dead like that."

Red squints her eyes, studying her daughter's face. "You know I hate liars, Carmine. Tell me the truth."

"It's the truth, Mother, I swear."

Red's expression relaxes. Her arms unfold and her entire body slouches slightly. "Okay, I trust you this time. Leave the clothes with me. I'll destroy them. Go upstairs now. Get some rest."

With a sigh of relief, Carmine leaps up the stairs and locks herself in her bedroom. She jumps into her bed and wraps her blanket tightly around her trembling body. The interrogation conducted by her Mother was nerve-wracking to say the least. Hopefully her answers would satisfy her mother for a while. But Red's cross-examination wasn't the main problem troubling her tonight. No, far from it. And if Carmine was being honest with herself, Sebastian's betrayal even pales in comparison to the thing that was truly giving her a headache.

Lucas Greene.

Carmine tries in vain to shake away the memory of those piercing green eyes. That wicked, boyish smile.

He is a splitting image of- No. It must be a simple coincidence. Is that why I decided to dance with him? No. I danced with him to save Sebastian's ass. Did I really though...? If Lucas hadn't looked like...HIM, would I have helped Sebastian?

Carmine shuts her weary eyes and smothers her face in her pillow. No, don't go there. Don't tear open old wounds. You buried those feelings a long time ago. Now let them lie.

PRE-ORDER the extended, fully edited version of this book exclusively through Amazon:
http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B012LM7X18