Sinful (Goddaughter Book 2) Read online

  Chapter 2

  Jo

  I stood in the foyer in awe at the sight of Pen’s house. She said that she had cleaned the house but I hadn’t ever seen it before. Her house was huge, big enough for four families I’d say. I would say that it was almost as big as Gio’s house.

  “I am so glad that you came over. I don’t think that I will get any sleep tonight but at least with you here I won’t be climbing the walls all night.” Pen said while taking my bag.

  “I am glad too. Your house is huge and beautiful I can’t believe that you and your grandma live here all alone.”

  “I actually wasn’t staying here until recently.”

  “Oh really where were you staying before now?”

  “I was living with my ex-boyfriend up until we broke up four months ago. It was just before I met you I believe.” She smiled at me but it seemed forced. “Good thing that my grandma had only been using two of the rooms. She hasn’t been able to get around very well the last couple of years so we moved her downstairs to the room just off of the kitchen. I’m upstairs. Come on we can get settled in.” She bounced up the stairs while I followed her.

  Pen was one of the most interesting people that I had met so far in Greenville. I wanted to get to know more about her. We had also shared a common friendship with Daphne which made me wondered what else we had in common.

  Making our way up the stairs to Pen’s room the gothic style of her grandma’s house sent chills down my spine. My father had loads of different house plans and pictures; gothic was one design that intrigued my father the most. There were gargoyle knobs on top of bottom stair railings and the top stair railings.

  “This house is scary as shit I can see now why you wouldn’t want to stay here alone. I half expect a ghost to come flying out of one of the many bedroom doors.” I coughed while catching up to her.

  “I thought that I was the only one that thought like that. This place has always terrified me ever since I was a little girl and I grew up here even.” Pen replied while nodding her head.

  “Have you always lived in Greenville than?”

  “Yes—I born and raised here, how about you where were you born, Jo?”

  “I was born in San Monica, California and I was raised all over the country it seems. My dad moved us around a lot for his work.”

  “Oh really what does he do?”

  “My dad is a civil engineer. He helps to design cities and towns.”

  “Wow that is pretty exciting no wonder you moved around so much. I wish I had moved around some or at all.”

  “It is not as fun as it sounds I was always changing schools, friends, teachers, and houses so nothing seemed stable or real to my child mind.”

  “I agree that would have been hard on any kid,” she came to a stop in front of the second to last door on the right. “Here’s my bedroom.” She pushed open the door and we both walked in. “The bathroom is through that door and the closet is over there.” She added while pointing over to the corner.

  Her bedroom was decorating in antiqued furniture. The walls were wooden with a few large tapestries hung. She had a king-sized, wooden canapé bed with dark burgundy drapes that were tied by golden ropes. The only modern things in the room were some dance photos and a large flat screen TV which was mounted on the wall over a large fireplace directly in front of the bed.

  “This room is beautiful; I love the dark, gothic décor in here. There’s kind of like this supernatural vibe in here I am picking up.” I remarked while she placed my bag at the end of the bed. I moved towards the dance photos on the wall before noticing more photos on the table. I leaned down realizing that it was a recent picture of Pen. “Hey is this a new picture of you?”

  “Yes that me last Halloween.” She moved towards me before lifting the photo up. “Hey look I never noticed before but Jamie Chris is in the background of this picture.”

  “That’s her…she was very pretty.” I peered down at the photo while having a weird feeling that I had seen her somewhere before. “I can see why you might have been scared as a kid in this house. Was this your childhood room?”

  “No this wasn’t my childhood room I know it’s probably a really creepy way to spend your birthday night. How old are you now, Jo?” Pen asked while sitting down onto her bed.

  She had time before I showed up to change into some comfy looking black PJs and I wanted to do the same. Her blond, hair was pulled up in a bun.

  “I’m twenty-one.” I answered while I took my PJs out of my bag before heading over to her walk-in closet to change. “How old are you?”

  “Wow, I remember twenty-one I’m twenty-five almost twenty-six in another three months.” She talked while I quickly changed before joining her on the bed.

  It just then dawned on me that this had been the first time that I had ever slept overnight with another person. I started to feel silly. Was I even supposed to sleep in the bed with her? I didn’t even know how to act or what I was supposed to do.

  “Honestly my birthday is technically over in another thirty minutes I don’t like to celebrate it anyways.”

  “Girl you and I both, birthdays suck. We were always broke so my birthday was no different; no money equaled no presents or parties. I’m not about to cry over it now though and neither should you.”

  “Yeah—I agree I’m not crying over my past either.” I started to laugh for some reason which caused her to start laughing with me. Maybe I was laughing because I felt so silly or maybe it was because I was scared.

  “Are you cold at all, I’m a little chilly I think I’ll start a fire. Oh yeah here’s your present,” she grabbed a bottle of wine from the end table next to her bed and handed it to me. “Sorry I don’t have any glasses up here.” She jumped to start the fire.

  “Wow, thank you. I love wine—we don’t need any glasses.” I boosted before opening the wine to drink a sip. “Yum that’s good, here.” I stood to offer her some. She turned grabbing up the bottle to sip off of.

  “Oh that is good.” She and I both sat back down on the floor in front of the fire. “I can’t believe that Daphne is gone—it’s not fair she was too young and she never did anything to anyone.” We both drank another sip.

  “I can’t believe it either. They really think that there’s a serial killer here? That’s nuts right?” I took another sip. I felt my lips starting to go numb; the wine had begun to take effect.

  “It is completely nuts but it was bound to happen here sooner or later. This town isn’t without its dark history. There have been murders here before but they like to pretend that it never happened.” She scoffed in an ominous tone before sipping from the wine bottle.

  “There have been other murders here, when?”

  “My mom was killed here when I was eight years old. They never even bothered to go after the guy who did it they just let him get away with it. Back then there wasn’t any police station in town and the cops across the bridge in Bakersfield dragged ass so bad that by the time they got to my mother’s case he was long gone. My grandparents told me all about it when I was older. They always felt like nobody cared about their daughter because of the curse.”

  “That is awful…I am so sorry Pen I had no idea that you had been through such a terrible thing.” From nowhere I leaned and hugged her. She hugged me back. “I lost my mother too—I mean my mother has not been around me since I was four.” I pulled away. “I’m sorry I don’t know why I said that, it’s not the same as what happened to your mom.”

  “What—it is ok; please tell me about what happened to your mom.”

  She held onto my hand which made me feel at ease suddenly.

  “Well it is the reason I don’t like birthdays. My mom was mentality ill and when I was four she tried to kill me but my dad stopped her. He had her locked up in a mental hospital ever since. I have never gone to see her. I guess that I’m too afraid to.”

  “Afraid? Are you afraid that she will try to hurt you again?”

  “No—I am a
fraid that I will go there and she won’t know me and I don’t want to see that she doesn’t love me.” I don’t know why but I confessed my deepest fear to her.

  “Oh no don’t think like that, her mental illness is what prevents her from acting like the mother that she would be if she could. She loves you Jo she just can’t show you. You should go and see her because it will make you feel better. I would do anything if I could see my mother just one more time.” She sighed with her huge brown eyes all doughy like. Her words struck home with me. I hadn’t ever thought about it in such a way.

  “I think that you might be right.”

  Chapter 3

  Pen

  Jo’s face changed slightly in color I’m guessing by the words I had expressed to her. I had no idea that we had so much in common with one another. I had felt very comfortable around her from the moment I met her and this was probably why.

  “You should ask your dad where your mom is located then go and see her. If you want I will go with you if you need some support.” I urged.

  I knew that I wasn’t that much older than she was but I had been on my own for a long time and I felt like she needed the extra push in the right direction from somebody who knows what not to do and how to go in the wrong direction.

  “I don’t know if I’m ready. Shit I doubt I’ll ever be ready. I do think that you are right though I need to know more about my mom at least.” Jo drank down more wine.

  She was starting to look a little tipsy. She handed me the bottle and I drank down more wine before I realized that my head was starting to float away from my neck; I had become tipsy as well.

  “What is today? I have an idea.” I proclaimed while standing up a little dizzy and unsteady. Jo giggled a little before taking my offered hand while standing along with me. “I have a super good idea.”

  “Today is Saturday June second and it no longer my birthday because it’s after midnight finally.” She jumped up and down. “What’s your idea, Pen?”

  “You should stay the whole weekend that way we can go swimming in the morning. We could plant our beautiful, bodies on the sand right out in front of my house to sunbathe.” Truthfully didn’t want to be alone in my grandmother’s old house, I needed her to stay.

  “Your house is on the beach?”

  “Yes—our house has direct beach access. And the best part, it is completely private—I mean, the beach is private the lake is everyone’s.”

  “I guess I didn’t notice it was on the lake because I entered from the back of the house. Ok, I am down. I love swimming and well I love the sand. I don’t think that I will get much of a tan but I can give it a try.” She chuckled and I joined. She was quite fair in complexion but getting a tan wasn’t my point.

  “Good I’m so glad you are staying and I’m even happier that you are going to the beach with me in the morning. I haven’t had the nerve to go out there and sit on my beach for over fourteen years because of the curse.” Bad memories surfaced in my head.

  “Now that you told me that I am even more determined to go that beach to help you claim it back, girl.” She sipped some more wine. “I am hungry, do you have any food?”

  “Yes…there’s a shit load of food in the kitchen I just went shopping.”

  Jo scrambled around in her bag which she had grabbed from the closet.

  “I should check to see if my dad ever texted me back.” She said aloud while looking at her phone. “Nope—nothing I can’t believe he isn’t home yet it is almost one o’clock in the morning.” She scoffed before putting her phone into her bag.

  “Does he get worried about you still?”

  “No—not at all, honestly I doubt that he even noticed that I haven’t been home since Friday morning. I know that I’m a grown up but still it makes me feel alone when he doesn’t even notice if I’m there or not.”

  Her tone seemed somber and she looked defeated. I went to hug her.

  “You have got me now, Jo. From this moment on I’m adopting you as my little sister.” I grabbed her squeezing her tiny ribcage. She hugged me back. “I am being dead serious. I wasn’t there for Daphne but I will be there for you no matter what. I won’t anything happen to you.” I made promises that I fully intended to keep.

  “That is the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me. Pen, I think I love you.” She said through a sweet smile.

  “Jo, I think I love you too.” I let go of her before heading to the doorway. “How about we raid the kitchen?”

  “Yes—let’s.” She joined me in the hallway.

  This time I took her down the hallway away from the main stairs towards the back stairs. All of the empty bedroom doors where open as we passed them and I got a creepy vibe off of the eerie darken corners inside.

  Suddenly I heard a loud slamming noise from somewhere in the house.

  “What the hell was that?” I shouted before jumping backward towards Jo. I instinctively grabbed her arm while looking around. “You heard that too right?”

  “Oh yeah, I heard that. Is someone else here? I thought that we were alone.” Jo’s tone was shaky and low. I noticed that the hairs on her arms were standing up.

  I needed to get myself under control. I knew I was overreacting, this old house had always made loud, strange, sounds; how was this time any different?

  “I think that maybe the wine has me acting paranoid, I’m sorry for scaring you. We are alone; there isn’t anyone else here with us.” I said with false confidence in my voice while looking her dead in the face. I nodded at her while pushing on towards the stairs with Jo gripping onto my arm.

  “I would feel a lot better if there wasn’t a killer on the loose. I’m pretty sure that I’m completely sober now, that noise scared the wine out of my system I think.”

  “I want to check the rooms up here first. You can stay here in the hallway if you’d prefer but I think that it would be faster if we split up.” I suggested to which she nodded. “Ok I will check the rooms on the right side, you check the other ones.”

  We both spread out each in different directions. I got to the first door to check. There was nothing but a table with a white sheet covering in the middle of bedroom. I moved on to the next door finding nothing but an empty room. I opened the final door on the left side of the hallway before I walked inside. I was intensely struck by the sight of the room. It was my mother’s old room. How had I forgotten that her room was in this selection of the house? I looked around at all the furniture all of which was covered up with white sheet like her things were something to be ashamed of.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder which caused me to spin around finding Jo there.

  “I didn’t find anything in those rooms but old furniture and dust. Did you find what was making that sound Pen?”

  “No—no there’s nothing in here that would have made that sound. Let’s go and check the kitchen downstairs.”

  We got down to the bottom of the stairs where the kitchen was entrenched in pitch black and my heart started to race. I would need to get to the other side of the kitchen by the backdoor to where the light switch was.

  “Jo, the light switch is on the other side of the kitchen. You stay here and I will go turn on the lights.” I patted her hand as she let go of me.

  “Alright, hurry please.”

  I made my way cautiously across the darken kitchen arriving at the backdoor in seconds.

  (Bang bang)

  The loud noise sounded from the back porch drawing my attention. The back porch screen door was open and the wind had been slamming it against the frame. I felt immediately at ease having located the source of the mysterious sound.

  I opened the backdoor before walking out onto the back porch to close the screen door.

  I quickly returned to the kitchen to turn on the lights which lit up the kitchen. I looked over at Jo who had moved further into the kitchen. Her face seemed frozen as she looked at me.

  “Jo there’s nothing to be afraid of it was just the porch screen door that wa
s making that sound.”

  Her face remained fixed as she slowly pointed at me. Something about the look in her eyes sent a chill down my spine.

  “There’s someone behind you!” She yelled.

  Chapter 4

  Sax

  I let myself in through the front door using my key. My Grand Dane Thor greeted me with wet doggie kisses stopping me in my tracks in the foyer of my parent’s house. Standing on his hind legs he nearly came to my chin, his cute wrinkly old face immediately soften my mood. I gave him a good firm rub down before I nudged him off of me. I heard the muffled voices of my parents coming from my father’s study which drew my attention over towards the closed door. I quickly waved Thor away before going over to the study door.

  At first I had intended on announcing myself by knocking but as I neared I could hear their conversation which caused me to pause to listen.

  “I don’t think that this situation is being handled correctly and it’s going to cause someone else to get killed.” My dad sternly said.

  “Ha ha, this situation isn’t any different than all the other shitty things that happen around here. Nothing here is ever handled correctly why should this be any different?” My mom snapped back with sarcasm, at least I had hoped it was sarcasm.

  They appeared to be discussing the recent killings in town but I had no idea what shitty things my mom had been referring to. I leaned closer to the door hoping to hear them better. My eyes were drawn to a picture on a table next to the door of my brother and me when we were kids.

  In a flash I was transformed back into a memory of Tristan at age ten. His blond hair had been buzzed. His skin had been kissed by the sun. His blue eyes were drowning in red streaks from the heat of the day. He had me gripped in a tight choke hold while he rubbed his knuckles on the tip of my head as he taunted me with his favorite chant, “my little booger…I love you,” into my ear. I had secretly loved that he’d given me so much attention while I’d publicly protested his consistent teasing.