Page 72 of The Family Guest

“Mom, Band-Aids aren’t going to help. I think you need to go to the emergency room.”

I weighed that option in my woozy head when another voice shook the room.

“Paige! You thief! Where the hell is my computer?”

Tanya.

THIRTY-SEVEN

PAIGE

Daggers shooting out of her eyes, Tanya stalked up to me. She tossed her computer bag on the kitchen island, unzipped it, and yanked out the cast-iron pan. Then set the heavy pan on the counter with a bang. Better than on my head, I thought, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.

“Where’s my laptop?” she seethed.

I shrugged a shoulder. “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Her eyebrows bunched and her nostrils flared. “Hogwash! You stole my computer and hid it.”

I shot her a perplexed look. “Huh? Not guilty as charged.”

“Look me straight in the eye and tell me you didn’t take my computer.”

I did as she asked, noticing she was wearing my necklace with the gold heart. Either she had the broken chain fixed or replaced or Lance gave her a brand-new one. It wouldn’t surprise me if he kept a stockpile. Either way, I didn’t give a damn. I was so done with the douchebag. She could have him. And the necklace.

Getting nowhere with me, she set her sight on my mother, oblivious to her bleeding finger.

“Natalie—”

I cut her off. “Leave my mom out of this. Can’t you see she’s hurt?”

“What’s going on?” my mom asked, her voice small and shaky.

Tanya scrunched up her face, then shoved the pan off the counter. It crashed onto the floor with a clamor. “Your brat stole my laptop!”

My mom, her eyes glinting with pain, stole me a glance. “Paige?”

“Mom, I did no such thing.”

“Liar!” barked Tanya, her face turning rabid.

“Prove it!” I challenged.

“I’m going to search every inch of this house!”

“Be my guest. I bet you’re not going to find it.”

“Tell me where it is!”

I smirked at her. “I didn’t touch it. Maybe one of your jerko friends stole it last night during your little birthday party. The veranda doors were open and they had easy access to the house. And to your room.”

My mother interrupted. “Please, girls, I don’t feel well. Can we deal with this later?”

She looked wan from the loss of all that blood. “Mom, you should lie down and hold your finger up.”

Tanya would not relent. On my next breath, she circled her hands around my neck like she was going to strangle me.

“Give it up, Paige!” She began to squeeze my neck.