Twisted Tides (Forged Hearts #2)

Chapter One

EVIE

“Bodies” by Drowning Pool

A loud ‘ thud’ echoes through the open room. I step out of the shadows that have been my home, shielding me from the living. Upon hearing the noise, Emma opens her eyes to see Julian on the floor beside her. Her eyes widen in shock as Eduardo runs over to her, and Jameson, their friend, looks over at me with his mouth hanging open as if he is seeing a ghost. I stare back at him, gauging his intentions before shifting my vision to my sister.

“Oh, my Emma.” Eduardo kisses her over and over. With a firm hold, he lifts her out of the chair and into his arms. Eduardo pushes her away from him to assess her for injuries as he rubs Emma’s arms up and down, then he pulls her close against his body just as quickly, holding her tight as if she’ll be abducted again.

I see her follow Jameson’s line of sight, and if Eduardo wasn’t holding on to her, she’d probably pass out. Jameson hasn’t stopped staring at me, and I can feel him willing me to return his stare. Instead, I need to focus on what’s important right now—my sister.

I walk over to her with a smile that matches hers. I can see her take in the physical changes to my appearance: my hair is cut short and slicked back, but it’s still me—Evie, her twin sister.

“She’s alive,” Emma sobs, and Eduardo holds her up, equally as shocked.

“You’re alive?” he asks somewhat rhetorically. He looks over and shakes his head. “You were always one for dramatics, Evie.”

“Good to see you too, future brother-in-law.” I chuckle and hug Eduardo, and then Emma grabs on to me, almost pulling me down with the unexpected sheer weight of her body as she clings to me as if I will suddenly disappear into thin air, like a ghost. She wouldn’t be wrong. That’s what I have been all this time.

“Sis, I’ve missed you so much.” I hold on to her. She hugs me, and we begin to cry. I can’t help the emotion that comes over me. I’ve held it in for so long that it now pours out against my will.

Her body shakes, wracked in sobs, but it sounds odd because we are also laughing.

“I suppose these are what you call tears of happiness.” I laugh as we rock back and forth in a tight embrace.

“Yes,” she laughs. “I swear, sometimes I don’t understand us, Eves.”

Eduardo shakes his head, leaving us to chat. He walks over to Jameson, who is staring at me. “Close your mouth, James. You’re drooling on the floor. It’s not a good look.”

From what I can tell, Jameson doesn’t respond.

I wonder if he recognizes me. He must. I turn my head back to watch the exchange. Continuing to stare, Jameson goes to say something but stops.

“That's Emma’s twin sister, huh?” he asks.

I curl my lip up in a half-smirk.

“Boy, you’re a fast learner, aren’t you?” Eduardo mocks. He slaps Jameson on the shoulder.

“Fuck off. She’s hot. I think I’m in love.”

I smile full-on now, conveying with my eyes what’s to come.

Jameson scrubs his hands repeatedly over his face as if trying to wake himself from a dream.

Still holding on to my sister, I bring her around to give my full attention to Jameson. I give him my signature pouty, red-lipped smile. “Sorry, I missed our date by the way.”

Jameson’s mouth opens then closes. I smile wickedly, and then I see the moment it clicks. His sight is firmly set on my lips. “That was you. It’s always been you.”

I nod once. Our stare-off is interrupted when Philip walks in.

Eli groans.

“What the fuck? Is everybody coming back from the dead?” Eduardo shakes his head in disbelief, dropping it in defeat.

“Too soon?” Eli says, and Eduardo snorts.

“Yeah, a bit, but I get it. It’s ironic as fuck.” Eduardo walks over to Emma and me, hooking his arm around my sister and bringing her in for a side hug.

“I’m just glad that it’s all over,'' Eduardo says on an exhale as he kisses the top of Emma’s head, increasing the tightness of his embrace as if he is afraid to let her go.

I smile as I watch them. Emma returns the smile and seems to understand my thoughts as twins sometimes do. She then looks up at her future husband.

“Oh, Eduardo, I have a feeling that this is just the beginning,” she says, echoing similar words spoken to her not long ago.

“Fuck, I was hoping you wouldn’t say that, Emma.”

I wink at her. “That was one sweet chokehold release that you got out of, if I do say so myself, Emma.” Her eyes go wide, and mine mimic my twin’s expression.

“You saw that?” She jumps happily.

I nod and laugh. “Fucking epic, girlie. I guess you took my advice about the self-defense classes?”

Emma tosses her head back, laughing. “You could say that. So what now, Evie?”

I grab the back of my neck, wondering how to approach this topic. As if reading my mind, Mateo emerges from the shadows I stood in what seems like a lifetime ago.

“We have a lot to talk about.” Mateo takes his place beside me as they look between us, and Jameson visibly winces. I’m reluctant to look away. The need to soothe and care for him overwhelms my senses. My hand twitches to reach for him.

Emma snorts, distracting me from the emotions I was almost ready to act on. “That's an understatement. I mean, what happens n-o-w?” She raises her hand above her head in an exaggerated motion that makes my heart weep at the familiarity. I stare at her with a look that promises to wreak havoc—the same look she would give me when we knew we would get into trouble.

I extend one of my black-gloved hands to Emma in an invitation, and she quickly takes it. “Well, Emma, now that you are free, tell me who you wanna be.”

“Let’s finish this, Evie.”

I give her a nod, and that’s all that is needed. I’ve waited for this moment, and the time is finally here. My body almost hums with the excitement of what’s to come.

I grew up in a web of twisted lies, deception, and secrets. From a young age, I knew these truths were buried in our family. The hushed words that stopped altogether when I entered a room. My emotions rage beneath the surface, a swirling rise of battered waves against my black, vengeful beating heart.

My sister remains holding my hand; an unspoken solidarity thrums in our veins. I couldn’t be happier at her newfound strength. She brings a sense of calm to my thunderous emotional turmoil, battling against my unruffled, carefully constructed exterior. These feelings always attempt to overtake me as I fight for control, which I need in all aspects of my life—what I eat, how I act, and how I fuck. It’s the only way I know how to live now.

I look at Jameson with the need to release this pent-up anger and frustration. Who would have thought this handsome man would be precisely the person who could soothe my aching heart?

I refocus on my sister, nod once, and extend my hand toward Mateo. I don’t look at anyone around us as he looks at Emma and smiles. He then extends his hand toward her. I hear Eduardo rush over to stand behind Emma.

Jameson mimics Eduardo’s movements without realizing it, and I feel his warmth behind me. His body heat calms me, and my body leans closer without my permission. I take a few deep breaths to bring a meditative mind as my feelings attempt to surge out of control. Breathe the air in and blow it out. I can almost hear my therapist’s voice as I count to ten the way she taught me all those years ago. Now, I have Jameson, my anchor in my sea of self-destruction.

Emma’s eyes scan me assessingly, clearly not entirely understanding what is happening. I smile and nod reassuringly, silently conveying that it’s okay—I’m okay with this. She trusts me explicitly and looks at Mateo, staring into his eyes—what some people call the portal into the soul—in an attempt to gain clarity. The moment it clicks, her expression softens and she takes his hand.

My family is now complete.

The short-lived moment of unity ends when I hear Eduardo growl behind Emma, staring at their joined hands. We all burst out laughing, breaking the gravity of the situation, and Mateo can’t help but join in. Eduardo is so ridiculous when it comes to Emma.

“God, can you calm down? We are having a moment here. You know, even when we were younger, you had to help her off the ATV or out of the truck. No one else could even attempt to help her or you would go off on them. It was always so obvious, Eddie.” I stomp my boot on the cement flooring, hearing the echo sound off.

He breaks his gaze from Emma, sparing me a glance. “You know I hate when you call me that, Evie.” His voice is full of warning, but his face is dueling with putting up a show and embracing the familiarity of our beautiful memories when life was simpler. I’m sure that’s partly why our parents acted the way they did, although their reasons were faulty.

Mateo steps toward Eduardo as he visibly stiffens in a protective stance around Emma. He extends his hand. “It’s good to finally meet you. I’m Mateo, their brother.”

I hear the words leave his mouth, and tears threaten to fall. He’s never been able to say these words aloud or introduce himself as our brother. That was taken from him, this simple act of belonging.

Jameson places a hand on my hip, giving it a slight squeeze. To hear Mateo say this truth out loud… Well, let’s just say that it is everything. One suppressed truth finally coming out. There are so many more left to go. I give a contemplative sigh.

I turn toward the sound of sniffles. Emma is already crying, and Eduardo looks at him in stunned silence. “I didn’t know,” he whispers. He drops his gaze to Mateo’s hand and takes it quickly. “It’s nice to finally meet you too, Mateo.”

Mateo smiles at Emma and looks back at me. I nod, and Mateo releases Eduardo’s hand and quickly pulls Emma into a tight embrace. They hold each other for what seems like minutes but is actually only probably seconds as Emma continues to hold on to him. Finally, she lets go, but not until she rubs her face against his shirt to wipe away her tears.

Mateo raises an eyebrow at her and then looks at his shirt. “Sis, did you just wipe your snot on my shirt?” His lips quirk up in amusement, and Eduardo scoffs.

“Get used to it. It’s part of her charm.” I can’t help but snort, and we all burst out laughing. The noise is a welcome juxtaposition to what occurred only moments ago.

Jameson presses his chest against my back, wrapping his arms around me from behind. His warm breath lands on my neck, and I shudder at his proximity.

“You have a lot of explaining to do, Eve.” I chuckle at his name for me. I once told him I was Eve, man’s downfall from the Garden of Eden. It was one of our first conversations that night at the club when he asked my name before we parted ways, wanting to know if he could see me again. I gave him the only truth I could at that time. It wasn’t far off from my real name then, and that’s all I could do.

I didn’t think that one night would turn out to be so much more.

“I agree. I do.” That’s all I can say to Jameson now, as I know that conversation is one I need to have alone with him. Now is not the time.

I glance at my sister and see her acutely aware of what transpires between Jameson and me. I finally point out the obvious. “As much as I’d really like to sing campfire songs and do some face painting right now, I think that we should probably get out of here and get rid of these bodies.” I point to the two bodies that are laid out on the cement floor, not getting any fresher.

Eduardo speaks up first. “I can make some calls.” He reaches for his phone in his pocket, but I stop him.

“I have a plan. Can you get this place cleaned up, though, Eduardo? Mateo and I will dispose of the bodies. In fact, I have ‘the perfect plan,’ creating the catalyst to bring out the demons who have been hiding in the dark, into the light.”