Red Hood (Book One)

Chapter Thirteen

 Grandma and I came to Red Lobster at 1:59. The hostess led us to a booth near one of the windows. Brandon was already sitting there, looking at his phone. The sun shone on him like a spotlight. He greeted us with a charming smile. Of course, we smiled back.

 I took off my black leather jacket. The cool air brushed against my skin. Brandon gazed at me in awe. I was so glad I wore this sleeveless fuschia wrap dress today. A light skinned waitress approached our table and gave us menus. 

 "Hi, I'm Gina. I'll be your server today. Take your time with the menus." 

 She walked away with a smile plastered on her face. We flipped through the menus in front of us. I glanced at Brandon's arm. There wasn't a single scar on it. Almost like that cut was never there.

 I turned my attention back to the menu before he could notice.Last night was behind the both of us. But I wasn't over what happened. If I told anyone else about this, they wouldn't have believed me. 

 Grandma closed her menu. "What do you like to do for fun?" 

 "I watch twisted fairy tale movies and read mystery novels before my night shift," Brandon answered. 

 "Did you see the movie 'Sugar coated'?" 

 "Yeah. It was the most chilling movie I've seen in the 'Tainted Tales' series."

 I watched them with raised eyebrows. Grandma never mentioned liking the 'Tainted Tales' movies before. It was nice that she and Brandon hit it off. On the bright side, we could focus on something besides the family curse. 

 Brandon walked away when his phone rang. Grandma looked at me, with a small smile on her face. If '7 Rings' by Ariana Grande wasn't playing in here, it would have been quiet. I closed my menu and leaned back in my seat. Beverly walked past our booth, holding a bright green clutch.

 I opened my own purse and called her. Her phone didn't ring. When I glanced up, she was already gone. How could someone walk away that quick?

 Grandma stared at me with raised eyebrow. "What are you looking for, girl?" 

 "Just one of my friends. When did you start watching scary movies?" I answered. 

 "Your mama recommended them to me." 

 My eyes widened. I never expected anyone as paranoid as my mama to watch scary movies. Maybe I would watch them later to see what the fuss was about. Brandon came back, and sat down next to me. 

His hand brushed against my thigh. A shiver went through my body. I licked my lips and kept a straight face. He talked to Grandma about some cooking show like that didn't happen.

My phone chimed in my purse, but I ignored it. Then, I felt Brandon's hand on top of mine. A smile grew on my face.

Gina came back and picked up our menus. She took out a blue pen and a white notepad. Grandma ordered first.

"I'll have iced tea."

"Dr. Pepper for me," Brandon said.

When Gina eyes landed on me, I spoke. "I'd like a Pepsi."

She wrote on her white notepad. "Okay. I'll be back with your drinks."

She walked away from the booth. I snuck a peek at my phone. It was a missed call from Beverly. Wait a minute. Why would she call me if she didn't want to be seen?

Brandon and Grandma were staring at me when I looked up. I just tapped my nails on the table. It made the moment less awkward.

My phone rang. It was Beverly again. Alright. Something had to be up with her. So, I left the booth and walked to the bathroom.

I paced in front of the sinks. My phone rang again. This time I answered it. Beverly had some explaining to do. After two minutes of high pitched tapping, she actually spoke.

"Hey, Candy. I got a question for you."

"Go ahead," I said.

"Did you see a tiny red vial yesterday in Maula's apartment yesterday?"

"Yeah. I have it in my purse."

"Oh good. I'm not the only one. Hold on."

My phone chimed. It was a photo of a box full of little red vials. They looked like they were full of blood. I was speechless.

Maybe that's how she earned her money. Just the thought of that much blood being kept in that many vials made me shudder. What kind of business was the Woods family really running?