Two Twisted Tales
Copyright ©2016-2017 Patricia Green Books
All rights reserved.
In this excerpt, we meet Snow White’s evil step-mother.
Emiliana Santa Maria rolled a blonde curl around her finger and patted it in place at the side of her face. She wound up a little music box next to her mirror and set it down to play a tinny rendition of “I Only Have Eyes for You.”
“You’re perfect,” she told herself as she gazed into the mirror. “Now don’t forget to smile.” The face reflected back to her made a show of teeth, a lot like a smile, but an evil glitter in her dark eyes belied the pleasant expression. It was a source of frustration for her, so she tried a few other looks before giving up and turning off the makeup mirror. The music box wound down and the tiny, headless ballerina stopped rotating.
A few minutes later, she breezed through the thickly carpeted hallways of her oceanfront condo. Her head tipped regally at the handsome young man who opened the door to her salon. It was a pleasure to have such a good-looking boy-toy working as her bodyguard. She thought she’d employ another, just to have matching bookends.
“Gentlemen,” she said upon entering. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting too long.” Actually, she didn’t care for their time one way or another, but she did believe in being polite, even with her lieutenants.
“No, ma’am.”
Although her minions were deferential, they were a dangerous trio, not above a measure of thuggery when the mood struck them. Never against her, of course; that would be unthinkable. Her position as head of the family was secure, so long as she ruled with an iron fist and the unassailable force of a tidal wave.
“Please sit. How have you progressed with your search for Snow White?”
“We think we have a lead, ma’am,” answered the bruiser aptly named Hunter.
“I don’t need details. I trust you will follow through and get her here.” Her stare pinned each one of them down like butterflies to a display board. It was her specialty. My, but I’m intimidating. Look at them quail.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Anything else?”
The trio looked at each other, each unwilling to volunteer something. What was it?
Hunter breathed a long-suffering sigh. “Well, ma’am, we need more men. We can’t use any that she might know from when she visited her father here. Before he died, that is.”
“Ah. Hire a few more. Maybe some women.” Women? Maybe even pretty women? “No. I changed my mind. No women.” She dismissed them with a wave as she pulled a compact mirror from her dress pocket. “Do what you must. Just get the job done.”
Hunter nodded and the other two followed suit. “Yes, ma’am.”
The tinkling sound of “You are So Beautiful” emanated from the little mirror as she looked at herself and fluffed her short, pale hair. “Shoo, men of hench.”
Men of hench! God, but I’m clever.
Two Twisted Tales is now available at:
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ISBN: 978-0-9939501-1-7
Copyright ©2016-2017 Patricia Green Books