Page 13 of Rescuing Brinley

But the woman on the receiving end of the tirade was calm. Simply stood there staring back with an almost blank look on her face.

At first glance, it was easy to see that the woman wasn’t participating in the pageant herself. She wore a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, clothes none of the other women would be caught dead in, even though the competition hadn’t started yet. She also didn’t look like she was wearing any makeup, her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, with wisps of red curls escaping their confinement and framing her face. And she didn’t have the overly polished look of a woman who competed in beauty pageants.

Shadow thought she was…striking. Unique. Her features were sharp in a way that wasn’t classically pretty. She had the kind of face people probably described as…a little off, especially when they couldn’t think of anything nicer to say. Her nose dominated her features just slightly, her jaw was square, her ears protruded a bit, and her complexion seemed very pale—especially when surrounded by all the fake tans of the contestants.

Nothing about her probably invited a second look for most. Except Shadow, who couldn’t take his eyes off her.

Outwardly, she looked completely unfazed by the woman berating her. But as the rant continued, even from across the room, Shadow saw her wince almost imperceptibly before wiping all emotion from her face once more.

He was on the move even before the beauty queen reached out and shoved the other woman’s shoulder.

Echo was on his six as they converged on the pair. No one else was intervening, the women nearby happy to listen in and watch the spat.

When the woman in the red leotard—which showed way too much for Shadow’s taste—got in the other woman’s face once more, he shoved himself between them, making the pageant girl stop in her tracks.

“Enough,” Shadow said firmly.

“Excuse me?” the woman barked haughtily.

“I have no idea what the issue is here, but there’s no need to get physical.”

“The issue is that Brinley is trying to sabotage me!”

Shadow looked over his shoulder just in time to see the woman in jeans roll her eyes.

“Give me a break, Callista. I’m not sabotaging anyone. I’m here to do a job. That’s it. Nothing I do has anything to do with you.”

“Bullshit! You’re a jealous, ugly cow, and you came here to do whatever you could to make me look bad!”

“Wrong. I was flown in by clients who paid my way. So here I am, doing my job by making sure their outfits fit properly and showcase their assets in a classy way that reflects the integrity of this pageant. And I’m not jealous of you or anyone else.”

The other woman—Callista—laughed. Except it wasn’t a humorous sound. It was vicious and harsh. Much like the woman herself. Shadow didn’t know her, though he recognized her name as being the second contestant from the US. And it was more than obvious she wasn’t a nice person.

“You’re so jealous it’s ridiculous! Being around all these gorgeous women is probably making you feel even more like the hideous troll you are. Why don’t you do society a favor and crawl back under whatever rock you live under and stay there?”

And with that, Callista turned on a heel and stomped off like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

Shadow slowly turned and looked at Brinley. It was a pretty name. Unique. Just like the woman herself.

“Sorry about that,” she said, wrinkling her nose a little. “Callista has always been overly dramatic.”

“Are you okay? She wasn’t very nice.”

“I’m used to it.”

His confusion must have shown on his face, because she clarified for him.

“She’s my sister. Her insults don’t faze me anymore. And yes, I know, we look nothing alike, but I’m not lying.”

Shadow glanced over to where Callista was standing against the wall, talking with two other women. She was gesturing wildly, a nasty scowl on her face. But now that Brinley said something, he could see the resemblance. Callista had long auburn hair, and her green eyes matched Brinley’s. But the other woman was almost half a foot taller and slender, and her facial features were…more muted. He could see why she’d been chosen to represent the United States, and why she was probably successful at beauty pageants. Her outward appearance was, by society’s standards, flawless. Long legs, big boobs, high cheekbones, sleek hair, small waist…

But it was all ruined by her nastiness.

“Different fathers,” Brinley told him. “Mom took one look at how ugly I was when I was born and refused to take a chance on having another weird-looking kid with her then-husband. She left him and got another, so she could try again for a pretty baby.”

“You aren’t ugly,” Shadow told her.

“Thanks. But I have a mirror. I know what I am and what I’m not.”