Page 64 of Fatal Vengeance

"Who let this woman operate a vehicle?" I snarl over my shoulder at the two assholes in the backseat. My cousin's teeth are gritted, his hands balled in his lap, while Griffin looks a little pale. Asher shrugs at me without a word, but his eyes are wide and seeming to scream, This was your fucking idea, Creed. You encouraged her.

"Oh, shut your cute fucking face and stop worrying. I won't kill the only people in the world I actually like," my wicked girl retorts, rolling her eyes at the lot of us. She's probably thinking she's stuck with a trio of pussies with the way we've behaved in this car ride, and after the unflattering, almost feminine shriek I let loose earlier when she got too close to the cliff on our right, I'd say she's right.

"You also like Genevieve," Asher drawls, though his voice is strained. "If you kill us, you'd still have her."

I glance out of my window and down the steep drop off, swallowing the vomit that tries to crawl up my throat. We're almost at our destination, but honestly, it'll be a damn miracle if I don't have a heart attack before then.

"Maybe just slow down, baby," I mutter, turning back to look at her. She's got her window down, her silky red hair loose and flowing in the breeze, and before we got in this car, I was seriously tempted to rip her lilac summer dress right off her body. Now sex is the last thing on my mind, which is a damn shame.

Prudence huffs irritably, slowing for me, even as she says, "I'm literally going the speed limit, Creed." It's a lie, of course. I saw the speedometer myself.

None of us says another word for the remainder of the drive, the ten or so minutes dragging by while she navigates the curving road to the secluded lake we're headed to. The second she parks beneath a large oak tree, Griffin and Asher spill out of the back seat like they just might kiss the grass beneath their feet, and I'm not too far behind them.

"Hey!" Genevieve calls from her perch on the picnic table she's waiting at. She takes a second to look over each of us, and then adds, "Why do you all look like death?"

Asher hooks his thumb at me, I point at Prudence, and Griffin just sweeps a hand down his face as he puts some distance between him and the car.

Prudence waves us all off as she walks over to her sister, her fingers toying with the delicate black leather around her neck. She's barely taken the thing off since the day Asher gifted it to her, and the pride that shines in my cousin's eyes every time he sees it is clear. She even wore it to his college graduation, brazenly telling some chick who kept giving him come fuck me eyes that the collar was Asher's claim and to politely fuck all the way off.

It was fucking epic and made that day unforgettable.

Asher is the only one of us who decided to go back to school and finish his degree, though not at Blackwood, even though the damn place did get rebuilt after all. He now runs his father's real estate business, but obviously keeps everything above board. He's actually made a fucking killing at it, which was a shock to all of us, because none of us thought he even liked the job. Turns out, he just didn't like his dick of a dad and the way he ran it.

Prudence and I got volunteer positions at a shelter in the city, helping people who are down on their luck and need a guiding hand. I've met a few people who were struggling with their mental health, and it's brought me a lot of peace being able to bond with them over something so vulnerable and offer them help in ways I wished I had gotten years ago. Prudence tends to gravitate more toward the kids and teens in the shelter, and she's so damn good at handling them that every time we leave that place, I have the desperate urge to fill her with babies of our own.

She's shot that idea down every time I bring it up, saying it's not the right time and she doesn't even know if she wants kids, but I'm not giving up unless she gives me a definitive no. Besides, between three guys pumping her full of cum on the regular, her birth control is bound to fail one of these days.

I can't wait.

Griffin hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do with his life yet, but he spent the last year remodeling a house for us that Asher purchased on a steal. He's good with his hands, and likes the work, always taking his time and making sure every last detail is perfect. Now that he's done — and the massive house is damn beautiful — I have a feeling he'll go on to the next project. I bet he and Asher team up and make flipping houses a career.

Speaking of my grumpy cousin, he collapses onto the bench at the table, cradling his head in his hands with a groan, and I snort in amusement. Griffin and I join him, while Genevieve gets up and meets Prudence a few feet away, the sisters sharing a hug that speaks of the fierce trust and love that's grown between them. Those two couldn't be any closer now, and you'd never know they didn't even grow up together.

I watch them with a lazy grin on my face, glad for the slight breeze and the soft lapping of the lake to make me feel steady again after that long car ride. "We're never letting her drive again," I murmur to my friends without taking my eyes off my girl.

Asher chuckles dryly. "I'd rather army crawl over burning coals than get in a vehicle she's operating."

Griffin hums his agreement, adding, "I'd rather have my neck cut open again."

Asher and I go silent for a beat, sharing a look before glancing at Griffin, and when he starts laughing at his own — terrible — joke, the two of us join in. Turns out he's got a sick sense of humor, but really, is that all that surprising after everything we're all lived through? We've all found ways to cope with our traumas, and Griffin makes jokes about it is his way.

Me, personally? I like to bury my cock inside Prudence every time those memories try to haunt me, and she's never one to turn me down. To say we fuck a lot is an understatement.

The girls come back over to the table and sit on the bench opposite the guys, both of them smiling and chatting as if we're not even here. Typical when those two get together. It's as if the guys just fade into the background, which is just fine by us.

We eat the sandwiches Genevieve brought, have a few beers, and fall into mindless conversation for a while, and once our meal is finished, Prudence looks out to the calm lake.

"You ready, little flame?" Griffin asks her softly.

Prudence nods, taking a deep breath as she stands from the table, and the rest of us follow without a word. We head over to the edge of the lake, right where we spread Irene's ashes years ago, and the breeze picks up as if she's here with us, even now. I'd like to think she'd be happy with the men in her daughter's life, even though we fucked things up so royally at the beginning. But we're worked on our mistakes, and Prudence is safe, happy, and cared for now. I think that's what counts.

Prudence kneels in the soft grass, folding her hands in her lap as she gazes out at the water. "Happy birthday, Mom," she whispers, dipping her fingers in the lake and sending gentle ripples spreading out across the surface.

"Happy birthday, Irene," Genevieve adds as she sinks down beside her sister. "I hope you feel so loved today, wherever you are."

"Thank you for bringing such a fierce, amazing person into the world," Asher says, looking up to the sky as if he can see Irene if he just tries hard enough.

"Thank you for keeping her safe from the people who hurt you," Griffin mutters, his brows furrowed while he rubs the scar on his neck.

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