Page 82 of Scorch

I stared at the wall and took a long drink from my bottle. I thought about what I had done to reward her for being kind to Lydia. Another teacher had received similar treatment for showing her kindness.

The boy who called her fat got a merciless beating. Retribution can be both sweet and painful.

The girl who mocked her? I made sure her name was smeared on social media, branded as a blackmailing bitch.

And the others who tormented her? One by one, every teacher and bully classmate who hurt her faced brutal consequences. It's no fun being stranded in the middle of nowhere with slashed tires or finding your bank account drained. It took strategic planning, but it was done.

Now, there's an exposé about the strange and mysterious events that happened at Liberty Ridge. I tried to stagger them initially, but I got impatient. If I had my way, they'd all be gone. Every last one of them.

“They're lucky they're alive,” I muttered.

Kolya leaned forward and tapped my beer bottle with his. “Another?”

He allowed me to drink once a month. No more, no less. I didn't like to indulge because I wanted to stay in control, but I enjoyed a beer with him. Fortunately for me, I could handle quite a bit.

“I want you to keep something in mind, Viktor,” Kolya said.

I nodded. “Yes?”

“Revenge can be a powerful motivator. But it can also eat you alive. Consume your every waking thought and your dreams as well. I ought to know. I’ve been there.”

I nodded and polished off my drink just as the waitress brought over a second. With her full bust and curvy ass, she leaned closer to me, trying to get my attention, but I turned away.

I only have eyes for one woman.

“You’ve done what needed to be done to protect her. I get it. But don’t let it destroy you in the process.”

I grunted and turned away, taking another long pull from the beer. “I won’t let them get away with what they did.”

“And you shouldn’t,” he said. “But there’s a line between justice and obsession you don’t want to cross.”

I took a deep breath and sipped my beer—my taste soured with bitterness. “I get it,” I said, though part of me wondered if I really did.

Kolya nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. Now tell me what you plan next.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lydia

I stare in front of me, hardly believing what I see. This is beyond what I ever imagined I’d find in Viktor’s possession.

An old bottle with the golden letters reading Opulence, a perfume I used when I was younger.

Where did that come from?

A napkin with a smear of lipstick and a torn page from a notebook that looks eerily familiar. I don’t recognize the napkin, of course, but when paired together with the other things…

When I pick it up, my skin prickles as if someone’s standing behind me right this very minute.

I look over my shoulder and see no one.

There’s an empty coffee cup with my name scribbled on it from a coffee shop.

Lydia

The letters are smeared now as if someone… rubbed their finger over the thick black lettering over and over again. A ring of coffee still stains the bottom.

An old grocery list in my handwriting.

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