Page 21 of Wicked Revenge

“Don’t worry, Daddy. This big one isn’t for you.” I wink at him and again I swear to fucking God he blushes a little. “I met her earlier, the girl who did this.”

“What the fuck? Who is she?” His face is a mask of confusion and curiosity.

“Man, I don’t have a fucking clue. She literally ran into me on my way out of Twisted, and it was…” I trail off, not really sure how to express what happened in that hall. “I can’t explain it. I just need to figure out who she is, and what the fuck she was doing in Jackson’s house.”

“Maddie,” he starts, sighing as he finishes my stitches. He starts wiping the fresh blood that has leaked from them with an alcohol swab before sticking a gauze bandage over it. I know what he is going to say before the words come out of his mouth. “We need to stay focused on getting Em back for now. We can’t bring anyone into this fucked up world we live in. You know what he did to Em’s nanny.”

“You don’t think I fucking know that,” I scoff, pushing him back and standing. I grab the bottle he took away and abandoned on the floor. “I fucking know that. You just don’t understand. Fuck. I don’t even fucking understand it. I can’t control this, whatever this is!”

Pacing the floor, my thoughts racing, I bring the bottle to my lips and take a giant gulp.

He grips my shoulders, spinning me around and forcing me to stop my manic pacing with a firm grip on my neck. “Stop before you rip your stitches, asshole. I understand. Trust me, I do. We will figure this out. I promise you.”

I give him a sharp nod because my manic thoughts are still racing and I don’t know what to say to him.

"We need to go help Royal. You good?" He asks, nodding towards my wound.

“Let's go then.” I take another long pull from the bottle before walking to the door. I know now is not the time to be involving someone else in our bullshit, but I have to see her again.

***

The forest is soggy under our boots as we trudge through the trees in the direction Royal headed. We stay quiet, moving as slowly and silently as possible, listening for any signs of them. The rain is still pouring down, soaking our clothes and making this trek a cold, wet mess.

My wound isn't bothering me though; The alcohol eased the pain and helped to calm me down. Hopefully, it’ll last long enough to get through this fucked up night.

We come to the edge of a cliff that the river runs under. We’re walking the path next to it when a high-pitched scream rings out through the forest. It's close enough to hear but still off in the distance, and it makes every hair on my body stand on end. It’s her; I fucking know it in my soul.

I lock eyes with Alek before we both break out into a run, heading in the direction it came from, which sounds like it's straight ahead of us.

We run for what seems like forever, but can only be a few minutes before I hear Royal’s panicked voice up ahead.

“It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I need you to breathe for me, I’m coming down to get you. It’s okay, I promise.”

I push myself even harder, adrenaline and liquor fueling my body, and when I see Royal go over the edge of the cliff, I swear my heart stops beating in my chest. I dive for the edge, my knees hitting the soft mud as I lean over.

It’s not a huge drop, but the large boulders in this area are dangerous. I let out a sigh of relief when I spot Royal hanging from the roots of a tree that must have washed out.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I yell. Alek’s hand is on my back gripping my hoodie so I don’t slide down. Royal is climbing down the cliff by the roots before he turns and dives into the water.

My relief is short lived when I see what made Royal do something so stupid, and my heart stops for a second time. Cherry is down at the bottom, her body has floated a little ways downstream, and is half on the rocky shore, half in the water.

“Nooooooo!” I scream, lunging forward to get to her only to be yanked back by my jacket. “I swear to fucking God, if you don’t let me go!” Spit flies from my mouth while I try to scramble away from Alek.

“He has her. You’ve got a fucking stab wound on your side. Let Royal get her.” He pulls me back into his chest as he sits on the wet ground. Alek growls in my ear as he bear-hugs me from behind so I can’t get free. The fight takes a minute to leave my panicked body. He loosens his grip when I relax into his hold a bit, but he doesn’t let me go.

“She’s alive, I need some help getting her up,” Royal calls up to us.

“I’m going to let you go now, are you good?” Alek asks me. I nod at him, crawling forward to lean over the edge once more. “It's too high here to bring her up,” he calls down to Royal, who now has her cradled against his chest. “Keep walking in that direction, and the cliff will even out a little ways downstream. We’ll meet you there.”

We both take off in the direction we just came from, the rain finally easing up a little. The cliff's edge begins to decline, and I keep my eyes on Royal holding my girl. My girl. That statement should scare me, but it doesn’t. I haven’t even seen her face and I’m laying claim on her, and I don’t give a fuck. That’s my girl, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Royal climbs the rocky shore to meet us, and I get the first glimpse at her.

“Cherry,” I say, cupping her cheek in my hand and looking at my mystery girl.

Fuck. She is gorgeous.

Her hood has come off, revealing long fiery red curls that are currently dangling over his arm and run almost to his knees. A quick look at her stunning face has my knees weak, but the blood that coats her face pulls me out of my thoughts.

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