Page 64 of Pure Vengeance

Before I could exit the vehicle, she said, “I saw what you did.”

“Excuse me?” I turned slightly to look at her but kept my hand on the door. “What are you talking about?”

“Does my brother know you gave Dante his attack cue?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting.” She turned to look at me, and to my shock, a tear left a silvery trail down her cheek. “Why didn’t you have him kill Lachlan?”

“Because I hated my father more than I hate your brother.” I opened the door, but didn’t get out. “Or you.”

Shivering, she pulled a large manila envelope from the slot between her seat and the armrest and held it out. “Your phone is in here with keys to the house and a document transferringownership to you. There’s a debit card too. Don’t know how much is on it, but the banking details are there.”

I took the envelope and tried not to show my surprise. Things like debit cards and property transfers took time. Had Lachlan planned to let me go all along? I felt some kind of way about that but didn’t have the emotional strength to parse through my feelings.

“Thanks, but I’m not staying.”

“For what it’s worth, Lachlan and I loved our brother. I tried to stop him, but…” She shrugged and didn’t look at me. “I’m sorry you got caught up in it. We thought?—”

“Does your brother love you?” I interrupted.

“What?”

“Answer the question. Does Lachlan love you?”

“Of course, he does. Why are you even asking me that?”

“Loving someone makes a person vulnerable, don’t you think?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you do. You and Lachlan thought my father loved me. You thought you could hurt him by hurting me.” I paused and met her gaze, letting my lips turn up into a smile when she blinked nervously and looked down. “Why are you sweating, Saoirse? Why do your hands shake so badly?”

“I—”

“Ask yourself what I might do to make your brother hurt.” Leaning close, I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and felt her tremble when I stroked her cheek. The perfume of her fear smelled so damned good. “Tell Lachlan I just learned how to give him more pain than he could ever imagine. Most importantly, tell him I’ll like it.”

Hoping my threat would stick, I got out, then grabbed the shopping bag and opened the back passenger door to let Dante out. We walked away without looking back.

Lachlan

The white, legal-sized folder rested on my desk, but I didn’t open it.

Not yet.

I knew what was inside though. It was the much-amended document that would end my marriage to Natasha.

Behaving true to type, she stubbornly crossed out and initialed every line item regarding transfer of assets to her. She’d even caught the generous alimony I tried to hide in another section. I couldn’t go outside the legal dissolution of our marriage and put money into the bank account I’d set up for her either.

The disagreeable brat closed it and mailed me a cashier’s check, along with the debit card shredded into razor-edged confetti—probably in the hope I’d nick an artery on one of the pieces. She hadn’t spent a penny of it—not even for the fee to cut the check. It was more than odd. I’d have sworn I left Steve Ashland without any assets, and I couldn’t figure out how she was supporting herself.

I didn’t even blame her for the other package she’d sent containing all her piercing jewelry, her wedding ring, and a large pile of dog excrement.

Although I still had the video feed from cameras I’d placed around the property, judging by the sale sign placed discreetly at the end of the driveway, she didn’t plan to stay.

I couldn’t even track her phone anymore. As if she’d known I’d added a hidden locator to the device, she set it in the driveway and drove over it several times with a large SUV. Ona whim, I decided to try the number, only to find it had been disconnected.

At least she hadn’t found the GPS tracker on her vehicle—not that she actually went anywhere. Aside from weekly supermarket trips, she didn’t leave the property. Instead, she played fetch with Dante and took him for long walks while workmen hauled out her father’s tacky furniture and replaced it with more tasteful selections.

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