Page 4 of Vengeful Secret

My breath catches in my throat. The strip is full of bars and clubs, yet this is the one they chose?

The bar where I met Ciara’s father.

Memory washes over me like a tidal wave as I stand frozen on the other side of the street.

All the things we shared along the time we were together. The way he’d pull me close. The way he’d whisper sweet promises in my ears. Promises I had run away from.

For the first time in years, I allow myself to think about him—where he might be. Who he might be now.

Five years is a long time, after all.

Is he married? Does he have a couple of kids? Does Ciara have siblings?

Sarah frowns at me, walking toward me.

I force myself to snap out of it. “Focus, Sutton. Tonight is about friends, not old ghosts.”

Tonight is a chance to reclaim a piece of myself.

I force myself to smile and cross the street to greet my old friend. She wears a slinky black skirt with a white crop-top that shows off her brown skin and honey-colored eyes.

“You look amazing,” she gushes, gesturing toward my dress, and I flush, smiling at her.

“You do, too, Sarah. But of course, you always do.”

“But of course.” She grins. flipping her long black curls behind one shoulder. “Rose and Marisa are inside, let’s go!”

She takes my arm, and we walk into the bar, heading toward the table where our other two friends are already sitting. Neither of them has a drink, so I hail the server.

“First round is on me.”

The girls cheer, and I order a round of vodka shots for the table.

Rose whistles. “Starting off strong, are we?”

“I haven’t been out in what feels like a century.” I chuckle. “I’m not planning to get wasted, but I want to let my hair down.”

“That’s understandable,” Marisa says, and I’m a bit surprised to hear her speak up. She’s always been the quiet one of the group. “We’ve missed you, Sutton.”

I soften, swaying toward her until my shoulder bumps hers. “Missed you guys, too.”

Back in high school, we’d been a close-knit group, having sleepovers and carpooling to school together, sneaking out on Saturday nights when one or all of us were grounded. A special bond between us.

I hope to recapture it, at least for the night.

Having my girls around seems like exactly what I need to get my mind off... well, everything.

It’s much warmer inside the bar than it was in the crisp air outside, and the vodka burns down my throat, but in a good way.

“Are you looking for a man tonight, Marisa?” Sarah teases, and Marisa flushes a deep red.

It’s not hard to get her to blush, especially since she’s an Irish redhead with freckles and porcelain skin, and shy to boot.

Sarah and Rosa have always been the outgoing, wild ones, while Marisa and I are quieter and more reserved.

I can get wild, mind you, given the right people and the right atmosphere, but Marisa is always a little dimmed. It’s just the way she is.

“Are you?” Marisa shoots back dryly, and Sarah scoffs.

---