Page 11 of Revenge

“That won’t happen. I’ll make sure of it.” I give him my word on that. “We good?”

“We are. You have my number. Ring me if you need anythin’ else.” Just as quickly as he appeared, he fades back into the shadows under the cover of night.

I take one last hit of my cigarette and flick it to the ground before I cross the street back to the van.

“He come through for you?” Zane asks the second my ass hits the seat.

“He did.” I rip into the envelope like a kid on Christmas. Inside are the clues I’ve been waiting forever for—the ones that will bring me a step closer to ending this. I pull out the photos and use the tip of my thumb to flip through each image until one catches my eye. Fire pumps through my veins the instant I zone in on the fucker’s face. That scar is one I’d know anywhere. It’s the one that haunts me every fucking time I close my eyes and hear Lauren’s screams.

The shrill sound of my phone going off has me damn near dropping the photos. When I pick it up off the dash and read Axel’s text, I almost do something I haven’t done in years—smile.

“That Axel with some good news?” Zane narrows his eyes at me.

“He fixed the lock on the back door so we can sneak in undetected that way.”

“Good.” He nods, but I’m not convinced he’s ready to go all in.

“You sure you’re ready for this?” I’m giving him one last chance for an out before he crosses the line with me. Because once he does, there’s no turning back, for any of us.

He holds my gaze as he answers. “Yup. I’m with you, big brother. No question.”

“Good.” I nod and put the van in gear. “Then let’s go hunting and get us a doe.”

Chapter Six

Charlee

“You look hot!” Kelsey’s jaw drops. “I knew it would match your bracelet perfectly.”

“Thanks.” I run my hands down the sides of my strapless emerald dress. It’s tighter than I normally wear, but I love it and after the dinner fiasco with my dad earlier this week, I need a night of fun. “You look pretty damn good yourself.”

“This ol’ thing?” she teases and motions to her blue dress. The sweetheart-shaped bodice is barely enough to contain her ginormous boobs, and her red locks are down in soft waves, much like my own dark hair. My friend is a serious knockout. I just hope the spaghetti straps hold up better than the ones on her prom dress did. “I assume we’re taking precautions to avoid the big bad daddio and his band of badasses?”

“Yes, and I’m leaving my phone at home. I can’t be too careful.” I wouldn’t put it past him to have Marco or one of his other men use it to track me.

“Smart as well as beautiful. This is why we’re friends.” Kelsey grins as I lock up my apartment and follow her the back way toward our waiting cab.

“So, are you going to tell me more about this Shawn guy you’ve been seeing?” I ask as we climb inside, doing my best to ignore the stale scent of French fries that hits me in the face.

“I’m not giving you any preconceived ideas. You can judge for yourself.” Her eyes light up as she glances at her phone. “They’re meeting us there.”

“They? What do you mean by they?” I’m going to strangle my friend.

“Don’t be mad.” The smile that flashes across her face is the one I’m all too familiar with. She’s been giving it to me since the second grade and it usually means trouble.

“What did you do, Kels? Please tell me you’re not setting me up on a blind date?”

“Not exactly.” She winces at my sharp tone.

“What does that mean?” I toy with my bracelet to keep from wringing her neck.

“Well, I may have heard that Colby will be there tonight.” Not buying that for a second.

“Oh, you heard, huh?” My eyes narrow. I wasn’t born yesterday.

“Okay, fine. I may or may not have let him know you’d be there tonight.”

I sag back against the sticky vinyl seat with a loud sigh. This night is not off to a good start.

---