Page 107 of Revenge

Shaking myself from that sudden numbness, I replied, “Yes.” My voice came out shaky and I hated how weak it sounded but Kai smiled.

The man I loved then leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. It was brief but oh so special.

“That’s my girl,” he whispered with pride.

Those words gave me an extra burst of strength. I needed to see it through and get the job done. And then another thought bled into me like a sliced artery. How would Kai react when I shot his father?

As Kai turned away and typed in the code to unlock the door, I felt beneath my hoodie, checking that the pistol was still there.

And then we walked into the room. It was smaller than the living space with no fireplace, but the room was decorated the same.

Two men were inside the room, soldiers from the looks of things.

“Henry, Sykes,” Kai said with a nod towards them.

“Sir,” one of them replied. The other's eyes just narrowed.

From his tone of voice, at least one of them was respectful but I could see from the tautness of both their shoulders that they were poised for action.

Stepping further into the room I felt someone at my back as Cillian, Sean and Hamish appeared. They all walked separate ways around the side of the room and then my eyes fell on him.

In the centre of the room, was a large coffee table with a sofa on the opposite side. And sitting there was a tired-looking old man.

Gerard Kinlan.

Fuck, this was it, my moment.

“Father,” Kai said as we walked further into the room.

Gerard looked up, his eyes narrowing as he took in his visitors and then he smiled when his gaze landed on me. It was twisted, his sluglike lips made me feel itchy all over; the memory of those hands on my skin.

“You wanted me to bring you the man who was responsible for sending you to prison,” Kai said, shifting beside me.

Fearscratcheddown my skin, like claws against my backbone. Oh my God, had I misjudged things? Why did it suddenly feel like I was being presented to his father, hand-delivered?

My heart was thudding against my chest as panic set in. Placing a hand to my throat I turned to Kai and looked into his eyes. They were warm and reassuring, he must have known that it looked like I was being brought before Gerard, like a lamb to the slaughter.

At that moment I realised that’s what Kaiwantedthem to believe. That was the reason we had been allowed inside. I remained silent, not knowing what to say.

Dropping my hand to my side, I glanced around the space. I could see Cillian, staring daggers at Gerard from his position by the window.

As I read the room, I noted where everyone was standing: Kai to my left, Cill by the window, Sean beside him, and Hamish on the opposite side of the room, close to Henry and the other soldier. Gerard remained seated.

He looked older and thinner. His hair was now fully grey but even though he wasn’t half the man he used to be his eyes still carried intelligence and power.

“What was that son,” Gerard questioned, lifting a handkerchief to his head.

Kai placed a hand on the small of my back, so close to the gun that I held my breath. He pushed me forward, closer to the coffee table. There was a machine on there and the wires dropped down the other side of the table, towards Gerard. Possibly a monitor of some kind?

“I said, I have found the one responsible for taking you down and heresheis. The man who sent you to prison is awoman.Avais the one who ratted you out. She single-handedly brought you to your knees. A seventeen-year-old girl.”

I watched as the realisation of what his son told him hit home. Gerard pushed to his feet, his entire haggard body soaring upwards, arms and legs shaking.

“You lie,” he bellowed.

“No, it’s not a lie. But everything that you led your family to believe about you was.”

Autopilot kicked in as Kai moved to the side of me, his attention on his father.

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