Page 23 of Vengeful Rotten Casualties

Rylie tilts her head to the side. She’s got to be the hacker Luc mentioned. She’s too sharp not to be, and she seems to be the one with answers and knowledge. “I know that name from somewhere,” she says.

I nod. “Probably. Jason Osman was a very wealthy businessman. He was in the oil business mostly but had hands in a lot of different things. I was his mail order home grown bride.” Until I wasn’t.

“What happened?” Luc presses. “Did he…”

I ignore the last unspoken question. "I was with him for quite a while,” I answer. “He was easier to deal with. He died a few months ago and I got what I never expected.” Avalon leans forward, her lips pressed together. Her nostrils flare. She knows.“My freedom.”

“If that’s true then why’d it take you so long to come back?” I glance up at the unfamiliar man standing next to the redhead.

The answer is a complicated one. “I didn’t have a choice,” I tell him honestly. “It was only after my husband’s death that I realized Icoulddo something. I debated about just moving on with my life, and trying to forget everything.”

Impatience bleeds into Avalon’s tone. “But?” she presses.

Because, of course, there’s a ‘but.’ “But,” I repeat, “I found that the problem—the shit I faced—is bigger than me. It always was.”

“What did you find?”

“Corruption,” I say. “A lot of it. At first, I thought I’d take the things I’d found to the FBI and explain everything that happened. Maybe they’d be able to do something about the men and women who…” I shake my head, cutting my words off. “But if I did that,” I pull my hands completely from Luc’s as they begin to tremble, “I wouldn’t be able to exact my own justice. The Feds could always fail. The people who fucked me over have fucked over countless other lives. They’re wealthy, well-connected, and well-protected. The Feds are good, but even I know criminals slip through the cracks. I don’t intend to let any of these people get away with what they did—what they’re doing.”

“You’re taking revenge,” Dean comments. I glance up and meet his gaze. There’s a knowing glint in his dark eyes. No judgment. Maybe even a hint of respect.

“Yes,” I say. “But it’s more than that now. Jason and Thomas were friends, but friends in the world of the elite always have to have backups and—”

“Collateral,” Luc finishes. I look back at him. Eyes like the ocean return my stare. “What did you find?”

“Everything,” I tell him. “I found fucking everything.”

He blinks and frowns.

“Bank notes. Voicemails. Emails. Paper trails I’m sure Thomas thought he’d burned. Records of bribes and even payments to mysterious LLCs that somehow existed for short times and then disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“That was enough for you to want to take revenge?” Avalon asks. “If it was only that you really could have gone to the Feds. You wouldn’t have had to come back.” She shakes her head and instead of asking a question she does exactly what I expect. “No. You wouldn’t have come back when you could’ve taken care of it all from afar.”

“You’re right,” I agree.

“Then what else is there?” Luc demands. “Micki, please for fuck’s sake. I want to know why you came back—why you came back tome.”

And that’s the kicker. Because he’s right. I didn’t come back for Avalon. I didn’t even know she was here. Despite how happy I am to see her, to know that she’s well cared for now and freed from her past, I didn’t go to her the second I touched down in Eastpoint. I came to Luc.

“Because I need your help,” I say. “And I can’t ask anyone else.” I don’t have friends. Not real ones. I don’t have allies. No one else in the world will understand the severity of my request, of the information I’ve uncovered. “I need to save someone. They’re very important and you’re the only one who can do it.”

Luc’s frown deepens. Small wrinkles form at the corners of his eyes as his brows draw down. “I found more when my husband died,” I say. “I found information that he had on Thomas and on my mother.”

His expression eases immediately. “He killed her, didn’t he?” he asks.

“Yes, but that’s not what this is about.” Thomas Kincaid has killed a lot of people and as callous as it may make me, my mother’s death was simply another notch on his belt. A pebble in his path. She meant nothing to him and she never did.

“Then, what—”

“It’s why he killed her,” I interrupt him. My chest coils tightly—so tightly it fucking hurts. “Because she gave birth to his kid. A daughter.Our sister.” And I won’t leave her in the care of the monster who murdered our mother and raped me. “Yes, I’m back for revenge,” I continue. “I’m going to erase the existence of every fucking person who used and hurt me. They’ll never be able to do that to anyone else. That I could do all on my own, but when it comes to her—I need help. I needyourhelp, Luc.”

11

LUC

What the fuck.

What theactualfucking fuck?

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