Page 42 of Vendetta

She turned back around, leaning back once more as she let out a breath, the topic seeming to get to her. I had no idea that this had meant so much to her. A beat passed before she finally continued.

“Did you know that the majority of dogs in shelters are Pit Bulls, higher than any other breed? We have sixteen at the shelter right now, and I can guarantee none of them are getting adopted any time soon. They have such a bad reputation that nobody wants to take a chance on them, especially if they don’t know what background it came from. And yet, they’re some of my favorite dogs over there. Like Reba, for example. She’s nearly twelve and spent her entire life at the shelter. Literally, she was born in the shelter.”

I let her continue, passing through town as the rain continued to beat down. Landry seemed to be getting more relaxed, less on-guard than she typically was around me.

“And Tomahawk” She smiled. I wasn’t sure if she realized just how much her face lit up. Her smile was radiant, a sight that threatened to take my attention off of the road. She was stunning, and I mentally cursed myself as I felt my heart skip a beat. Dammit, I needed to get my shit together.

“He’s this black and white pittie, only about six years old. He’s the goofiest dog I’ve ever met in my entire life. The staff constantly joke about how he must be slightly on the spectrum or something, because he’s just that silly all of the time. He’s definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he’s also the biggest cuddler, and he loves everybody. Leaving him is always so sad, because he always gives me these huge puppy dog eyes and it makes me want to just stay there with him forever.”

I stayed silent, listening intently. It was odd, seeing this side of her. We had never had a peaceful conversation like this considering that we were at each other’s throats more often than not. And yes, I was usually the one who started it, but messing with her had become my favorite pastime.

“Have you ever had any pets?” she asked, breaking the silence. My hands clenched on the wheel, trying to decide how much I wanted to share with her before finally answering.

“My sister had a dog. Ava. She would bring her over when she came to stay with me sometimes.”

She turned her gaze down to the hands in her lap, her hair over her face, though she stayed quiet. She must have realized that she hit a sore spot.

“Cashton… I need you to know that whatever happened, I’m so sorry.”

My jaw clenched. I didn’t want her apologies. It was too late for that now, Emory was already gone. And she didn’t even know what she was apologizing for. But nothing she said could make up for what she did.

Anger raced through me, replacing the hurt. I had been forced to be strong my entire life. I hadn’t known peace but for a brief moment before the only constant in my life had been ripped away from me and I had been thrown right back into the hell that I had always known.

I had been forced to grow up too fast, constantly worried about protecting my baby sister. Between my mom’s abusive boyfriends at home to the sketchy schools we had been forced to attend due to the low-income neighborhoods we had grown up in, our life hadn’t been easy. But I had gladly taken the brunt of it to shield Emory from the horrible and ugly things in life.

Through everything, she was the one thing I knew I could count on. She was my home. And when mom had married David, and we had been offered a better life, Emory had still only been the one thing to offer me comfort.

Because, growing up the way we did, I had known that I could never get too comfortable. Anything could slip through our fingers at any moment. I just never thought that it would be Emory slipping through my fingers.

I took the shortcut to campus, turning onto the back road leading through the wooded areas to the north of the school.

“Cashton, can we please not take these roads?” Landry asked, a slight panic lacing her tone.

Anger ran hot through my veins. I ignored her, pressing slightly harder on the gas instead.

“Cashton, please,” her voice turned pleading, a slight tremble as she spoke.

She was scared. Good.

Every ounce of civility that passed between us earlier had evaporated the moment I remembered her place in my life. She had been put in my path for a reason. One of the bitches responsible for my sister’s death, placed right on my doorstep for me to torment. Nothing had changed. Landry needed to pay.

CHAPTER 21

CASHTON

“Cashton, please!” Landry was begging now, one hand clutched desperately on the door handle as she braced herself.

My engine bellowed as we made our way up the winding path, the rain pounding on to the windshield as I continued to pick up speed. Her eyes were wide, her body pressed back against the leather seat.

I continued ignoring her, both hands tight around the steering wheel as I kept my focus fully on the slick roads. I wanted to mess with her, not get us killed.

“LET ME OUT!” she screamed, tears shining in her eyes.

I only kept going, racing around the turns. I wasn’t even going that fast, maybe just six or seven miles above the speed limit, nothing I hadn’t done before. I had to admit though, the terror in her eyes was so sweet. I wanted to drink it up.

Rounding the last turn as we exited the woods, I heard her go quiet. I guess she had finally realized that her begging was futile. But as I expected her to begin screaming at me, yelling how much she despised me and never wanted to see me again, she only stayed silent.

I shot a glance over at her to find her face pale as a sheet as she stared out of the windshield in front of us. Her expression seemed distant, as if she was no longer mentally here.

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