Page 5 of House of Soot

"Then I'll give the performance of my life." I spread my arms wide. "After all, she taught us how convincing an innocent face can be."

“Just be careful,” Phoenix says. “Your being in the house is already a huge risk should anyone recognize you. Don’t push your luck.”

“You two worry like old ladies. I know what I’m doing.” I rise from my chair and go to put my cup in the kitchen, ready to go home and get a few Zs. It’s been a long night.

Flint enters the kitchen after me. "You're walking down a dangerous path, Blaise."

God, not him too? “My being at the Keans’ is part of the plan?—”

“Seducing the gardener isn’t.”

"Save the lecture. I know what I'm doing." I set my cup in the sink.

"Do you?" His voice drops. “Because revenge could be clouding your judgment. Trust me, I know how vengeance can?—”

“If my judgement was off, I’d have tried to kill Ronan already. I’ve had the chance.”

“And the woman? You’re really going to fuck her as punishment?”

I never said anything about fucking her, although I suppose that could happen if my plan worked.

“Her punishment will be to have her heart broken. It’s less than she deserves, or have you forgotten what she did?”

He shrugs. “I haven’t forgotten, but she was practically a kid. Maybe she wasn’t aware of what she was doing.”

“You and I did all sorts of bad things as kids. Do you think we didn’t know what we were doing?”

He blows out a breath. “No, but?—”

“No, but nothing. I’ve got this, Flint.”

“I just…” Flint runs a hand over his face. "What you’re doing is dangerous, and if you let the revenge take over, it can twist you up.”

"I learned from your mistakes." I set my hand on his shoulder. "No emotional outbursts. No impulsive decisions. I'll be the perfect gentleman, gain her trust, and extract every bit of information we need."

He stares at me squarely in the eyes. "And the cost to your soul?"

"My soul?" I bark out a laugh. "That burned with our parents."

"Blaise—”

"I appreciate the concern. But we’ve planned this for ten years. I'm not going to let feelings get in the way."

"That's what I said too."

"The difference is, I mean it. Jenna isn’t like Lucy. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be home helping with that new boy of yours?”

His smile is swift and wide. “Yeah, I should.”

Good, because I’m done with this conversation. Even so, his words stick with me after I leave and head back to my place. My brother might have found love in the midst of seeking vengeance, but I'm different. More controlled. More focused. And while Jenna might look sweet and innocent, I know the truth. The blood of my parents is on her hands.

At home, I grab a sandwich and scroll through my phone looking at the notes I have on Jenna Hart. Every detail of her life is mapped out like coordinates on a battle map. Her mother's declining health, her financial struggles, her work schedule at the Kean estate.

Tomorrow, I’ll ask her out, I decide. I’ll play the role of the charming new guard who sweeps her off her feet. I’ll listen to her talk about her plants, ask about her sick mother, pretend to care about her hopes and dreams, a masterclass in manipulation designed to make her believe she's finally found someone who sees her.

And when she's completely invested, when she's given me every secret, every weakness, every vulnerable piece of herself, that's when I'll reveal the truth. I'll watch those green eyes fill with horror as she realizes who I really am. I’ll watch her perfect world crumble as she understands exactly what she did to my family.

Some might call it cruel, this calculated destruction of an innocent soul. But Jenna Hart lost any claim to innocence the day she helped murder my parents. My revenge will be just as beautifully packaged.

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