Page 68 of Retribution
I think it’s going to kill us.
September 15th
John asked me to marry him! He said it should always have been me. I told him I’d think about it. But it’s been weeks since we reconnected and he’sthere.
I miss Mark. I always will. But I have to think about my life and Daisy’s life. John can provide a different world. One I thought I’d never live in again. I didn’t think I wanted it, but the reality is that Daisy could have everything she needs to be a regular kid if I marry John. She’ll have two siblings. She’ll have a future that isn’t in the inner city, and she’ll have access to all the programs I can’t afford now.
Fin isn’t going to like it, but he doesn’t know how bad everything has been. I think I’m going to say yes.
Iput the diary away, tucking it under my pillow as I stare up at my ceiling. How did my mom know John frombefore? I thought he grew up inRichmond and went to Birchmore Academy. My mom didn’t live anywhere near here, but in her diary, it’s like they were all friends with each other. It’s like she was one of them, part of the Richmond elite. But she couldn’t have been. She wasn’t even from this area.
Frowning, I turn off the light and close my eyes. I fall asleep quickly, dreaming of the city, of the school I hated, and then it changes to a padded cell in Joe’s house where they watch me on camera as they zap me over and over and over.
BLAKE
Ican’t believe that with everything going on, I have to go to wrestling. What a waste of my motherfucking time. I slam the other guy down and wrap my legs around his torso, locking him into a body bind before I transition into my next move, letting my mind wander to Daisy while I wait for him to tap out.
It only takes a few seconds, and I let him go, rolling up to my feet and catching the coach’s eye.
I exit the meet via a side door, glad at least that we didn’t have to go anywhere for this. I light up a cigarette and take a long drag.
Still consumed by thoughts of our girl, I bring up our main chat and stare at the final message she sent last night. Almost another twenty-four hours have passed, and she hasn’t been in contact again. The message itself was brief and to the point. Shade thinks that it’s a combination of depression because of where she has to live now, loneliness that we’re not all together, and sadness that Stephens is in the hospital.
I’m not sure that’s all that’s going on.
Lu Garrett tried to get in there again today and was turned away at the door. They told her that Daisy isn’t receivingvisitors. But even if she was sick, she’d want to see her BFF. I don’t think it makes any sense. Something is very wrong and we can’t get in there to find out what. Even Shade was told this evening to wait until his father returned from his current business trip before coming to the house.
When he told them he was coming in anyway, three security guards he’d never seen before came out of nowhere and escorted him to his car. He was freaking out when he got back to the KIP house. Mav and I weren’t far behind.
They must be Joe’s guys, but what’s with all the muscle? What is he afraid of?
I message her privately.
Hey, gorgeous. Miss you. Hope you come to campus tomorrow. xx
It stays unread. I finish my cigarette and go back inside.
We win the meet, and the guys go to one of the other Frat houses to celebrate, but I’m not really in the mood to try to have a good time when I’m worrying about Daisy. So, I go back to KIP and try to get more info on who the Winters were and why they were mentioned in her file from when she was a kid. I haven’t gotten anything new on the stalker front either. There haven’t been any more notes, as far as I know, and there haven’t been any incidents since the bomb and the fire except for the Novelle butler being put in the hospital. Why bother with Stephens? My gut tells me that wasn’t the stalker at all. Maybe it was Banderville for some reason, or it might have been just a coincidental accident.
Sauvage hasn’t been forthcoming about his own investigation into the stalker. Not that I thought he’d be sending us casual updates about his progress, but I wonder if his contacts are as stumped as we are. If it was that easy to find this guy, I would have.
There’s frustratingly little on April before she married John Novelle, too. I can’t find anything about her early yearsor where she went to school. There’s nothing, not anywhere that I can find. I’ve asked one of the KIP guys whose parents are around the same age as John, if I can borrow the Birchmore Academy yearbooks from those years. He says he’ll grab it next weekend when he goes home, so maybe I’ll be able to find more on Mark, John, and Fin Applegate. I could talk to the latter face to face, but I’m not sure I trust the good professor where Daisy is concerned. Also, since the fire in the lab, he’s been on leave for stress, or something. As far as I know, he’s holed up at home and not answering his phone.
I see Mav walk past my door.
‘Hey.’
He peers in, giving me a nod.
‘You been at the lab? It back open yet?’
Mav nods. ‘Yeah, they’ve pretty much got it back to normal. A couple things aren’t working, but it’s good enough to continue my work with the non-opiate.’
‘What about Envy?’ I ask.
He winces. ‘I can’t get it right. I must have tried twenty times. Sauvage assumes I’m just fucking around, I think, or messing with him. He has his guys watching me in the lab nonstop. He hasn’t called for me, but I think he probably will tomorrow unless a miracle happens and the current batch makes it through.’
‘We need Daisy,’ I mutter. ‘We shouldn’t have tried to do this without her anyway.’
