Page 76 of Vengeance Becomes Her

“Finishing what Silas started.”

Samara attempted to turn back, to pull away, but her father’s grip was iron-clad now, his other hand clamped around her neck. There was nowhere for her to run.

Rhiannon picked up her pace, the rapid rainfall helping cover the cracks and crunch of the forest floor as she strode forward until she found a boulder to duck behind just feet away from where they argued.

“Please, father, stop. I’ll do as I’m told. I won’t say anything to anyone.” She struggled but he was twice her size and determined.

“What you’re going to do is stop fighting once and for all. You would jeopardize everything, just for a bit of attention. Leave your family without enough food to eat. Put us in danger. No, I don’t think so. Get on yourknees, Samara.”

“No,” she yelled, her voice cloyed with tears.

The slam of a body against gravel urged Rhiannon to chance a look around the boulder. They were at the very edge of the river. Samara was sobbing now leaning forward on her hands and knees. Her father’s grip never let up on the back of her neck and arm as he dragged her over the ledge. Rhiannon’s muscles spasmed as she resisted the urge to rush them, waiting to see if this man truly intended what she thought. If he was, she needed to strike at the right moment.

“Please,” Samara choked out, before her father thrust her head below the freezing surface.

Rhiannon knew she shouldn’t be surprised by the cruelty of men, but she was. He would drown his own daughter to avoid giving up the money Silas gave him. Rage whipped up her spine, hot and stinging.

He pulled Samara’s face out of the rushing water long enough for her to gasp in a heap of air, but then she was under again. He bent over her, exuding more force.

It was now or never.

Rhiannon snuck up on him, drawing her blades silently from their holsters. He didn’t notice her until it was too late, catching her reflection in the river just as her blades crossed against his neck.

“Does it make you furious that you were bested by a woman you didn’t even see coming?”

She didn’t wait for an answer as she slid her daggers roughly through the thick flesh of his neck, cutting deeply. She hiked her leg up and kicked his body forward as hard as she could, propelling him into the current. A satisfying pool of red drifted after it.

Samara’s head whipped up, water arcing off her long strands to mingle with the falling rain. She gasped once, twice, three times, before she choked up the water. She laid on her back. Her large eyes blinked rapidly, assessing the space around her, registering what just happened. Samara’s chest heaved violently as she tried to catch her breath that was shallowed by her sobs.

Rhiannon stood over her, extending a handto help her up.

Samara watched her through narrowed eyes before accepting her hand. When she stood, she looked around the now-empty forest.

“Where is my father?” As the question left her lips her gaze roved over Rhiannon’s bloody clothes and daggers.

“Dead.” She wiped the daggers on her blood-soaked abdomen.

“What?” She folded at the waist, placing her hands on her knees for stability before heaving on the forest floor.

“He deserved to die. He would have killed you,” she stated matter-of-factly.

Silence. Samara took several deep breaths before straightening.

“How did you know where to find me? How did you know I’dbe in danger?”

“I could tell what kind of man your father was from the moment he opened that door. A controlling man like that doesn’t miss a thing. I hoped I would be wrong, but I wasn’t about to take the gamble with your life.”

“We won’t be able to get away with it.” Samara worried her lip and began pacing, her hands pressing tightly into her narrow waist.

“You let me worry about that.” Rhiannon assessed her carefully. “You don’t seem too broken up about the loss.”

“I never wanted him to die. But if I had to choose between him or me, well there’s no question. He made his choice.” Samara dragged her nails through herdrenched hair.

Rhiannon didn’t miss the way the woman’s teeth chattered and her skin had a sickly tint to it. “We should get you back inside, you’re going to get sick.”

Samara’s brow furrowed. “What are we supposed to do now? People will know he’s missing. They will look for someone to blame.

Rhiannon stood in silence for several moments, aggressively gnawing at her nails. “Didn’t you say your father received a sum from Silas? Does he happen to keep any of it in the house?” Rhiannon’s mind was already spinning out a plan.

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