Page 65 of Vengeful

"Good, that leaves your stabbing hand for whoever fucked with these trials," Dane growled.

"My stabbing hand is at Lila and Chloe's disposal." Slade bowed his upper body, but then straightened up and winced. He gave Chloe a glance like he didn't quite trust her, but nodded for Hunter to lead the way toward the beach.

"Dane and I will bring up the rear," he said. He reluctantly let my hand go and stepped around behind Chloe and me.

"Good idea, any further booby-traps can get the Brantley twins," Dane said, smiling slightly.

Hunter and Parker simultaneously flipped him off. They both grinned and turned to march on down the slope and through the last stand of trees.

Finally, I heard the sound of waves licking the beach. The rain finally started to ease and the thunder and lightning only rolled in the distance.

"We're almost there," I said softly.

"Yeah we are," Chloe said. "Do you think—"

I shook my head "I don't know what to think. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

CHAPTER 23

LILA

We stepped out of the trees and onto the beach. A wet, muddy, eclectic group if there ever was one. Two teachers. Two sets of twins. Literal blood, sweat and tears.

But fuck me, we made it here alive.

The feeling of sand under my boots was sweet.

The pleasure was short-lived.

A hundred or so metres away, a track led down to the beach. Several cars were parked beside it. Each one dark, with tinted windows.

"Looks like we've got a welcoming committee," Parker said.

Arrayed around the cars were around twenty people, each with an umbrella in their hand. Most of those umbrellas were black, but one or two dark blue or green.

I squeezed Chloe's arm as we approached, both of us equally reluctant.

"Reuben," Parker said. "What a— Is pleasure the wrong word, Hunt?" He gave me a reassuring smile before turning to his twin.

"It definitely is, Park," Hunter agreed. "But I'm happier to see Reuben than I am to see Caleb."

The two older Brantley brothers stood side-by-side. Joshua stood a little away from them, hovering deliberately near Francine Young.

Caleb himself looked characteristically unapologetic. I doubted I was the only one who felt the urge to drag him towards the ocean and hold him under for…an hour should do it.

"Dad," Chloe said softly.

Speaking of people I'd happily hold under the waves.

"We can do this," I whispered. "We're not going to be victims of his bullshit anymore, remember?"

"I remember." Her voice was shaky. Shock was to be expected after watching one of her boyfriends die. Not to mention the fear of facing our father down.

I should probably have felt something, but when I thought of Zachary, I was nothing but numb. I couldn't reconcile the stepbrother I grew up with, with the person who tried to kill me today. They didn't seem like the same person. They weren't the same person. Zachary had grown bitter, to the point where he thought killing me would give the solution to Chloe's problems. I had a feeling she wouldn't have forgiven him if he was successful.

Walking beside Chloe didn't feel real either. We had a long way to go before we made up for the past. If that was even possible. I was willing to try if she was.

We stopped in front of our father. His expression was unreadable. For a second, I was that nine-year-old girl again, pleading with him to reconsider.

---