The Revenge by Tijan

Drake lifted two fingers in a salute.

Josh flicked his middle finger at us. “I hate this.”

“Boss, what about Victoria?” Josh asked.

“Her deprogramming?”

“They said it’s as good as they’ll get her. We do more and we run the risk of that gray area.”

I didn’t feel right holding anyone captive, unless they shared my blood.

I made my decision, knowing I’d probably regret it. “Let her go.”





THIRTY

Bailey


Despite the glaring, Fitz and Scott didn’t say a word. Scott had to walk away for a bit, and during that time, we concocted a plan. It was more like blackmail, but the ends justified the means. We had Payton make a video in which she confessed to everything she’d told us in the elevator. The deal was simple. She went in that hotel room, taped her conversation while also having Matt’s phone open in her pocket. It was put on silent so anything incoming wouldn’t make a noise.

We listened to everything from my phone a floor below, and when Payton came back, the video was deleted.

It was easy-peasy.

Until we got home. Because once we got home, Peter was waiting for us.

Somehow Kash was told where we were.

Kash told Peter.

And Peter started laying into us.

All three of us got an earful, and after we got the basic general lecture, Peter called us all into his office for our own individualized and customized lecture. I knew this because each of us had to wait. It went Matt first, then me. Payton was last, and she looked more terrified than I imagined Seraphina would’ve been if she was waiting to be called into the principal’s office. In Payton’s defense, the meeting with Quinn had been exactly what she said—which was not told to Peter. We let him believe what Payton thought we believed, about how Quinn had called her. We knew it was only a brief text exchange, and that it seemed like it had happened before.

We were hoping it would happen again, or I was.

Matt and I whispered about it in the hallway, but Scott and Fitz kept trying to get closer so we had to stop talking. And if I were asked why we were keeping it a secret, I wouldn’t have an answer. If we found something vital, we’d share. We’d have to. But so far we hadn’t gotten anything vital from Quinn and I hadn’t had time to go through her phone data. Which is what I had planned to do for the rest of the night.

Matt was waiting for me in a chair outside my bedroom window. There was another one set up, so instead of going into the room, I sank down and kicked up a foot on the windowsill. This corner window looked out over the back end of the golf course on the estates. Right now, it was all snow.

“How was he with you?”

I shrugged. “Not that hard. I got the Chrissy factor working for me still.”

He grunted, running a hand over his face. “He lectured me on influencing you, and if it’s the right thing to do, me spending so much time with you.”

“What?” My stomach rolled over on that one. I didn’t like it. A flare of panic started in me. “We’ve been fine.”

We barely did anything slightly illegal.

He kicked up his feet, too, sliding down in his chair. “I should go to my room. I’m exhausted.”

“Me, too.” I slid down, mirroring him.

“Yeah. Your room is right there.”

He closed his eyes.

“Yeah.”

I closed my eyes.

Next thing I knew, sleep.

Kash

Peter was waiting for me when I got to the Chesapeake.

The interior of the house had the usual low lights they kept on during night hours, but none of the staff was around. Just Peter, and he had a coffee cup in hand. I raised an eyebrow. “You brewed that yourself?”

“It’s four in the morning. Don’t be a jerkface.” He grinned. “Cyclone is teaching me the current insults. Dickface. Assface. I used the tamest one of those three.”

I grinned back.

It was good to be home. “She’s in bed?”

His grin got bigger, but the bags under his eyes told me he’d been waiting up the whole time. “You can see for yourself.” He took a sip. “Do we need to have a debriefing before you go and do that?”

I frowned, lowering my duffel bag. “Not unless some form of emergency has come up I should hear about now.”

He didn’t say a word. I knew what that meant.

“Okay.” I gestured ahead. “Your office, I’m assuming?”

“My office.”

Peter filled me in on everything.

Bailey

I was dreaming about Kash, and it was a delicious dream.

I could smell him. I could hear him. I was feeling him.

He was carrying me. We were moving. Then there was warmth, more warmth, and I was in bed.

He wasn’t there, though. I didn’t like that, and I reached for him.

I was searching. The bed was empty. The bed shouldn’t have been empty. And then he was back.

The mattress depressed under his weight, and his arms were around me.

I was being pulled back into his chest.

His legs were around me.

He was folding me into him, and his lips skimmed my shoulder.

He ran a hand down my face, his lips brushing my cheek, my lips.

A whisper from him. “Sleep. We’ll talk later.”

So, I slept again.