The Retaliation You Deliver by Tracy Lorraine
Leon
My weekend starts exactly as my week ended.
A fucking disaster.
Much like my entire life, if I’m being honest about it.
After leaving my father barely conscious, I jumped back into Luca’s car and ended up at The Locker Room.
I’ve been here a couple of times since that night. It feels weirdly therapeutic being where my father made his final mistake.
Bry looked less than amused when he saw the state of me but after a little convincing, he ushered me to one of his darkest booths and left me with a bottle of the most expensive whisky the place has.
It wasn’t a surprise to me when I found out the kinds of things that go on under the roofs of his establishments that run across the country.
It’s no secret that Brett’s a scumbag so it only seems fitting that in each of his favorite states he has a place where he could let his inner demon loose.
A shudder rips through me as I think about all the ways he fucked us all over, but no one as much as our mother.
Why she stayed with him for as long as she did, fuck only knows. She says it was for us. But kids do just fine with separated parents. I want to believe that there’s another reason just to relieve a little guilt that it’s our fault she stuck it out and got treated like shit for years.
My head steadily pounds as I lay there trying to remember how I got from the bar to here at some point in the middle of the night.
But everything is hazy. Sadly, the parts about my life I want to blur into nothingness never leave though. And I still vividly remember exactly how she felt beneath me on that desk. How fucking tight she was as I pushed inside her, how she cried my name when she came.
“Fuck,” I bark, bringing my fist down on the pillow beside me but regretting it instantly when my knuckles split open, blood beginning to pool at each wound last night left behind.
But the pain of that is nothing compared to the booming voice of my brother only seconds later.
“LEON,” he barks, his footsteps thundering my way before he slams his body against my door, ensuring the lock gives way and he comes flying in.
His lips part to shout some more but then he sees the blood and his expression falters.
“What do you want?”
He hesitates for a second.
“Where the fuck is my car?”
“Oooh… umm…” His expression turns murderous. “I can’t remember,” I confess, glad that my secret hasn’t changed how big of an ass he can be.
“You fucking what?” He thunders.
“I’m sure it’s fine, bro. Chill.”
“Don’t you fucking tell me to—”
“Luca,” Peyton shouts as he lunges toward me.
He damn near stops mid-air at the sound of her voice which amuses me greatly.
“You’re so fucking whipped, bro.”
“If you’ve so much as scratched it, I’ll fucking kill you,” he seethes.
“Have at it. Doubt anyone would miss me.”
His jaw ticks at my words, darkness seeping into his green eyes, which is better than pity.
“You haven’t fought this hard to give up now, Lee,” he warns as Peyton sucks in a breath behind him.
“No, so what am I meant to do?” I ask, genuinely interested in where he thinks this is going to go now that my past is out in the open.
“Keep fucking fighting. Or he wins.”
“He’s never going to win. And even if I do drown. He’s not going to be alive to see it.”
Luca pales at the unspoken words in my statement.
“No, Lee. You’re not putting your future at risk for that… for him.”
Throwing the covers off, I push to stand, standing toe to toe with my brother.
“Fucking watch me. I’ve waited ten years for this, you can fucking forget it if you think I’m going to put it all behind me and let him live the rest of his life being worshipped by kids all around the world for his achievements in football.”
“And killing him will achieve what?”
“It’ll stop him,” I whisper coldly before spinning on my heels and storming toward my bathroom in the hope that they’ll both be gone by the time I reemerge.
I stand under the burning torrent of water, letting it wash away our father’s blood that’s splattered up my arms. The open wounds on my knuckles burn, but I barely acknowledge it, instead I clench and unclench my fists, needing more pain.
I’ve thought of a million and one ways I’ve wanted to end that cunt’s life over the years, each and every one of them involves me looking him dead in the eyes as the life drains out of him so he knows exactly who’s done it.
I always thought it would be relatively easy. Sure, his disappearing off the face of the Earth put a wrench in the works, but I figured it would still be easy to get to him because even if he just bought an even bigger estate and was hiding inside it; I always thought I’d have a chance to get to him somehow or someway.
But now, with him in a secure facility. I have no idea how I’m going to make that happen.
I can hardly rock up to the place and convince the staff who’ve never seen me before that he’s my long lost uncle and get a free pass into his room.
It’s obviously going to take more planning than that. It’s also going to need people with skills, with the lack of morals to see something like this through.
The second I’m out of the shower, I find my cell in my pants pocket from last night and find the person I’m going to need for this.
Someone whose morals are more than just a little lacking.
* * *
“What the fuck?” I mutter the second I step out of the house and find my car sitting in the driveway.
I know Luc said he was going to get it delivered back but fuck, I wasn’t expecting it here already.
Cancelling the Uber I’d requested, I walk toward my car and pull the door open.
I should be shocked by the fact my keys are sitting right in the middle of the driver’s seat for anyone to steal, but that isn’t what captures my attention when I step closer.
It’s the scent.
Herscent.
My car smells like fucking coconuts and innocence.
“Motherfucker.”
Unable to resist, I drop down into the seat and suck in a deep breath.
It settles me in a way I don’t like, it reminds me just how much easier she made everything in those couple of weeks. How being with her cleared all the poisonous and twisted thoughts in my head until all I could think about was her.
I thought it was good. But really. It’s a weakness.
She’s a weakness.
And one I don’t need or want.
I have a game plan and I intend on following it through to the end.
So what if she didn’t turn out to be the evil bitch I wanted her to be? So what Richard isn’t going to be an easy target to get to?
Nothing worth getting is ever easy. And revenge, payback for what he did to me is most definitely worth the effort.
With my endgame in mind, I start the engine and back out of the driveway. Movement in the living room window catches my eye, and when I look over, I find Luca glaring out at me.
Our eyes hold for a beat before I gun the engine and fly off down the street.
He’s angry, I get it. I’ve been angry for ten fucking years. But taking it out on me isn’t helping anyone.
I turn the volume up in the hope of drowning everything out as I make my way out of town. It helps to a point but it’s never going to be what I need.
What you need is her.
Slamming my palms down on the wheel, I force that little voice of reason from my head. It might be the truth but like fuck am I going down that road when everything I’ve waited for is finally within reach.
I got what I needed from her. More actually.
Never in a million years did I think she’d be a virgin. That I’d be able to leave that kind of impression on her.
She’ll never be able to forget me now. Ten years ago maybe. But now? Never.
I’ll be a part of her for the rest of her life. Under her skin, seared into her memory until her dying day.
A wicked smile curls at my lips at just the thought.
Innocent little Macie Fletcher. Ruined by the big bad football player.
She must be fucking livid.
I punch in the address I was given into the GPS when I’m slowed down by some traffic in town before following it over the border to Harrow Creek.
I’ve never spent any time over here. Even after becoming friends with Letty and asking her to take me with her when we were kids because I was curious, she always refused, saying it wasn’t a place she wanted me to be.
But now I’ve got an excuse, although I soon discover that I don’t really get to see any of the delights the run-down town has to offer because when the GPS tells me that I’m almost at my destination, I haven’t seen anything aside from trees and countryside which makes the place look much more peaceful than I know it is.
I don’t need stories from Letty, and now Kane, to know the darkness that surrounds this place, all I need to do is turn on the TV and look at the news. There’s always some kind of gang fight, drug bust or unsolved murder. The place really is the pits of hell, yet there’s a huge part of me that craves to be right in the middle of it.
“Whoa,” I mutter out loud after I turn left into what I thought was no more than a dirt road to discover that it opens up to a hidden set of gates. “What the hell is this place?”
As if by magic, the gates begin to open before me, revealing the rolling countryside. As I drive through, my eyes are as wide as dish plates as I take it all in, and then the most incredible building emerges in the distance.
It’s huge. It’s also kind of terrifying. I can’t help but laugh because it suits its owner to a tee.
The dark gothic building stands out from its surroundings with the sun shining down on it today, but I can only imagine that when it’s dark and we’re in the middle of a storm that it just vanishes as if it never even existed.
A shudder runs down my spine as I pull to a stop out in front of the house. I know the man who lives here. I’ve been invited as a friend, but even still, a little unease trickles through me.
The moment I kill the engine, one of the double front doors opens and the man of the house appears.
He’s smiling, and while to everyone else that might be a good thing as you’re welcomed into his house, on Reid, it just makes him look even more dangerous than he usually does.
“Quite some place you’ve got here,” I say walking up to him.
“Welcome to my manor, Lee.”
Reid steps aside and allows me inside.
My eyes scan all around me looking at my surroundings as I trail behind him when he leads me down a long, wide hallway. I’m not sure what I was expecting but it’s… normal.
If it weren’t for the impressive security gates, the ominous building, or the man himself, I’d think this could be just your average family home.
“Drink?” he asks, gesturing for me to take a seat at one of the huge couches that are angled to look over his land through spotless floor to ceiling windows.
“Coffee would be great.”
I watch him move effortlessly around his kitchen. I’ve only met him a couple of times but he seems different, relaxed… less, well… scary.
“You’re staring,” he mutters without looking up.
“S-sorry. You’re just different.”
“Yeah, well, there are things under this roof that do that to me.”
“Things?”
He looks up at me and winks, clearly wanting to keep his secrets.
“Yep. You want cream?”
“No, thank you.”
I keep my eyes on him as he walks over with two mugs in hand as I try to work him out.
I thought I was good at putting on a mask and acting in a way people expect of me, but it seems that Reid might just be the master at it.
“So what can I do for you? It’s not often I get a call requesting a home visit.”
“You were the one who suggested I come here.”
He thinks for a moment. “That’s right, I did. Clearly I wasn’t thinking.”
I narrow my eyes on him. I can’t imagine Reid anything other than completely in control at all times.
He stares at me for a beat before I remember what I came here for.
“I need a favor,” I blurt out.
“Another one?” A wicked smile tugs at his lips as a crash from somewhere inside the vast house sounds out before I hear a scream, although I’ve got no idea if it’s in horror or from pleasure.
There’s no way he doesn’t hear it, but he doesn’t react so I push it aside.
“Y-yeah,” I stutter knowing that I’m going to owe this man big time if he’s able to help me out with this.
“For your sake, I hope it’s fun for me. I don’t hand out favors for just anyone.”
He sits back, taking his steaming mug of coffee with him and takes a sip. It has to burn but he doesn’t so much as flinch as he swallows.
Sitting forward, I rest my elbows on my knees and suck in a large breath as I tell him exactly what I need from him.
“You’re going to owe me, you know that right?” He mutters, looking entirely too happy about the situation.
“I figure that I already do, so adding a little more isn’t a big deal,” I say as if owing the devil himself isn’t terrifying.
I have no idea why he agreed to help with the Brett situation but he did. He has every right to tell me no this time and show me where the door is, although from the bloodlust I recognize in his eyes, I don’t think he will.
“I guess that all depends on your payment terms.”
“I guess it does. But I need this man wiped off the face of the Earth for what he’s done so whatever it is, will be worth it.”
“Why? What did he do?”
I swallow down my apprehension before giving him the very basics.
“He used to be my football coach.”
Reid’s eyes hold mine, searching as if he can read the truth in their depths.
Suddenly his body tenses and the mug in his hand goes flying across the room, shattering against the wall behind my head.
My eyes widen in shock as my heart rate picks up.
His jaw ticks, the muscle down his neck pulsating.
I almost expect him to come at me, but his anger isn’t directed at me.
“Consider it done,” he forces out, his voice deep and raspy.
The relaxed Reid from before is gone.
“T-thank you.”
Footsteps pound down the stairs before Reid’s friend from the party the other weekend appears in the doorway shirtless with his pants undone and his hair sticking up every which way.
“You alright, man?” he asks, looking between the two of us, clearly expecting us to be fighting.
“Yeah,” Reid grits out. “You remember JD, right?” he asks me.
“Uh… yeah. How’s it going, man?” I ask, although I don’t need to. It’s obvious he’s good from the state of him.
More footsteps follow, only softer this time. A hand snakes around JD’s side before a woman appears, clearly dressed in the shirt he’s missing.
“You okay?” she asks, staring directly at Reid.
The tension in the room instantly ramps up and I can’t help but feel like I might have just outstayed my welcome.
“I’ll be in touch, Lee,” Reid says coldly, pushing up from the couch and marching over toward the woman. “JD will see you out.”
I can’t rip my eyes away as he steps right up to her, threads his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and crashes his lips down on hers.
She squeals as he lifts her. Her bare legs wrapping around his waist before he marches them both from the room.
“What did you say to him?” JD asks, amusement dancing in his eyes.
“I… uh… asked a favor.” I shrug.
A door slams and he looks over his shoulder.
“Huh. Well, are you done?” He nods to my now empty mug and I stand.
“Yeah, I got what I needed.”
He leads me toward the front door and in seconds, I’m back at my car, staring up at the imposing house with way more questions about the ongoings inside that place than I did before I entered.
