Page 14 of The Revenge
Either the three of them left their golf cart at the house, or they left it at the dining hall. Either way, it’s clear they weretaking me back to Denali House. I only take a few steps in that direction before something heavy is set down on my shoulders.
I glance down at the thick wool coat, then at Syn, who’s now wearing his usual tailored uniform. I have no idea what game he’s playing, but instead of throwing the coat to the floor like my still seething self wants to, I’m cold, and I just slip my arms into the sleeves.
At least I’m ruining it with whatever this blood is that’s covering me.
My anger hasn’t disappeared by the time we reach Denali House, and when I walk in, despite being covered in blood, Syn directs me towards to the living room.
I head straight for the stairs.
“Where are you going?” Syn asks.
I take a few steps up the stairs, making sure I’m standing higher than he is, before I turn back to him and cock my head. “Is there anything that you’re about to tell me that can’t wait until I’ve had a shower? Or do you want to come watch again?”
“I wan—”
Syn’s arm shoots out at lightning speed to punch Gemini. As Gemini is rubbing his shoulder, Syn looks up at me and nods. “Fine. We’ll be in the living room.” Before I can be surprised, he adds, “But don’t take long.”
Biting my tongue, I stomp upstairs. It’s only when I close the door behind me that I realize I’m back in the room that Declan attacked me in. Doing so before had sent an almost paralyzing fear through me, but now, the anger is just burning strongly.
Without hesitation, I move to the bathroom and turn on the shower. As I wait for the water to run hot, I strip out of the ruined clothes and discard them into a heap on the tiled floor.
When I’d showered just a few hours earlier, I’d taken my time. Now, I move with purpose, like every inch of skin I’mcovering in soap is really being covered with a shield. I’d flip-flopped back and forth, deciding on if I needed to stay or go, but this was the last straw. I’m back in this house now, and I’m not leaving without making sure I have my revenge now that I have nothing left to lose.
The blue in my hair has faded a little by the time I leave the shower, and I’m towel-drying it off. I’m not sure it will ever be the same blonde it was when I arrived here, but I wasn’t the same Victoria Reynolds, and I’m certainly never going to be able to go back to who she was.
From moving into this house, Syn has taken control of every aspect of my life, down to the underwear I’m required to wear. The majority of what I own is safely stored in Penny’s room, but I’d left here without reclaiming any of my things. The few belongings I do have in this room are still where I’d left them, so I pull on a pair of jeans and an oversized sweater, taking pleasure in the knowledge that my outfit will irritate Syn.
Before I go back downstairs, I walk over to my laptop and open the lid. It’s still on, and the last window is still open—a suicide note I didn’t write.
My hand seems to freeze, hovering just over the mousepad.
First, Declan tried to kill me and then went to the trouble of writing a fake goodbye letter for me… only there was no goodbye. No mention of my family or how I’d miss them. Just that I was wrong and a fucking apology to… Syn?
Rage flares through me again, making my hands shake.
Instead of closing the document without saving it, I close the lid of the laptop. The police made it very clear that they were done with their investigations, but I want some time to think before I delete that bit of evidence.
Sucking in a deep breath, I prepare myself for war then head back downstairs. Although I’ve been gone a while, Syn, Royal, and Gemini are still waiting for me in the entrance hall.
Syn scans over my appearance, and I see his jaw harden, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he moves over to the living room door, pushing it open before he steps back to let me in.
The living room has a giant open fireplace. Fresh logs are stacked in the hearth, but there’s no fire burning. Despite this, the room is warm. Although my anger hasn’t disappeared, the numbing effect is wearing off, and all I want is to sink into the green leather couch and curl up into a ball.
Unfortunately, relaxing is the last thing my brain will let me do, so I move over to the large bay window and stare out at the garden. There’s nothing much to see other than a near perfect sea of white. The snow must be over a foot deep. Not only has it erased my footsteps from when I snuck into this place, but it’s almost impossible to tell there’s a pool out there. The only thing that’s really noticeable is the rose garden in the back corner, and the brown twigs poking through, like a snowman’s trying to escape.
“Whatever it is you want to say, get it over with. I want to pack my things up before I leave.”
“You can’t leave.”
Turning, I find Syn only a few paces behind me. Gemini is stretching out on the couch like he’s about to watch a movie, but Royal is standing beside the door, watching me cautiously.
“Can’t leave?” I arch an eyebrow at Syn. “You’ve spent the last few months doing everything in your power to get rid of me.”
I’m not entirely sure what I was expecting from these three, but it wasn’t this.
Syn’s eyes flicker in irritation, but he doesn’t look back at his friends. “I don’t think your brother killed mine.”
For a moment, I can’t respond. It’s like Syn’s hit a factory reset in my brain, and I’m waiting for it to power up and start working again. Then I roll my eyes. “I’m done playing games.”
