Page 45 of Payback

It was my turn to bow my head. Charlotte wasn’t the only person whose desire for revenge had turned into an out-of-control monster.

“Now, look at me.” He leaned forward and whispered. “Behind bars with murderers, pedophiles, and men who dominate others with rape.”

My throat thickened, and I gulped.

Peter Underwood turned to me. “I already planned on telling the authorities everything I knew about this Philippe fellow. Now that I know he was working for Rudolph all along, and this was a sick game they’d concocted to push the blame onto me for hurting you, I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“Thank you,” I murmured.

He turned to Charlotte. “Did you even think about the impact that dragging me into your vendetta would have on me? How could you?”

“How could you?” she spat. “Look at what your gambling has done to the family. Mother and Father sold all their assets to pay off your casino bills, and now Father’s in trouble for fraud. All because of you!”

My insides cringed. All this time, I hadn’t anticipated that Charlotte was capable of such malice toward her own brother. I turned to Henry and grimaced.

He gave me an equally awkward glance in return and mouthed, ‘Are you alright?’

Nodding, I tried to tune out the family dispute. It was hard to feel sympathy for Peter Underwood, even if Charlotte had kind of set him up. If Blake hadn’t come to my rescue, I might not have left that apartment alive.

With a long sigh, I let my gaze wander to a man chatting with his wife and toddler daughter. At least Peter had agreed to do the right thing, even if he was motivated by self-interest.

Chapter 13

While Henry updated Blake and Edward on the conversation we had with Peter Underwood, Charlotte wept the entire journey back to Mercia Academy. I peered at her through the corner of my eye.

“I’ll bet you consider this a victory,” she spat, “But it’s not!”

“I’m just trying to make sure those out to hurt me get punished. Mr. Carbuncle tried to abduct me yesterday.”

“He should have taken you.” Charlotte wiped her face with the back of her hands. “Maybe you’ll learn a bit of humility after spending a few days in his basement.”

“What did you say?” asked Blake.

Face paling, she broke eye contact. “Nothing.”

“Did you tell him where to find Emilia?” asked Edward.

Something niggled at the back of my mind. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. So much had happened yesterday—the blow job with Edward in the shower, the Board of Governors, meeting Edward’s father, Mr. Carbuncle, sex with Henry, confronting Aunt Idette—it was hard to keep track of everything. But where had I seen Charlotte, and would she have known where I would be in the afternoon?

The memory rolled to the forefront of my mind, and my eyes snapped open. “She walked past us when we stood outside the main block,” I said to Edward. “Charlotte heard me tell you to go home and visit your father.”

She cringed. “I didn’t tell him to snatch you.”

Blake shot out of his seat and grabbed Charlotte by the chin. Through clenched teeth, he growled, “Where is he?”

My hands clapped over my mouth. I’d never seen Blake so angry.

She jerked out of his grip. “I don’t know!”

“You’re still in contact with him!” he snarled.

Edward grabbed his arm. “Blake—”

Blake shook him off. “No! This fucking bitch set Emilia up for a horrific beating that left her broken and unconscious. Then she called Carbuncle so he could do it again!”

Henry wrapped both arms around Blake’s middle and hauled him into his seat. “Don’t do it.”

Blake twisted himself around in Henry’s grip and met his eyes. “But you should have seen—”