Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(14)

“I’ll get it done.”

“And one other thing.” I worry my lower lip between my teeth. “I want to tell Kai and Rick what we discovered about their mother’s murder tonight.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

I nod. “I hate that I’ve kept it from him. He has a right to know. They have a right to know. And Kai can’t do anything about it while he’s injured, so it’ll give him time to process, and, hopefully, we can talk him into using it in a measured way to take his father down the same time we take ours down.”

“Okay. You’re right. They need to know, no matter how unpleasant that conversation will be.” He kisses my temple before reaching behind him. I lift my head up, and he hands me a large rectangular package wrapped in glossy red paper. “Belated Merry Christmas, little sis.”

I hug him. “Thank you.” Drew is really coming through for me now, and it feels great to have my brother back in the fold.

“Everything you need is in the hidden bottom panel, but I’d still be careful to keep it away from Charlie. He’s not some dumb schmuck you can manipulate with a bat of your eyelashes.”

“I know how to handle him.” I open my new purse, lifting the bottom panel and examining the contents. I hold the compact gun in my palm, loving how lightweight it is. I don’t want to walk around town looking like my purse weighs ten tons. “I’ll give him some fire and then soothe it with some loving,” I add, checking the backup burner cell. My stomach twists unpleasantly at the thought, but needs must. “Starting with tonight.” I extract the pack of glass vials, holding them up to the light. The liquid is clear, which is a bonus.

“Rick said to use one-third of a vial in a glass of water or juice. Based on Charlie’s build, he reckons that buys you about five hours.”

I remove one vial and place it under a book in my bedside table. “I guess we’ll find out later tonight.”





“What’s this?” Charlie asks, walking into the formal dining room with a frown.

“Your mom and Lillian ate earlier. I wanted to wait up for you.” I gesture at the two place settings, pulling out a chair. “Take a seat and I’ll get our food.”

He eyes me neutrally as he walks over, dropping into the chair. I place my hands on his shoulders. “You feel tense.” It’s not actually a lie. His shoulders are corded into knots. I start kneading his taut flesh. “I’ll give you a back rub after dinner if you like.” I lift the bottle of red wine. “Wine?”

He nods, eyeing me carefully as I pour him a glass. “Drink that, and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

I load the hot plates from the oven onto a tray, along with the salad and bread, and head back to the dining room.

“I hope you still like lasagna,” I say in a cheery voice as I return to the room. “I cooked it myself, using my mom’s recipe. I remember you loving it.” The lit candelabra on the table gives the room a distinct romantic nineteen-twenties vibe.

It’s all so very Stepford wives.

I set his plate in front of him, loading some bread and salad on the side.

“What are you doing?” he asks, eyeing me with his sharp gaze.

I lean down and kiss his cheek. “I promised I’d try. Jethro is gone, so this is me trying.” I walk around the table and sink into the seat across from him. I lift my glass filled with cranberry juice and a dash of red wine. “To a new future.” I almost gag on my words.

He clinks his glass against mine, and I know he’s suspicious as fuck. But that’s okay. Because I’ll thaw him out. I’ll have him believing this bullshit is real. Even if it kills me to do it.

I tell him about the scheduled meeting I arranged with the funeral director and pepper him with questions about his dad’s business and what he intends to do with it. When he informs me he’ll most likely have to graduate early and drop out of school to attend to business operations, I have to work extremely hard to keep the grin off my face.

The more he relaxes, the more I top up his glass, and I don’t think he realizes how much he’s drinking. When he leaves to go to the bathroom, I empty one-third of the vial with the sleeping liquid into his drink, praying it works with wine. Drew only mentioned mixing it with water or juice, so I’m taking a risk. But I figure the wine will mask any taste better.

“Want to watch a movie in my room?” I ask, after we’ve finished eating.

“What are you up to, Abby?” His eyes narrow as he takes me in.

“If you’re going to accuse me of ulterior motives every time I do something nice for you, we’re not going to get very far.” I invoke reverse psychology. “We’ve had a nice night. Maybe we shouldn’t push it.” I move my chair back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight.”

I’m almost at the door when he calls out to me. “I’ll grab a quick shower, and I’ll drop by then.”

Sucker.

“Okay.” I toss a smile over my shoulder, wondering how long it will take for the drugs to take effect.





CHAPTER SIX


“Any issues getting away?” Drew asks when I arrive at Lauder’s place a couple hours later.

“No. It went like clockwork. I left Charlie passed out on my bed, snoring his head off. I plied him with wine and a heavy dinner, and he worked a twelve-hour day, so hopefully, the fact he conked out won’t raise any suspicions.”