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

Removing my hand from Sawyer’s arm, I rub a tense spot between my brows. “So, you’re saying my father knew you were going to show up here? Why would he agree to that?”

“Atticus made him promise not to kill Kai. He wasn’t happy that Michael was using him to coerce you into going along with his plans, but it was a small price to pay to get what he wants.” My lips thin and bile swims up my throat. Atticus Anderson is far too fond of throwing me to the sharks. Kai will go crazy when he finds out he’s sacrificed me again. It’s clear the agreement was only to rescue his son. That he doesn’t give a fuck what happens to me.

“Michael doesn’t want to look weak in front of the order, and there’s no way he wants them finding out about this deal. Us busting in here to rescue Kai alleviates that concern,” Jackson confirms. “And the only reason we are free is because Atticus needed our help.”

“My father caught you both too?” I surmise.

“They were lying in wait for us at the private airfield,” Sawyer explains. “We fought them, but we were outnumbered, and it didn’t take them long to overpower us. They took Kai away, tied us up, and locked us in a shipping crate. Atticus showed up a few hours later and told us what he’d done, asking for our help. He also roped Maverick, Joaquin, and Harley into assisting, alongside some of his bodyguards.

That explains the other guys inside.

Kai will be so pissed his dad involved his younger brothers. Rick and Kai have done their best to shield them from this world, but Atticus seems determined to drag them into it.

“But we have our own plan,” Jackson says as Sawyer casts another glance along the hallway. “Fucked if we’re leaving you behind to be forced into marrying that asshole.”

“How did you know about that?” I inquire, dropping the mask onto the ground and wiping my hands down the front of my dress.

“Atticus explained. We were supposed to wait until after the ceremony to break in, and he’s not going to be happy that we’ve ruffled your dad’s feathers.” Jackson smirks. “Stopping the wedding and taking you is really going to piss him off.”

“Are we too late?” Sawyer asks, arching a brow as he looks at the discarded mask on the floor.

I shake my head. “No. We were only halfway through the ceremony when I asked for a bathroom break.” I straighten my shoulders, because they won’t like this, but no one is telling me what to do.

I’m in charge now.

They can like it or not.

“But I’m not leaving with you.” I drill them both with a deadly look. “I can’t. I’m staying here and marrying Charlie Barron.”





CHAPTER TWO


“You can’t be serious?” Jackson growls. “Kai will go fucking apeshit!”

“Kai will be a dead man walking if I don’t go through with it,” I calmly explain, retrieving my errant stilettos and slipping my feet into them. I stand up straight. “There’s stuff you don’t know. Stuff Kai can fill you in on. But right now, I need to get back into that room and let the gas knock me out like the others.” Jackson’s jaw slouches. “And you need to get the love of my life out of here before my father comes back and puts a bullet in all your skulls.”

“Abby.” Jackson recovers, gripping my face. “I’m not leaving you here. You can’t marry him.”

“But I can.” My gaze bounces between the two guys. “Think about it. It’s the perfect plan.”

Sawyer and Jackson lock eyes, and I detect the moment they figure it out. A sly grin creeps across Sawyer’s mouth. “What are you thinking?”

I glance up at the camera overhead. “Firstly, you need to contact Xavier to remotely hack into the security system and fuck up all the cameras. Father will expect that as part of your planning, so he won’t be suspicious if all the cameras are out.”

“Consider it done,” Sawyer says, extracting his cell from his back pocket.

“Wait!” A thought occurs to me. “Tell Xavier to copy the feed for the last twenty-four hours before he does. Hopefully the camera was turned on and it captured my father murdering Charles Barron.” That could be worthwhile blackmail material.

“What the fuck?” Jackson asks.

I nod. “Charlie sold his father out, and my sperm donor put a bullet in his head right in front of everyone.”

“Fuck.” Sawyer shakes his head. “What the hell has happened to Charlie Barron?”

“I think he’s snapped,” I admit. “And he’s losing control. He thinks he’s playing with the big boys, but I’m sure my father is only using him.”

“All the more reason you need to leave with us and get the hell away from him,” Jackson says.

I shake my head. “I’m going to marry Charlie and act like the doting wife. Within reason, or he won’t buy it. And—” I place my hand over Jackson’s mouth, cutting him off before he says one word. “I won’t let him fuck me. You can reassure Kai of that.”

“He’s not going to stand by and let this happen,” Jackson says, shaking his head. “You know that. He could end up getting killed anyway.”

I poke my finger in his chest. “Do not fucking say that!” I hiss, jabbing my finger repeatedly against his firm chest. “When he hears my plan, he’ll see this is the only way. No gain without pain, right?”