Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(5)
“I’m not feeling too hot, Mr. Hearst,” the minister admits, dabbing at the beads of sweat on his brow with a handkerchief.
I can relate. I’ve the mother of all headaches and I’m feeling dizzy and a little nauseated, but so is everyone. Sylvia is still out cold, slumped along the couch where she was sitting. Christian and Trent have only just come to, and the bastard instructed Benjamin to carry his new fiancée, Patrice, up to his room until she wakes. I’ve no clue where Charlie’s mom and sister disappeared to. He told them to leave before Father played the recording of Kai and me having anal sex. Anger bubbles up my throat at the recollection, but I shut it down fast.
My emotions will not serve me well now.
“Where are your balls, man?” Dad sneers at the minister, clearly disgusted.
Mr. Wittington wipes his brow clean, tucking his handkerchief into the inside pocket of his jacket. He nods once before bending down and picking up his book. He flips to the right page and clears his throat, lifting his head and leveling an impatient look in our direction. It appears he’s now in a hurry to get the hell out of here. Not that I can blame him. I relate to that sentiment too.
Drew moves to my other side, linking his pinkie in mine in a way no one can see. Tears prick my eyes, for a brief, solitary moment, before an icy blanket sweeps over me, numbing me to everything.
Charlie keeps a tight hold of me as we stand in front of the minister to continue this charade.
I float off as the words are spoken, remembering a happier time, a few days beforehand with Kai, knowing I will need to rely on that memory to get through the weeks, and months, ahead.
“Mom, please.” Charlie pleads with his mom as we stand at the side of his Land Rover outside the entrance to Chez Manning. Mrs. Barron has just discovered her husband is deceased, and she’s inconsolable. In typical Michael Hearst fashion, he’s blamed it on Atticus, saying one of his men killed Charles for trying to stop them rescuing Kai. I’m not sure if she believes it or if it matters. Lil, Charlie’s sister, is already sitting in the back seat of the car, resting her head against the window, staring blankly into space. My heart aches for her. I know what it’s like to lose a parent, and it’s not something you ever recover from.
You find a way to survive.
To get out of bed each day and put one foot in front of the other, but you never forget.
Charles Barron was on my shit list of late, but I still wouldn’t have wished for this. He was a good father and husband. He didn’t deserve to die. And he didn’t deserve to have his son betray him like that.
I’m sick to the pit of my stomach every time I think about it. What has happened to the Charlie I used to know and love? Because this new version is a piss-poor replacement.
A blast of cold wind lifts strands of my hair, blowing them across my face. My hand feels heavy under the weight of my engagement and wedding rings as I brush hair out of my eyes. Drew’s mouth turns down, and his eyes are pained as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t see this coming,” he whispers in my ear, while keeping his eyes on Charlie. But Charlie is preoccupied trying to coax his heartbroken mother into the car, so he’s not paying us any attention.
“I need you to do a few things for me,” I whisper into his ear, not wanting to waste this opportunity. “Ask Rick to get me some sleeping pills, preferably in liquid form, and I need you to get me a new purse with a secret hidden panel. Xavier helped me order my last one, so he’ll know what to do. Put a new cell and a small gun in there, and call over to the house in the next couple of days to give it to me. You can say it was my Christmas present.”
“Please don’t take unnecessary risks,” he whispers, running a hand up and down my spine as I shiver.
I shrug. “I have nothing left to lose, Drew,” I say in a quiet voice. “He’s already taken it all from me.”
“No.” Drew forces my face up to his. In the background, Charlie is begging his mom to get in the car. “Use that to fuel your revenge, but do not believe in it.” He kisses my cheek. “That’s what he wants. For you to think you have nothing, but you still have a lot left to live for. Don’t forget that, A.” He kisses my other cheek. “And don’t lose your fighting spirit, because we need it now more than ever.”
Mrs. Barron drops to her knees, and a loud, painful wail filters into the silent night sky. Charlie glances at me, pleading with his eyes.
I owe him nothing.
He deserves to die for the part he’s played in all this.
But Mrs. Barron is an innocent, and she needs my help.
I shuck out of Drew’s hold. “Two days, D. Please don’t let me down.”
He pulls me back into his arms, hugging me tight. “I promised I’d never fail you again, and I meant it. Be safe, little sis. And call me if there’s any emergency. I don’t care what time of the day or night it is. And fuck consequences. If you need me, I’m there.”
I circle my arms around his neck, clinging onto him. “I love you.”
“I love you too. And I need you, so don’t let anything happen to you.”
I shuck out of his embrace with those parting words and walk toward Charlie and his mom.
“Elizabeth.” I sink to my knees on the gravel, ignoring the way the sharp stones pinch my shins. I wrap my arms around her, and air whooshes out of Charlie’s mouth in grateful relief as she falls against me, crying. “I can’t begin to imagine how you feel, and I’m so unbelievably sorry for your loss, but can you try to pull yourself together? At least to comfort your daughter?” I smooth a hand over her hair. “Lillian needs you. She’s grieving too.” Her sobs falter for a second before starting up in earnest again.