Sweet Retribution (Rydeville High Elite #3)(86)

Xavier and I made a massive pot roast, and we are debating how to approach the good doctor as we tuck in.

“You returning to Wyoming is risky as fuck,” Drew says. “Because I’ll be at the annual Parkhurst meeting, and I won’t be able to protect you.”

Drew, Trent, Charlie, Christian, and Father are leaving on Monday for the week, which means it’s the only time we can do this. Our plan is to go to Wyoming, kidnap the doctor, and force him to talk to us

“I’ll be with her,” Kai says.

“We’ll be with her,” Jackson adds, stabbing Kai with a serious look.

“And I’m not getting left behind,” I say, spearing a carrot with my fork. “If Mom is still alive, I want to be right there in that room when he admits it.”

“I know,” he quietly says, nodding. “But the elite can’t know you are there. Father can’t know you are there.”

“Which is why we’re driving,” I say. It’s over a thirty-hour trip, which means it’ll take us three days to get there, but we can’t risk flying because that leaves too much of a trace.

Drew shakes his head. “That won’t work. You’ll be missing from school for a week, and he’ll find out.”

“So, we’ll lie, and I’ll say Kai took me on vacation.

“He’ll be suspicious as fuck.” Drew looks contemplative as he sips from his glass of water.

“What about James Kennedy?” Sawyer asks. “He mentioned he could falsify travel logs, and the Kennedys weren’t opposed to helping us before.” He eyeballs Kai, who already has his cell in hand. “Ask Rick to ask them.”

“I’m already on it,” he says, bringing the phone to his ear.

The Kennedys are infamous around Boston thanks to Kennedy Apparel, the fashion design empire Alex Kennedy owned and managed until a few years ago. And they have seven superhot sons who regularly make headlines on all the gossip sites. Rick is at Harvard with Kyler Kennedy and his wife Faye, and they’ve become good friends. When Rick needed to get Joaquin and Harley out of Connecticut without our father knowing, James Kennedy flew in on his private jet and got them safely out of there.

Here’s hoping he can come through for us again.

The rest of us eat while Kai talks to his brother. When he hangs up, he says, “Rick is meeting Kyler later, and he’ll ask him.”

“Okay,” I say, finishing off my dinner and pushing my plate away. “Let’s park that aspect for now.” I look at Drew. “How are you planning on approaching the elite without Father knowing?”

There are twenty elite members to win to our side, and Drew is the only one who can handle this part. I can’t be involved because they hold such little regard for women, and my presence could be more of a hindrance than a help. So, Drew will have to be persuasive as fuck because it’s all on his shoulders. I’m worried Father will catch him in the act and kill him.

“The main Parkhurst facility is huge, and there are tons of different recreational areas and private rooms. I’ll be using the secure network Xavier established for me to reach out to them this weekend and schedule appointments. I’ll vary the locations and the times, and I’ll ensure they coincide with meetings Father has scheduled. I’m not going to lie and say it’s risk-free, but I’m confident I can do this under the radar. He won’t find out.”

“And you think they’ll agree to this?”

He nods. “I do. They all hate him. Handing over the evidence he’s been lording over them will swing the power back in their favor.”

“I’ve copied all the recordings three times and backdated the production dates so that should convince them you are handing over all the evidence,” Xavier says, talking in between eating.

“And these men have enough power to convince his other supporters to abandon him?” Kai asks.

Drew nods. “Absolutely. These men will do all the work for us and be happy to.”

“What about Atticus?” I ask, because he’s going to be at the meeting too.

“Rick and I have played him perfectly,” Kai admits. “He’s already fucked Patrice, and we have it on tape.”

I slap his arm. “You never told me!”

“It actually just slipped my mind,” he says. “It happened the night of the wedding party, and I was more concerned with looking after you.”

My temporary anger flits away. “It’s okay.” I place my hand on his knee, rubbing it. “So, what’s the angle?”

“They have history of clashing over the same women, so we thought it apt that he’d make a play for Patrice, and it’s one more thing we can use to discredit your father at the vote. It will embarrass him further.”

“Plus, it will be frowned upon by the council and cast your father in a bad light at a time when he’s supposed to be on his best behavior,” Drew adds. “And betraying your sponsor is seriously frowned upon.”

I wish we had the proof we need to confirm Atticus killed his wife Emma, but without it, we can’t make that allegation stick. We can discredit him in front of the elite, and most likely get him permanently banned for life, but that’s not justice served. Still, we need to choose one battle at a time, and we all agreed Michael Hearst needs to be taken down first.