Page 110 of Beautiful Revenge

The word is like a razor through my soul.

Harlow frowns in confusion.

“What?” Ozzy demands. “You mean your dead?—”

“That’s exactly who I mean,” I bite out. “Hugh Bancroft. If it’s a match, then everything changes.”

Harlow’s eyes widen.

“Fuck me,” Ozzy mutters.

Something inside me shifts, because I know.

Even without a computer telling me it’s a match, I know.

Guilt turns to rage.

“Yeah, fuck me,” I agree with Ozzy before adding, “Revenge just took on a whole new meaning.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER

Devon

Down deep, I know.

I don’t need proof.

Hugh’s voice lives rent free in my head. Hell, I would’ve given everything I have on this earth to hear it again.

But not like this.

It’s official. Hugh Bancroft was a double agent who faked his own death and now works for Victor Turner.

He’s alive and well and keeping tabs on me.

I barely had a chance to let it sink in. There was too much to do.

The moment I got off the phone with Ozzy, I tamped down every emotion that was simmering below the surface and relied on my instincts from my prior career.

My first priority: Dean Moretti. And since I’ve been communicating with Dean, that means Turner has been listening to me.

Of all people, it was Felicity to the rescue. When I told her it was an emergency, she didn’t ask any questions. She hopped into her late-model sedan and drove the speed limit to the Winslet Police Station. I informed Moretti that he was being tapped by none other than the techie from the UK, and I did it while he borrowed Felicity’s cell.

That made Dean about as happy as I was when I heard Hugh’s voice for the first time.

Then we created a plan, which included burner phones, fake meetings, and another kidnapped hospital patient. But we’re not ready to kill the original line. I don’t have time to process the fact that the friend I mourned for years is alive and well. The only thing I can focus on is turning the tables.

Victor Turner proved he’s good at what he does. Ozzy couldn’t pinpoint Hugh’s location. Fusion Logic has that line under lock and key. But then again, they don’t only run their one satellite system, they have multiple all around the world. We have no idea where Hugh is coming from, and since he’s officially dead, it makes it damn near impossible to pick up his trail when he gets to the States if he isn’t here already.

When we returned to the hospital, Harlow made the decision to tell her dad everything. She said there’s no way she could keep the truth from him, even in his weakened state.

Harlow made the correct decision. Patrick runs a multi-billion-dollar corporation. He had no problem handling every ounce of truth about Albert, Janie, and how they put a target on his daughter’s back, no matter how fucked up it is.

Harlow stands by her father’s bedside. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I planned to stay longer.”

“The doctor said I may be able to go home in a few days if I have assistance. You can bet your ass I’ll vet every single person I hire,” Patrick says.