Page 1 of Dark Things (Payback Duet #1)

Rebelle

F reedom.

Most people piss it away like it’s nothing. I was one of the stupid ones—until I wasn’t. No matter how gilded the cage, it’s still a fucking prison. And no amount of polish will make servitude taste sweet.

This is the first thing that claws through my mind as I cross the courtyard on day one at Skyton College.

Five years. Five years trapped inside cages they’ll never see.

And now—here—they swarm around me, a sea of free, breathing idiots. Laughing. Smiling. Blissfully blind to the shadows where deals cut like knives and lives get torn apart without a second thought.

They don’t know what waits in the dark. But I do.

“Did my dad talk to you about the race next week?” Haunt asks, looking down at me from his six-foot-three height.

His ebony hair is longer now than the first time I met him, but those baby blues and the dimple in his chin are still the same.

The tug in my chest flutters exactly the way it always has, even three years later.

“Yeah, he texted me this morning. Just a date and time, nothing else. You hear anything?” I reply. I know my face is blank. Haunt can read me like a book, always has been able to, but I still maintain an air of stoicism when we’re in public.

I may love him, but our keeper is always watching.

He scans my face, trying to find the crack in my armor, but I hold all the emotions back. That’s the first thing two years in juvenile detention taught me—showing emotion will break you.

“You’ll be racing Black Caviar. He brought him up from Kentucky,” he replies, rubbing his forehead.

This time my mask slips just a little. Black Caviar is Stan’s pride and joy. An ace in the hole and a horse I’ve never rode. A dangerous animal with a frothing bit and a drive to win. He scares the shit out of me.

“That’s…that’s good. At least we won’t have to use Stormbreaker Fury.

” Storm was my old racehorse. A horse that could have done amazing things if his owner wasn’t a fucking dick.

Stan destroyed every chance at greatness when he pulled him from racing for his own selfish needs, and it cost Storm and me our record.

Haunt’s face is impassive, but he knows what I went through with Storm. He knows how much he meant to me. For so long I didn’t allow myself dreams, but riding Storm was the closest thing to hope I’ve ever had.

We’re at Skyton because of Haunt’s father, Stan Graves, and his need for power and control over New York City.

Stan’s been in hiding for five years, always keeping one step ahead of his rival Mario Russo, head of one of New York’s mafia families.

And he uses us anyway he sees fit to accomplish his goal, taking back what he deems is his, regardless of who suffers.

When my gaze travels to the fountain in the center of the courtyard, the rest of what Haunt says doesn’t register.

I’m frozen, breath coming in short pants.

Heat rises through my neck, blurring my vision.

The red haze of rage floats through me, and my world tips until all I see is the man in front of me.

Colter Shultz.

He’s here at Skyton College. Happy, laughing. Surrounded by people. Always the center of attention, the golden boy who was quick to make friends and charm anyone.

One of the men who put me in my first cage when I was sixteen. One of my former best friends and first loves. One of the guys I thought I was going to marry and have children with. One of the few people I trusted with my whole heart.

Betrayer.

And if he’s here, so are the others. They were never far apart, and I know for certain they’ll be somewhere on campus. It’s something we always dreamed of, starting a life with one another.

“We’ll be all together. It doesn't matter where we go as long as we stay with each other. I love you, Belle, and nothing is going to keep us apart.” Colter pulls me in for a hug, running his hands through my hair as he does.

“Promise? Promise me we’ll get away from them and live happily ever after,” I lift my head up and press my lips to his.

“I promise. Always.”

“Reb!” I feel the shake of my upper arms. It’s the contact that makes me snap back into the present. Haunt blocks out my view, but we’re far enough away that we’re not causing a scene. “What the fuck is wrong?”

“Nothing, sorry. I just zoned out. I’m kinda freaking out about having to ride Black Caviar.

” I pull myself out of his arms and take off for the building of my first class.

Haunt’s steps pound behind me as we near the edge of the courtyard.

I need to get to class before he starts asking more questions.

I have plans for those boys, but I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity so soon.

I wanted to wait until we were free from Stan, had my brother back, and could live in a world where murder and suffering weren’t an everyday occurrence.

Then I’d get my revenge, make them see all the pain that I was put in because of them.

Now my timeline has been moved up, because as much as I don’t have time for this, I will make the time. There’s no way I can walk away.

“Reb, wait up. Don’t make me tackle you on the grass. You know I’ll do it.”

His usual flirty tone doesn’t do anything for me right now. All I can see is Colt smiling like he’s got nothing to worry about.

He’s free. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be caged.

The further I get away from the courtyard, the easier it is to breathe.

I stop and turn to face him. “It’s all good, my love.

I just need to get to class. We’ll meet after and get coffee.

I need a minute to process. I'm going to be riding a million dollar horse. One I’ll be responsible for.

” I grab his hand and pull him closer to me, resting my head on his chest. I can’t let him know about the guys yet; he’d destroy them and then there would be nothing left for me.

“Reb,” he sighs. “ Gioia mia , if I could get us out of racing him I would. I’ll help, promise. Just don’t do anything stupid. I know Stan is up our asses with this mission, but we’ll be fine. Caviar is a monster on the track; this should be easy.”

“Yeah if he doesn’t throw me and stomp on my head like he did the last jockey. Not sure I want to go out with a crushed skull.”

His smile fades and eyebrows pinch together. “That’s not going to happen. Sampson was an idiot and thought he could put his helmet on after he mounted. You’re smarter than that. ”

I raise up on my tiptoes and tug him down for a kiss. His lips are pillow soft, and he has just enough scruff for my fingertips to play with. Haunt has always been a beautiful man, but the way he takes care of me makes me feel like the darkness hasn’t seeped all the way in.

Haunt is my everything. The one person I can trust with my whole heart. He pulled me up when I was drowning, and he’s kept me tethered so I don’t drift off into the abyss.

“You’re right. Once I get into class this’ll be forgotten. No need to stress now,” I say.

“I’ll buy you a coffee after class to make up for it. You’re going to do amazing.” He puts his big palms on either side of my head, brushing the hair away from my face.

Leaning into his hands, I inhale his spicy wintergreen scent and rise up on my tiptoes, giving him a quick peck before racing up the stairs. I need to get out of here before I do something stupid.

Like stab a boy I used to love.

My boots squeak down the marble hall while I look over at the numbers on the doors.

Fucking Colter Shultz. I can’t believe he’s here, at the one fucking place that was supposed to not remind me of the last five years of my fucked up life.

I’ve been looking forward to this lecture since I found out I’d be coming to Skyton, even if it wasn’t the school of my choice, and now he’s ruined it.

He’s good at that. Ruining everything. Including my life. I sigh, making my way up the aisle to snag a seat.

“Welcome to Equine Anatomy and Physiology. I’m Doctor Saunders. I’ll give everyone five minutes to get settled, and then we can begin,” the professor says once I find my seat at the back of the class. It’s a lecture type room with stadium seating, all with tiny desks to place the essentials on.

I pull my notebook and iPad out of my backpack and get settled. A hand comes down on the desk next to me and I look up to see a girl with a cheery smile and blonde hair tied into a braid.

“Hi,” the girl says. “I’m Aslyn. You’re new.

” She holds out her hand, and it takes me a couple of seconds before I realize she wants me to shake it.

Peopling isn’t something I’m used to anymore.

I’ve been at the compound for years, long enough that I’m out of the practice of dealing with new people or pleasantries. They kept me away from all that.

“Hey, I’m Reb.” I say grasping her tiny hand in mine. If there was any awkwardness on my part, she doesn’t catch on.

“Oh! Reb Vischer?” she asks.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my heart races. How the hell does this girl know who I am? No one is supposed to know who I am here. Not like this.

“Umm, yeah. Do I know you?”

“Not yet but, I’m the captain of the equestrian team. I was the one who approved your slot on the team. I’ve been watching your videos all week. I have to say what you did in the finals in Florida was amazing. I mean that last trick jump was a thing of beauty.”

The air whooshes out of my lungs, and this time my smile is genuine. “You saw that? I didn’t think they’d be showing anyone those. I thought it was just for the coach.”

“Well, Coach James is the one who makes the final decision, but he leans on me for an opinion. And, can I say how fucking psyched I am that you’re here? We need all the help we can get after last year's regionals.”

She finally sits and puts her books down on the desk, slipping a bubble gum pink laptop out of her backpack. It has rainbows and little animals on it. We could not be any more different.