Page 110 of Pretty Vengeance

“Yes. I did.” Her soft voice is slightly bemused. “Still can’t believe that happened. Thatanyof this is happening.”

“I know.” Hauling her against me, I wrap my arms around her. “It’s tough, but you’re going to be all right.”

Her grip on me tightens. “Hope so.” The steady voice impresses me. She’s holding it together better than most people would.

After kissing her temple, I release her. “Right. Let’s finish and go.”

Drawing in a deep breath, she turns and walks away. Once she’s in the bedroom, I confirm the door’s locked before I head downstairs.

After this is over, I’m going to give that girl the fucking world.

* * *

SAWYER

I dressin sweats and am putting clothes in my suitcase when I hear the door’s lock click open. I whirl around and discover my dad in the doorway, wearing his bathrobe and holding a handgun. My breath catches in shock. What the hell? I had no idea there was a gun in the house.

He’s pointing it in my general direction and looks very unsteady. Even if he doesn’t intend to shoot me, he might by accident.

Becoming very still, I watch him. “What are you doing, Dad? Can you lower that please?”

Moving the gun’s barrel toward the wall, he shakes his head. “He’s using you, Sawyer.” His voice sounds thick and slurred. “Do you know why he’s dating you? It’s to get access to this house.”

“What are you talking about?” Trying to sound as innocent as possible, I hold up my hands in an “I surrender” gesture.

Dad narrows his glazed eyes. “He’s trying to kill me.”

“Jamie? No, he’s not. Why would he?”

“Your brother owed him money and couldn’t pay. That’s why they killed him. And now he’s threatening to do the same to me. He tried to drug and drown me. That’s why I was trying to push him in the pool. I needed to do it before I passed out, and he killed me.”

My stomach plummets, and for a split second, I consider whether he could be telling the truth. But no. If Jamie drugged him, it was only to search the house. “He didn’t try to kill you.”

“He would have. If you hadn’t come out. He would’ve pushed me in the pool and made it look like an accidental drowning.”

“No, that’s whatyoutried to do.”

“In self defense.”

“You just happened to have a narcotic pain patch ready to drug him? Where did you even get it from?”

“Leftovers from Mom’s cancer treatment. I’d forgotten all about them until I found one in the sink from his rifling through the medicine cabinet.”

It’s true that Mom had pain patches. Because of the gastric cancer, she couldn’t eat or drink much at the end, so it was hard for her to take medications by mouth.

For a moment, I consider whether my dad could be telling the truth about the reason Brad was killed. Could this all be about money Brad owed the C Crue?

No, it’s ridiculous. If that was really the truth, when my dad suspected Jamie had poisoned him tonight, he would have called nine-one-one. Not try to murder the college student hitman the gangsters sent. It’s insane.

Also, there was Jamie’s brother’s picture of the signet ring. And the Catholic medal in the jewelry box, which couldn’t belong to anyone in our family. Am I supposed to believe the entire pedophile story is an elaborate ruse? No way. Using me would just make things messier. I can’t see members of an organized crime syndicate involving innocent people unnecessarily.

“If you thought he was here to kill you, why not call the police? Who decides to drug someone with a pain patch?”

“These people are above the law. Who knows what cops and judges they have in their pocket.”

Wow. He’s a very good liar.

“In Connecticut? Jamie’s from Ireland. His family lives near Boston.”