Page 125 of Retribution

I find a red dress with matching heels and I put them on. Sauvage said that time was of the essence, so I quickly go into the bathroom and throw my hair into a high bun on my head. Using some recently acquired makeup skills, courtesy of Lu, I sweep some mascara over my eyelashes and roll on some cherry red lip gloss.

When I come back out into the living room, the guys’ eyes take in my new outfit, moving over me hungrily. I blush a little, feeling pretty for the first time in a while, but I’m conscious of the passing minutes, so whatever fun activities are in their heads will have to wait.

When we get downstairs, one of Sauvage's guys is waiting in the parking garage for us. We get into a stretch, black town car.

Sauvage is already sitting on the other seat. There are some flat bags hanging from the handle on the ceiling and I wonder what he’s brought.

He doesn’t mention them, though. He just gives one of his eyerolls when the guys get in after me, saying nothing asthe doors lock automatically,I think, and the car begins to move.

Shade gives it until we’re outside Richmond proper before he looks at me expectantly. ‘Well?’

'I want to kill Joe Banderville and Pierre is helping me do it.’

I expect Shade’s stunned silence at that bombshell. Mav’s too.

But I’m surprised when, next to me, Blake nods, smirks, and raises his hand toward me.

I high-five it.

‘Nice,’ he mutters. ‘Let’s get the fucker.’

‘Don’t encourage her,’ Shade says.

Afraid he’s gonna try and stop me, my eyes narrow at him.

But Shade doesn’t start yelling, and he doesn't demand the car be turned around. He seems oddly calm, actually.

‘What’s your plan?’ he asks, and his gaze cuts to Sauvage. ‘Or is ithisplan?’

‘The club we’re going to in New York is his,’ I say before Sauvage can respond. ‘But the plan is mine. I've made something in the lab.’

He sits back, his face oddly blank, and I find I can't read him.

Disconcerted, I edge closer to him.

‘I wasn’t hiding this from you,’ I say imploringly. ‘I wasn’t just going to go do it without telling you, or anything. Sauvage only found out we had a chance to get him this evening. I knew fifteen minutes ago. That’s all.’

‘So you’ve made a poison?’ Mav asks when Shade doesn’t say anything. ‘A pill?’

‘Yeah. Dissolvable in liquid. It'll look like he OD'd on fentanyl. I know he takes it. I noticed a bottle on his desk…when I was in his office.'

I leave it at that, and I see them all look at eachother again.

'I need to do this,' I add quietly.

‘I agree,’ Blake says. ‘He needs to be dead, and you need to be the one after everything.’

Mav side eyes Shade and lets out a breath.

'We get it,' he says. 'We do, Tulip. But let one of us do it.'

'No!' I say adamantly, straightening my spine. 'I need to do it. I need to…take back what he stole from me.'

I will Mav and Shade to understand and I let out a hard breath of relief when Shade takes my hand.

'I get it.' He kisses me lightly on my lips. ‘I don’t like it, but I get it.’

He glances at the others. ‘But we're going to be there with you. You're not going into Sauvage’s club by yourself.'