Page 10 of The Retaliation You Deliver

Sure, I’ve got my roommates but my friendship with them isn’t exactly ride or die. Nathan is close, I guess. But it’s still not what I imagined when I thought about finding that perfect group of friends years ago.

Now, I figure it was just a pipe dream.

Maybe I’m destined to be alone forever. Maybe God, or whoever, has a different plan for me.

3

Leon

“Do you think you should go and check on her?” I ask, realizing that Peyton has been in the diner bathroom for longer than probably necessary.

“Nah, she’ll be out in a bit,” Luca says confidently over his mug of coffee.

We drove for about an hour after I woke up from my nightmare. The atmosphere in the car was unbearable as we all sat there in silence, lost in our own thoughts.

I want to know what they’re thinking, how they thought I ended up here, I’m pretty confident that whatever conclusions they’ve come up with aren't anywhere near the reality.

“So your dirty weekend didn’t exactly go as planned then,” Luca deadpans, changing tack from previously just asking me outright what the hell I’m playing at.

“No, not entirely,” I admit, although if I’m being honest with myself, I got exactly what I came here for.

I finally got to play my hand with Macie and I’ve got that cunt’s location.

So why don’t I feel like I’ve actually achieved anything?

All I feel is guilt.

Guilt and loss.

“So is she from Miami then or was it just a random getaway to keep her hidden away from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding her,” I mutter.

“Sure. That’s why the only people who have met her are Letty and Kane. What are you so worried about? It’s not like I’m going to steal her from you.”

“It’s complicated.”

“When isn’t it?”

Finally, movement over by the bathrooms catches my eye and when I look up, I find Peyton heading our way.

“Everything okay?” Luca asks her.

Peyton flashes me a look and I can’t help but wonder what I’m missing here.

“Yeah. All good. I’ve got the address you need too.”

She passes Luca her cell and he stares down at it. His brows lift momentarily.

Already bored of trying to figure out what they’re talking about, I slide out from the booth.

“I’m going to take a piss.”

Pushing through the bathroom door, I stop in the middle of the room and suck in a deep breath.

I thought I had everything figured out, thought I had a plan and that as I put each piece of the puzzle together, things would start to make more sense.

But now that I’ve got what I’ve been searching for, I feel even more lost than I did before.