Page 16 of The Retaliation You Deliver

Then there’s Brett.

I’ve wanted him gone for years.

I’ve hated him for as long as I can remember, not only for how he cast me aside but for the incredible pressure he put on Luca, the way he ignored Shane, and how he’s treated our mother.

All of us deserved better than him.

He might have provided us with money and all the opportunities we could have wanted—well, as long as they involved football—but that’s not what’s important.

Money doesn’t buy happiness. I should know. I’ve been fucking miserable for as long as I can recall.

Until you were with her.

I force my thoughts down.

I’ve done what I needed to do. Whatever that was between Macie and I, it’s over.

Dead.

Forgotten.

Okay, so maybe not forgotten.

Without meaning to, she gave me something I’ve never experienced from anyone else. But no matter how her acceptance of me, even the dark and ugly parts I allowed her to see, meant to me. It’ll never be enough for me to get past that one small moment in time all those years ago.

She’ll always be that little girl to me who left me to the slaughter.

Sucking in a steeling breath and forcing thoughts of her from my mind, I climb out of the car.

Darkness surrounds me where I’m deep in the cover of trees now that the headlights are off. It’s not quite dark out yet, but it’s almost there. I know that by the time I come back out, I’m not going to be able to see my hand in front of my face.

I’m halfway to the warehouse when a noise, the crack of a twig and the rustling of leaves in the undergrowth catches my attention.

I spin on the spot, my heart in my throat, as I expect to see the shadow of someone approaching.

But there’s no one there.

I stand motionless in the darkness waiting to hear it again, convinced the noise was made by a person, but when nothing but the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves fills my ears, I figure that it must just be an animal.

I’m being paranoid, I know I am. My need to keep what I’ve done here from everyone is eating at me.

Even now that they know the truth, I’m not sure they’d understand this.

Hell, I’m not even sure if I understand this.

Confident that no one is about to jump out at me, I turn back toward the building and head inside in the hope of finding some peace while delivering some pain.

The beast inside me sings with joy and my fists curl.

Fuck, I really need this.

4

Macie

Iknew it was a bad idea the second I agreed, but nothing could have prepared me for how I’d feel when I pulled Leon’s car door open and got assaulted by his scent.

Tears burn my eyes as memories of our time together flicker through my mind as I sway slightly on my feet.