Page 43 of The Revenge Game

Meanwhile, the lion statues watch it all with expressions that could be interpreted as judgmental or amused.

“So, you want to talk to me about how your revenge project is going?” Leo asks.

I lean against the fountain’s edge, trailing my fingers through the water. A stray droplet lands on my glasses, making the world blur slightly. “Why? Are you going to try to talk me out of it?”

Do I want to be talked out of it? I’m not completely sure anymore.

“No. I’m not going to talk you out of it,” Leo says.

I stare at him in surprise. “You’re not?”

“No. The more I thought about it, the more the concept actually intrigued me.” He sends a side look at me. “Because I definitely know someone that karma deserves to catch up with.”

Oh, now this is interesting. Even though Leo is only three years older than me, he’s always been the mature one of the two of us.

“Who’s your target?” I ask.

“Vaughn Mansley.”

“The guy you worked with at QuantumTech Solutions,” I say slowly.

“Yup. The guy who stole my idea for a blockchain security protocol that can adapt to new threats in real-time.”

Leo has never talked to me much about his life before he started working with me. I know bits and pieces—he taught himself to code at thirteen, he worked three jobs to buy his first decent computer, he has a complex relationship with his family. But there are gaps in his history he’s never filled in.

“And let me guess, now you’re conducting a whole symphony in revenge?”

The one thing I definitely know for certain about Leo is that he doesn’t do anything by halves.

“No, my plan will definitely be low-grade compared to yours. But I have a few ideas up my sleeve.”

“We can have a revenge club,” I suggest.

A smirk comes over Leo’s face. “LikeFight Club?”

“Yup, exactly.”

Leo stares at one of the pigeons strolling past us. “So, are we going to create rules for this revenge club?”

“First rule of Revenge Club, don’t talk about Revenge Club?” I suggest.

“Nah, we’re going to have to talk about it. How else will we help each other?” Leo says.

“I’m not sure how much help I’m going to be.” I run my hand through my hair. “I can barely figure out what I’m doing with my own revenge plan anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

I stare up at Admiral Nelson at the top of Nelson’s column, keeping his eternal watch over London.

I know from the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour I did when I first arrived in London that Admiral Nelson was a man full of contradictions. A British hero who embodied patrioticvirtue yet had a high-profile extramarital affair and conceived a daughter out of wedlock. A defender of strict naval discipline, who nevertheless ignored the order to withdraw at the Battle of Copenhagen by putting the telescope to his blind eye and claiming he couldn’t see the signal.

“I mean, it’s not as black and white as I thought it would be,” I finally answer Leo. “Justin’s…different from what I expected.”

“Of course he’s different. Everyone grows up after high school.”

“It’s not just the fact he’s grown up,” I say. “He just keeps…surprising me. Like the other weekend, he invited me over to his place and ended up feeding me chili, and he talked a bit about his mom, and he’s got these cats…”

Leo’s eyebrows shoot up. “He’s inviting you for dinner?”