Page 69 of The Vengeance You Crave

I'm out of the car and heading toward the entrance before I've even realized I've moved. It's not until I see how quiet it is that I remember it's only Monday night.

Bry notices me first as I stride toward the bar.

"Evening. Two nights in a row. You really must be desperate."

I pin him with a hard glare. We're not friends exactly, but I've spent enough time here in the past couple of years that we're at the point of it being acceptable to give each other shit.

"You have no fucking idea, man."

Without having to ask for it, a glass of whisky is pushed toward me and I knock it back without thinking.

I glance around, not even attempting to hide the fact that I'm looking for her.

"Where is she?" I finally ask not finding her pink hair anywhere.

"She's out back. She—"

"She's fucking what?" I boom, the stool I was perched on crashes to the ground behind me. The thought of her being back there with some other guy makes me fucking crazy.

"She's on break. Jesus, Luc. You need to chill your shit. I think you know as well as I do that she's not one of your dad's usual girls. They're not usually that… innocent."

Images of her in the pool house on the weekend hit me.

Innocent my ass. That woman writhing against me wasn't a woman who doesn't know what she's doing.

My chest damn near rips open, making me bleed out over the floor as I think about her with others, about her selling herself like I accused her of.

But then Bry's words register.

"She's on break."

"B-break?"

"Yeah."

My heart continues to race as I stare at Bry's concerned eyes.

"I really think you should wai—"

I don't hang around long enough to hear his warning. My need for her is too strong.

19

Peyton

Isit at the small table in our break room and poke a carrot stick into the hummus before me. Aunt Fee always sends me to work with a healthy snack. I appreciate it, I do. But right now, I just want a bar of chocolate or some candy.

I'm exhausted, my whole body aches with my need to curl in bed and sleep for a week. But I can't. I'm halfway through what feels like the longest shift of my life.

When I walked in and saw hardly any customers, I thought I was in for an easy night, and I wasn't wrong but easy also means boring and boring equals a long ass night.

"Ugh," I groan, dropping my head to rest on my forearm and closing my eyes for a beat.

I swear it was for just a second.

The click of the door closing on the other side of the room startles me and I sit bolt upright.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep," I say in a rush, quickly tidying up what's left of my food. "I'll be right there."