Page 77 of The Revenge

“He was already dead,” Preston says coldly.

“JP was found by the university gates,” Royal points out.

Preston turns and gives him a look of contempt. “The girl was a nobody. JP was going to be president; he couldn’t just disappear. People would look for him. You know I couldn’t risk anything leading back to the Elite, or the XXXVII. So we moved JP to where he would be found, and then I convinced Cole it was in his best interest to confess. He’s a nobody too.”

“You killed my brother, and you had someone else take the blame?” Syn flings himself at Preston, punching him several times before Gemini tries to pull him off.

It takes Royal’s help for the pair of them to get Syn clear. “You’re going to kill him if you don’t stop,” Royal says as Syn struggles against him.

“I don’t care. I want him dead.”

XXX

Syn

Until Victoria had given me a reason to doubt her brother, I’d never once questioned his guilt. When she forced me to dig deeper, I tried to guess the truth about what really happened that night.

At no point had Ieverconsidered the murderer would be Preston du Pont.

The guy is an asshole, and I can’t stand him. But he was also supposed to be JP’s best friend.

He’d made it sound like his death was an accident, and maybe it really was. Except everything else still sounds like he was trying to make the whole situation seem like he wasn’t the bad guy.

Nothing has ever come close to the pain of losing JP.

No fight I’ve ever been in.

Not even any punishment my father has given me.

I could forgive an accident.

I really could.

But covering it up and lying about it, so that everyone—me... my family... the world... doesn’t know the truth? All that pain—and more than—comes rushing back. And with it comes blinding anger.

I don’t even want to hear an apology from this asshole.

Two good hits are all I manage before Royal and Gemini rip me off du Pont. The rage has me feeling like a feral beast let loose, and it won’t be long until I’m free of their hold.

Then Tori steps in front of me.

She doesn’t seem the slightest bit scared of me. In fact, it’s the opposite. She’s as angry as I am, only it looks like she’s ready to punch me instead of du Pont.

"My brother is in prison because of him,” she tells me.

“And my brother is dead because of him,” I retort.

“And if you kill him, my brother is never getting out of prison,” she yells. “You’re the one who told me getting Cole released is going to be nearly impossible without any evidence.” She closes her eyes as she sucks in a deep breath. When she looks at me again, she’s calmer. “You just heard Preston tell you that JP was trying to do the right thing. Don’t you think he’d want you to do the same?”

Everything I’ve done, I've done because I believed that if roles had been reversed, JP would have done the same thing. But that was based on Cole Reynolds being guilty. He’s not. Much as I think prison is too good for du Pont, JP would want me to help get Reynolds.

I’ve also hurt Tori enough.

The anger and energy leave me like a balloon deflating. As I calm down, Royal and Gemini release me and step back.

Only then does Tori step back and look at du Pont. He’s lying unconscious on the ground. “Should we call an ambulance?”

“We’re taking him back to my father,” I tell her.

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