Page 129 of Cruel Revenge

Taking a deep breath, I step away from him. “So, you want to do this, then? You want to have a family?”

“Starting a family with you will be the adventure of a lifetime.” He reaches down and grabs his clothing from where it landed, pulling it on. “Want to go for a walk and talk about it more?”

I nod. “We could head down to the lake. None of the family would be down there, and we might actually get a shot at some real privacy for the first time this entire trip.”

He grins and takes my hand after he’s dressed.

Together, we sneak down the back staircase and through the house, escaping out the back door before any of our family has a chance to see us.

The air outside is cold and crisp, but the sinking sun is still warm. Leaves are falling down, carpeting the world in red and orange.

I tilt my face up, taking a deep breath.

“You know, the thing I miss the most when I’m back in the city is the fresh air.” I glance at him as we keep walking, heading into the tree line. “Even with the new house in the woods, I don’t think it’s the same.”

“There’s something about being out here.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. “Do you think Aiden would mind too much if we moved out here?”

“I have no idea, and there’s something going on with him lately. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like there’s this dark cloud hanging over him. He’s not the same person he was before Noah took him last year.”

“I didn’t know he was taken.”

I shrug. “He doesn’t like to talk about it much. Ellie and Sean were the ones who took most of the beating. Aiden still blames himself for a lot of that, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on with him now. I think whatever is in his head is much, much worse.”

Light laughter comes from the trees at the other end of the clearing we step into.

Joshua reaches for his gun, but it’s not there. Neither of us took one when leaving the house.

We’re in the middle of the woods in Vermont. Nobody should be tracking us out here.

And yet, boots crunch against fallen leaves.

Dark figures move at the edges of trees.

Zoe appears in front of us with Logan standing behind her.

She smiles as she steps around the tree, holding her hands up. “I didn’t come here to start a fight. I came here out of the goodness of my own heart.”

Bile rises in the back of my throat.

I could try to get to her. I could kill her right here and now. Joshua should be able to handle Logan.

But I don’t know who is lingering out of sight.

She could have an army with her, waiting to attack. She could be here to slaughter my entire family, and none of us would’ve seen it coming.

Joshua looks past Zoe to Logan. “You’ve been gone for months. I thought I saw the last of you before you tucked tail and turned your back on your family.”

Logan shrugs, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Better deal came along.”

A scream echoes through the trees, but it’s not the happy one from earlier. This one is like a dying animal.

My heart lodges in my throat as Zoe starts to laugh.

She pulls out a gun and points it at me, flicking the safety off.

“You’re going to have to excuse this. You’ve always been unpredictable at best, Skyla.”

“What did you do?” Joshua glances over his shoulder in the direction of the house. “Who the fuck is screaming?”

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