Page 39 of Bittersweet Revenge
“Most things don’t.” He gives me a half grin. He’s always willing to keep my secrets, even if that means keeping them from his own father.
Which is partly why I already regret what I’m going to say next. “We’ll take care of the rapist on Saturday. I want you to take Dean out.”
His face goes red. “What? Fuck that. Why?”
“Because he needs an alibi. He fought with Jensen already, and if the cops hear our names, they should stay out of it, but that won’t be the same for him.”
“Then have Ash do it.”
I sigh. “She deserves this. It’s her kill. And Rory’s been following Jensen around to ensure he doesn’t hurt anyone else. He should get to be there.”
Cillian cocks his head, studying me. “You’ll let her do it?”
“I don’t want to. I want to protect her from it, but it’s her right…and she wants it. I’ll be there to make sure she’s okay.”
There’s no doubt in my mind that Cillian doesn’t like any of it, but he’ll always be by my side. “Your dad will kill you if he finds out.”
Yes, he will, but… “My dad would kill me if he found out a lot of things I’ve done…or will do.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I hope I do too.
“I got your back. Like always,” he adds.
He does. Cillian and Rory both always will. Why is the question I don’t have the answer to. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
He stiffens. “Why would you say that?”
“Because the things you do for me or with me could get you killed or thrown in prison.”
Cillian huffs, his body language changing, muscles relaxing. “As if that wouldn’t be the case if I was doing this shit with my father? Or your father? And hell, I do it with them too. I’m not dumb. I know who the boss is, who has control, but we have our own shit going here. We have our own fucking kingdom, where people are afraid of us. Where we do what we want. I know the risks, and I take them because I love the power, T. Just like you.”
That’s what it so often goes back to, doesn’t it? The power. It’s…indescribable. It’s addicting, and sometimes, like with this motherfucker we’re dealing with now, we get to remove scum from the earth, someone who is even worse than we are.
“Fuck yes.”
Cillian gives me a wide grin. “Exactly.” He stands up. “I’m gonna get cleaned up and go swap places with Rory for a bit. He’ll stay out there for a month straight if he thinks it’ll score him some points.”
I chuckle. Rory is…a little wild, has a fuck-ton of energy he doesn’t know what to do with, but he wants nothing more than to do a good job.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
As soon as the door clicks quietly closed behind him, I pull out my phone and call my mom, not sure why I need to hear her voice, to check on her.
“This is a surprise. Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” There’s a perkiness to her voice that doesn’t ring true, that she often tries to use in front of me and Aislin. That she wears for my father and people they do business with. But it’s never authentic. When was the last time she was truly happy? While she tries to pretend it’s not happening, I’ve seen him suck the life out of her more and more over the years, and all it does is feed my hatred for my father.
“I have a cold.” I offer a fake cough.
“You’re supposed to be focusing on school. This is your time. I know you have…other things you need to do, but school comes first. This is your dream.”
I close my eyes, the soft pleading in her voice pressing down on the soft spots I shouldn’t have. My father? He has none. It’s how he’s done so well for himself and why everyone knows it’s impossible to touch him. It’s why I shouldn’t do any of the shit I do behind his back, but I’ve already accepted the fact that when I die, it’ll probably be at my father’s hand.
And that will kill my mom.
It’ll kill Aislin too.
“I’m doing well in school. It’s one day, and they know better than to let attendance affect my grade.”
