Page 3 of Payback
“Good thinking, Book,” Tanner chirps, sounding oddly cheery, like they’re in the middle of some kind of brainstorming session. “Where does he work?”
Tanner presses his phone to his ear, and I realise he’s actually calling his Chicago friend right now. I grapple with him for a moment before freeing it from his grasp and quickly press END.
“I’m handling it,” I snap, mostly angry at myself for revealing such personal information to two of the most caring freaks in the world.
“How?” Booker demands. “Details, Allie. We need to know how you’re handling this because, as far as I can tell, this tosser needs to be castrated. And I think we need to hand your stepsister off to Vi.” He shudders at that thought because Vi truly has her four brothers terrified of her.
Of course they don’t know that Vi is already in the know. She has bent over backwards to help make this trip a diverting one. Something to get me out of my funk.
But hearing Booker and Tanner volley back and forth over how they are going to exact their own revenge is so moving, I’m not even surprised when tears well in my eyes. Blind loyalty…Is that what family is truly about? Rosalie and I were close during the ten years our parents were married, but I can’t say I ever felt such a strong sense of protection from her. Is this a brother thing? Or a Harris thing?
Maybe both.
I stare open-mouthed at Booker and Tanner, feeling stunned because I haven’t shed a single tear since the horrid Tuesday afternoon I found my stepsister and boyfriend in bed together. Not one tear. I just drank, moved out of my apartment and into a spare bedroom at my coworker’s, and formulated my revenge. But here I am now, packed in between two overly-muscled nut-jobs being all noble, and I’m nearing emotional volcanic eruption.
My voice is shaky when I croak, “Thanks for all of this, guys, but it really isn’t your problem.” I clear my throat, praying they didn’t notice the crack in my voice. “I’m not eight years old and needing you to attack the schoolyard bully. I’m twenty-four. And I appreciate the suggestion to have him stretched and quartered, but I think I have it covered.”
I feel Tanner’s eyes pinning me to my seat, but I refuse to look at him. I refuse to let these two do-gooders manhandle their way into my business or, worse, ruin my big plan for tonight. I’m actually excited about this plan! It feels good to be taking action against them after two weeks of avoidance.
After a long, uncomfortable moment, Tanner huffs loudly and states, “Did you really say ‘sex drippings’ a minute ago?” Booker cracks up laughing and I bite my lip to remain composed. “Fuck me, you’re a bloody Harris if I ever saw one.”
