“I know,” I reply, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “But, um, maybe he’s right about me not being good for you.”
“That’s not true,” Tessa argues, and I wished she was right. “I’ve missed seeing you.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I tell her honestly. Even if seeing her struggle with the aftermath of those men hurting her is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, I still love to see her face, to spend time with her. Which brings me to the point of my call.
“So, if you’re not worried about Roman grounding you, how would you feel about going on a road trip with me?”
“A road trip?” she repeats.
“A few days, a few hundred miles away. We could stay at a hotel. You could have your own room,” I promise. “And, um, by the end of it, we could be reading the obituaries for three men who deserve to die…”
I hear her gasp of acknowledgment and then silence before she speaks again. “You have their names? Roman said he was still trying to get them out of Joey.”
“He lied. I have them. And the addresses,” I assure her. “But you don’t have to come. I can do it alone.”
“Alone?” she repeats. “Not with the other Savage Kings?”
“No. I want to be the one who ends them,” I tell her. “Roman wants to be cautious, to wait and come up with a foolproof plan for the group to avoid getting caught. I think he’s right. There’s no reason to drag everyone into this when I can handle it myself.”
“Are you sure?” Tessa asks.
“I am,” I reply. “So that just leaves one question – are you coming with me or not?”
She told me Friday that she wanted to be there, to see Joey die because it was the only way to possibly end her nightmares. I’m no psychiatrist; I don’t know if seeing the men again will do more harm than good. What I do know is that if it were me…I would want to watch them die.
When Tessa doesn’t respond, I add, “No pressure, sweetheart. This is your decision and yours alone, okay?”
“Okay,” she replies.
I wait for her to say more, like that she needs time to think about it. Instead she says, “When do we leave?”
“Tonight if you think you can sneak out of the house? We need a head start before Roman realizes I took his phone and you’re with me.”
“You have Roman’s phone? He’s been looking for it frantically all afternoon!” she tells me.
“I disabled the Find my iPhone app,” I admit with a smile.
“He’s going to be pissed at us, isn’t he?” she whispers. “Not about the phone but what we’re going to do.”
“I’m certain he’ll put all of the blame on me,” I reply. “You’ll still be able to live with him and Charlotte. I’ll tell him I kid –” I start to say “kidnapped her” and catch myself with a wince. “I’ll tell him it was my idea and I convinced you to come with me.”
“Okay,” Tessa says again.
“I’ll wait for you at the corner of his street tonight on my bike. Come out when you can or text me if you change your mind.”
“I’m not going to change my mind,” she assures me. “And I can probably leave around eleven or so.”
“Good. I’ll see you then,” I tell her. “Pack light and leave your cell phone behind.”
“I will. See you then,” she says before ending the call.
Is what I’m about to do incredibly crazy and dangerous? Hell yes. But I’ll come up with a plan on the road, one that ensures I won’t get caught.
Chapter Three
Tessa
* * *
“So, how did your appointment go today?” Charlotte asks when we sit down to eat the steaks Roman cooked for dinner after he gave up on finding his phone.
“Great,” I say with mock enthusiasm, making a mental note to leave behind a letter for Charlotte, telling her I’m okay and that I appreciate all she’s done for me and am sorry for sneaking off like a teenager. She would never approve of me leaving with Verek, and of course if I told her, she would tell Roman.
Just to make sure I play the part, I turn to Roman at the head of the dinner table and ask, “Any names yet?”
“Still working on him,” he answers without meeting my eyes, which I have begun to notice means he’s lying. Roman thinks I’m too weak to handle seeking vengeance, while Verek understands that I need to be a part of it. I don’t think I would be able to pull the trigger or whatever it is he has in mind, but I have to be there. I need to see these men die, to know they can’t hurt me again.
“My appointment was good but emotionally exhausting, so I think I’m going to turn in early tonight,” I say as I get up and take my plate and glass of water to the sink.
“Are you sure? We have an Oreo pie for dessert,” Charlotte says, watching me over her shoulder.
“Save me a piece for tomorrow?” I ask with a forced smile.
“Absolutely,” Roman agrees. “Sleep well.”
“Good night,” Charlotte says.
“Night,” I reply before retreating to my room, shutting and locking my door. I don’t lock it because I don’t trust Roman and Charlotte. It’s just that I don’t trust that no one else will break into the house while I sleep, even with all of the security measures Roman has in place.
Shit! The motion-sensing camera outside could be a problem. I’ll just have to go out the back and take the long way around the house to try and avoid it.
Quietly, I grab my big leather purse from the closet and tuck away my wallet, phone, a change of clothes, and my pajamas before zipping it up. Remembering that I’ll need my toothbrush, I hurry to the bathroom and use the toilet, then brush my teeth before tucking my toothbrush and hairbrush under my shirt as I head back to my room.
Once I’m packed and ready to go, my handwritten letter for Charlotte lying on my pillow, I sit on the edge of the mattress and then listen intently to Roman and Charlotte moving around the house. I hear their muffled voices and soft sounds coming from the television until around eleven thirty when the house is finally quiet. I wait another ten minutes just to be certain, and then I make my way out of my bedroom with my big purse, tiptoeing out the back door. Being outside alone in the darkness would usually terrify me, but I know Verek is just down the street, close enough to hear me if I scream.
I take the long way around through the neighbor’s backyard, not caring if they see me on their security camera, and then finally loop back around to the sidewalk that runs along the front of the houses. Under the streetlight at the corner, I spot Verek straddling his bike. His handsome face is lit up from the screen of the phone he’s holding in his hand.
“Hey,” I call out softly to get his attention.
He looks up and then turns the phone around to light the ground for me. “Hey,” he replies as I approach. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“Absolutely,” I tell him. “I know Roman thinks it would be traumatic for me to go through with this, but what they did to me was the traumatic part. Seeing them die will be therapeutic.”