Page 232 of Revenge Reads Better

Andre glares at her, his jaw working as though he’s deciding whether to argue, but eventually he turns away and resumes dragging Kayla toward the patrol car parked along the edge of the square.

I watch helplessly as she struggles to keep up with him, tears streaming down her cheeks while Betty and Bill hurry after their daughter. Betty is crying too, calling Kayla’s name over and over, but her daughter doesn’t seem to hear her anymore. I’m not sure she ever could.

Andre shoves Kayla into his patrol car and drives her away.

The silence she leaves behind is somehow worse than the screaming and wails.

I stand there for a moment, trying to make sense of everything she said, until the sound of hushed conversations begins to rise around me. Only then do I realize everyone is still staring at me.

Some look horrified. Others openly suspicious. A few are whispering behind their hands, their eyes darting toward me as though they’re afraid I’ll somehow hear what they’re saying.

Ah… there’s nothing quite like returning to your hometown to discover half the people hate you and the other half think you’re a murderer.

Ten years ago, these people watched while the Reds made my life a living hell, and now they’re standing here looking at me as though I’m the monster.

I want to scream at them. Tell them they’re all fucking wrong. That I had nothing to do with any of these deaths, regardless of what Kayla or Chief Neptune might think.

But what good would that do?

They’ve already made up their minds.

Hell, they made up their minds about me years ago, labeling me a slut, a homewrecker, and a thief. Why not add murderer to the list while they’re at it?

No skin off their backs. Only mine.

Fairhope hasn’t changed. It still remembers the girl I used to be. I’m beginning to think someone wants to punish me for surviving her.

“Ready to leave now?” Sienna asks, taking in the same accusing looks I am.

“Honestly? I think I’m done. I’m done with all of it. I’m going home.”

“Home?” She turns to me, looking appalled. “What do you mean, home? You don’t honestly mean New York, do you?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. I’m done with this place and these people. No matter how bright and shiny Fairhope might look from the outside, it’s still rotten to its fucking core. And I’ve had enough. I’ve had enough of the accusations, the dirty looks, and being blamed for every goddamn thing that goes wrong in this town.” My voice cracks despite my best efforts to keep it together. “I can’t do this anymore, Sienna. I just can’t.”

I’m already bracing myself for Sienna to try to persuade me to stay. But when she doesn’t utter a single word, all I can do is stare at her.

“You look confused,” she says evenly, after a long pause.

“I kind of am. I was sure you were going to try to talk me out of it.”

“I could do that, sure.” She nods thoughtfully. “Or I could do you one better.”

“What?”

I furrow my brows just as she places her hands on my shoulders and turns me toward the podium. Peyton is standing beside it, visibly disgruntled as she berates Chief Neptune for his apparent incompetence in keeping her precious memorial from going as smoothly as she’d planned.

“You were right about something earlier,” Sienna whispers in my ear. “There is another motive for murder that can outweigh revenge.”

“What’s that?”

“Money. Lots and lots of money.”

I swallow dryly, my gaze never leaving Peyton’s furious scowl as she continues barking orders at the chief.

“You heard what Kayla said. Everyone got rich after the mill burned to the ground. Crowley Industries paid a pretty penny to the families who lost loved ones, not to mention the obscene amount of money they poured into rebuilding this town and turning it into the picture-perfect little tourist trap it is today.”

“Okay, but what does any of that have to do with the murders?”