Page 39 of Be My Vengeance

Penn squinted and pursed his lips as if he were trying to figure me out. Then to my surprise, he nodded. “Okay, it’s between you two. But whatever it is, you should make sure you talk with him.”

“That would be great. Could you ask him to come back here?”

“He’s gone. Drove off.”

Fuck. “Where’s my phone?”

“Sorry, no screens. You have a concussion.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “I’m starting to hate you.”

He chuckled. “Nah. Okay, those pills will take effect soon and help with the pain. I’m gonna go. You sleep. I’ll return in an hour to make sure you haven’t died in your sleep.”

“Were you always this dramatic?”

He shrugged. “See you soon.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

Danny

“How in the fuck did I just shout that at him?” Yes, I was sitting on some driftwood by the beach in January, freezing my ass off, screaming at the ocean.

I didn’t know what to do or where to go after I’d blurted out the secret I’d been harboring for years. The only excuse I could come up with was that hearing Alex have no regard for his own life and thinking Mila was the only person in the world who loved him had sent me over the edge.

I dropped my head into my hands. “Just hours ago Penn was telling me to tell Alex, and I was all, ‘Nooooooooooo I couldn’t possibly.’ Instead I yell it at him.” I shook my head.

The sun was just starting to rise on a new day. One where I’d have to face my best friend whom I’d told I loved him by way of verbal assault.

“I’m a fucking idiot.”

He was grieving and carrying so much baggage, he didn’t know where to offload it. And here I was just tossing more onto his back.

“Maybe I should have just punched him; that would have added to the flair of admitting my feelings.”

“Hey, bud, you okay?”

I turned and saw a guy standing there wearing sweats, leading a golden retriever on a leash. His expression was one of concern, and he had his phone out as if he were going to call the police.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just blowing up my life, no big deal.”

He nodded slowly. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, no I assure you, stranger on the beach, it is.”

“Jim.”

“Huh?”

“My name, it’s Jim. You said stranger on the beach. Seemed long winded…you can call me Jim.”

I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, Jim. I’m Danny. I apologize for freaking you and your dog out.”

He brushed off my apology. “No big deal. She and I have been taking our morning walks for years. I’ve seen a lot of shit—a man talking to himself on the beach isn’t the strangest.”

“Well, thanks. You have a good day.”

“You know, whatever it is you did can’t be all that bad.”