Beyond Vengeance: Pacific Prep #3

by R. A. Smyth

  Emilia chooses that moment to come bouncing over. “Doesn’t she look amazing? She’ll have no issues fitting in with you pompous pricks.”

  Hawk’s eyebrows climb up his forehead, and he stares slack-jawed at Emilia as another—more genuine—laugh bursts out of me. I don’t think he’s ever heard her talk so condescendingly about the Princes, or the upper class in general, but I love the fact she’s no longer afraid to be herself around them. I don’t know if she thinks she has immunity against their tyrannical ways because of who I am now, or because I’m basically dating two of them, but whatever the reason, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut a bitch—even if that bitch is Hawk—if they tried to put her in her place.

  “Have fun tonight, kids,” she chuckles, turning toward me with a large smile on her face that’s totally out of place, considering the tension in the air and the nerves still somersaulting in my stomach. “Remember, you’re a badass bitch, and the Davenports can go fuck themselves if they don’t see how great you are.” Still with that blinding smile in place, she glances at Hawk, before tacking on in a sickly-sweet voice, “No offense, Hawk.”

  Hawk continues to stare at her quizzically, likely trying to work out what the fuck is happening right now, as I bite my lip to stifle my laugh. Kissing me on the cheek, Emilia skips past him and down the hall to her room.

  “Is there something wrong with her?” he asks, eventually finding his words.

  “No, you asshole.” I shove him in the shoulder as I close the door behind me, the two of us making our way down the hall.

  “Then she must have a death wish.”

  I yank on the sleeve of his jacket, bringing him to a stop.

  “If you do anything to her, I will become your worst living nightmare,” I threaten in a deadly tone. “You think getting throat punched was bad? Touch her, and I’ll slice open your stomach and use your intestines as a noose to hang you with.”

  “Fucking hell, Hadley.” He rolls his eyes like I’m being melodramatic, unfazed by my very serious threat as he tugs me into motion again. “I’m not going to do anything to her. I’m just not used to anyone being so uncaring if they piss me off.”

  “I don’t care if I piss you off.”

  “Yeah, and you’re the first person to be so cavalier with their life.”

  Eh. What’s life, if not odd moments of peace between staring death in the face and giving it a big, old fuck you.

  Stepping outside the dorms, the light breeze blows my hair back out of my face as we walk along the path. “You realize they all just bitch about you behind your backs anyway, right?”

  Hawk’s eyes narrow, and he gives a lethal glare to some random student walking in the opposite direction, making them whimper as they pick up their pace, practically running to get away from him. “They better not be,” he snarls, making me roll my eyes. We reach the car, both of us hopping in and leaving the school behind as we drive toward the Davenports’ mansion.

  By the time we arrive, the party is in full swing. People are milling about everywhere, drinking expensive champagne and pretending to give a shit as they listen to each other droll on about their pathetic little lives.

  I recognize a lot of the kids from school as they gather in groups and traipse around with their parents. It looks like just about everyone the Davenports know or have ever talked to has been invited, and nerves do a jig in my stomach as Hawk and I make our way across the foyer.

  We’re barely across the hall when I feel eyes boring into me, and I turn my head to find Lawrence’s menacing gaze watching me intently. He looks more haggard than the last time I saw him, in the headmaster’s office. Good. It serves him fucking right.

  Despite the fact the last time I was in the same room as him, I was on my knees, having reverted back into the scared child I used to be as he shoved his dick in my mouth, I straighten my spine as my eyes meet his, staring defiantly back at him and refusing to let him make me cower this time.

  It’s easy when there’s other people around and I know he can’t do anything to me, but when he had me cornered, alone in that office, it was just like every other time I’m around him. I felt scared and helpless, frozen in terror. It doesn’t matter that I’m a big, bad, assassin bitch. When he’s around, I’m nothing more than a scared kid, willing to do anything to avoid his punishments. But I’ve made a stand against him now. I’ve moved my chess piece, and while I may not have him in checkmate yet, based on the daggers he’s throwing my way, I’ve definitely made the game more difficult for him to win. I smirk before dismissing him, something that I know will piss him off. The arrogant asswad always did love it when all my attention was focused on him.

  Walking beside Hawk through the crowd, I spot the guys interspersed around the room, stuck in various conversations. West catches sight of me from across the room as I walk by, throwing me a dirty smirk before responding to whoever he’s talking to.

  Beck is standing nearby, and his eyes trail me across the crowded room as he absently nods his head at whatever the person he’s engaged in conversation with says, his intense gaze heating my skin. The lighting in the room emphasizes just how tired he looks, the bags under his eyes worryingly dark. I’m becoming increasingly concerned about him. The light in his eyes isn’t as bright as it was when I first met him, and it doesn’t look as though he’s sleeping much, if at all.

  “We should find our parents,” Hawk murmurs in my ear, pulling my focus back to the room. His eyes dart around the crowd as he searches for them, so he misses the way my face scrunches at his words. Our parents. I’m never going to get used to that.

  Giving Beck a soft smile, I tear my eyes away from him as Hawk and I continue pushing our way through the partygoers. Hawk is stopped several times by men who shake his hand and look keen to engage him in conversation before he politely blows them off, and women who eye him up like a piece of meat. All of them quickly dismiss me. Currently, I’m a nobody to them. I can’t do anything which would benefit them, so in their eyes, I’m not worthy of their precious time.

  Spotting our parents—cringe—we make our way toward them. Maria Davenport notices us first, her shoulders sagging in relief as she waves us over, scowling at Hawk.

  “There you are,” she chastises. “It’s about time you showed up.” Barely sparing us a glance, she gains her husband's attention. “Barton, they’re here. Let’s get this started.”

  Get what started?

  Before I can ask, Barton excuses himself from his conversation with some random old dude and nods his head at his wife, taking off toward the front of the room as Maria follows dutifully behind him.

  Hawk tugs on my arm in a clear indication that we’re to follow, and my legs become heavier with every step I take, until it feels like I’m trudging through marshland.

  My hand squeezes Hawk’s upper arm, my fingernails digging into his suit jacket. My grip is so tight I’m sure it must be painful, but he doesn’t shrug me off, his face impassive as we reach the front of the room.

  Barton coughs loudly, tapping the side of his glass with a butterknife—where the hell did he get that from?—until the rest of the room quiets down, conversations coming to a halt as everyone turns to look at him—at us.

  “Thank you all for coming tonight,” he begins when he’s got everyone's attention. “We’ve gathered you all here to share some special news with you.”

  It would be impossible to tell from his blank expression—that is creepily similar to Hawk’s—whether or not the ‘special news’ of the return of his long-lost daughter is good or bad. Does he even give a shit that I’m alive and well? He hasn’t spared me a glance, never mind a kind word, so I’ve no idea.

  “Fifteen years ago, our family was struck by a terrible tragedy,” he begins, pausing dramatically as a few people whisper and gasp in surprise. “Not many people know that when Hawk was born, Maria also gave birth to a baby girl. She was stolen from us, and although we have dedicated extensive resources in the hopes of finding her, we feared the
worst.”

  What the fuck is this shit he’s spouting?

  I glance at Hawk out of the corner of my eye, giving him a ‘what the fuck’ look, which he returns with a roll of his eyes, clearly used to his parents spinning stories to suit their own agenda.

  “But we are over the moon to have finally found her, and tonight, I’d like to introduce you all to our daughter, Elizabeth Davenport.”

  They make it sound like they were the ones to find me and not the other way around. I don’t, for one second, believe they’ve put any time or money into looking for me. I’ve been right under their fucking noses all these years, trapped inside the confines of their own goddamn organization.

  Lawrence made sure to hide me away on the rare occasion the other benefactors—which I now know are our parents—came to the compound, but even so. Surely, I should have been easy enough to find?

  My father holds out his arm, pointing me out to the gathered crowd, and suddenly all eyes are on me as whispers break out around the room. My cheeks stain red under their scrutiny, and I self-consciously press my shoulder against Hawk’s, as if he can somehow hide me from these money-hungry gawkers that are eyeing me up as if I’m a weak link in the Davenport stronghold that they could manipulate their way through.

  Men step forward to shake hands with Barton, congratulating him, like he fucking achieved something.

  “Come.” Maria’s sharp tone snaps my attention in her direction, where she’s got a forced smile on her face. It’s painfully fake, only further emphasizing this is all a sham and there’s no real happy family reunion in my future. “There are people we need to introduce you to.”

  As she strides forward, her eyes focused on whatever rich dickhead she feels the need to force on me, Hawk moves to follow after her, obviously more used to blindly obeying her orders at these things.

  “Hawk, dear, you’re not needed. Why don’t you go mingle with the other guests.”

  Hawk’s lips flatten, the only tell that he’s not happy with that order, but he reluctantly nods his head before pinning me with a look, telling me with his eyes to behave.

  What does he think I’m going to do? Cause a scene? I would never! It’s just not in my nature to do such a thing.

  I watch him disappear into the crowd before reluctantly chasing after Maria, nerves fluttering in my chest. She drags me around the party, introducing me to people whose names I immediately forget, but by the fifth introduction, I’ve noticed a trend. All of the couples I’ve met have entitled looking fuckers as sons, all of whom seem to be in and around my age.

  As we walk away from yet another couple whose names I don’t care to remember, I blurt out, “I have to go to the bathroom.” I’ve had enough of being paraded around like I’m a new piece of art they’ve acquired. I can feel a headache forming behind my eyes, and I’m so beyond done with all the fake happy family bullshit for one night. If I have to hear this bitch tell one more person how fucking happy she is to have her daughter back home, even though she hasn’t talked directly to me all night, except to order me around, I’m going to lose my ever-loving shit.

  Her face tightens in disapproval, like I’m being rude, but what does she expect me to do? If I have to piss, I have to piss.

  “Fine,” she relents. “But hurry back, there’s a lot of other people you have to meet tonight.”

  Yeah, that shit ain’t happening.

  Turning my back on her, I shove my way through the crowd, feeling everyone gawking at me as I go. I don’t even know where the fuck I’m going; I just know I need to get out of here.

  Chapter 4

  Mason must catch sight of the murderous look on my face as I push my way through the gawking crowd, desperate to get away from them all before I snap and do something I’ll regret. Like a fucking white knight, he comes striding through the crowd toward me. “Follow me,” he murmurs quietly before taking off again, leaving me confused as I trail after him.

  He walks purposefully through several rooms filled with guests, his stony expression enough to deter anyone who looks as though they’re about to approach him, until we reach a door that leads outside. Once we’re alone, he slows down, waiting for me to catch up.

  “You looked like you needed a break.”

  “Yeah, you could say that. I don’t know what I expected, but this was not it. I’m pretty sure my mother was just trying to pimp me out.”

  “Oh yeah.” He chuckles, like it’s no big deal. “I guarantee you she was.”

  My face scrunches. Having him confirm my suspicions only makes me feel worse. Nothing about tonight was designed to reunite us as a family or get to know me. It was all a publicity stunt, so they could turn my arrival into something they could use to elevate themselves.

  “Where are we going?” I ask, changing the subject before I can get myself even more worked up about the whole thing. I’m not even sure if I’m hurt, disappointed, or just pissed off. A mixture of all three, probably.

  “The pool house. It’s where we go when we need a break from everything in there,” he explains, gesturing toward the party we left behind.

  Circling around the side of the house, we skirt around a large pool before coming upon the pool house. The door is unlocked and we let ourselves in. Mason flicks on a lamp which provides a dim glow, showing a large room with a wide screen TV, several sofas and chairs, and a small kitchenette.

  The place is empty, and Mason pulls me toward the nearest sofa, dropping onto it and dragging me onto his lap.

  “Don’t let them get to you. It’s the same with all of our families. Everything is about presentation. It’s all a show for other people. None of them give a fuck about us, beyond what they can use us for.”

  “What is it they want?”

  “Dutiful children that will continue on their legacy and marry into the right families, thereby boosting their status and financial earnings,” he cites off, as though someone has repeatedly explained to him his purpose in life.

  His eyes meet mine, the trapped look in them flooring me. “They’ll do anything to ensure they get what they want. Remember that.”

  I watch him closely, noticing the shadows clinging to him in much the same way they did when I saw him with his father at Hawk’s birthday party. Something about being in that man's presence brings Mason’s darkness to the surface, and seeing him so depressed doesn’t sit well with me. He’s always quiet and subdued, his features carefully kept blank when he’s around others, but there’s a whole other side to Mason Hayes that the world is missing out on. Despite whatever abuse he’s experienced in the past, he’s got a big heart, and a wickedly dry sense of humor.

  Wanting to help quiet his demons, I run my fingers through his dark hair, brushing the strands back from his face. “It was your parents, right?” I don’t need to elaborate any more than that. His eyes are shrouded in misery as his hold tightens around me.

  “Yeah, Little Warrior.” His words are a soft sigh, filled with sadness.

  I lean in against his chest, breathing him in and hoping my presence can lift some of his emotional baggage. “Parents aren’t supposed to treat their kids that way.” It baffles me how people can do that to their own flesh and blood. How can anyone be so callous? I would make sure my kids knew they were loved and cherished every moment of every day. I’d go to the ends of the earth to protect them, and personally castrate anyone that so much as thought about causing them harm.

  “No, they aren’t, but who’s going to stop them?”

  His dejected tone has anger burning in my gut. How dare his parents try to destroy this giant marshmallow of a man.

  Vengeance has flowed through my veins for so long now. It’s an integral part of who I am. For years, my goal has been to get back at the people who have wronged me, the people that killed the only friend I had growing up. Mason’s parents, as are all of ours, have since been added to that list, but seeing how much they tried to beat down their son and turn him into what they wanted, has me fighting the urge to t
rack them down and eviscerate them.

  We sit in silence for a moment, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

  “I used to pretend I had a family out there,” I tell him, my words barely audible. “Parents who wanted me, who missed me, whose lives had been completely upturned in their search to find me. I used to picture how it would all unfold if we were reunited. It definitely wasn’t anything like the reality is turning out to be.”

  Mason’s eyes roam over my face, and I wish I knew what he was thinking when he looks at me so intently, as if he’s trying to read everything there is to know about me.

  “Where were you all these years? We know you weren’t in foster care. West checked into the fake background you gave the school and he couldn’t find anything about you. It’s like you didn’t exist until you showed up at Pac.”

  “I didn’t.” At least, that’s how it feels. My life didn’t really begin until I got my fake ID and escaped the compound. “I was trapped in my own personal hell, and I didn’t know how to escape it. I didn’t think I could. It was only when I found out about Cam that I felt like I had the power to fight back against Lawrence. Against all of them.”

  Finding out about Cam changed everything. I was falling down a dark hole of accepting my bleak fate, unable to see any way out of my cemented future. Before that day, I knew nothing about Lawrence. Not his name, who he was, or what he had to do with the mercenary organization I had somehow become a part of. Just knowing that one little thing about him gave me the strength to stop accepting the shitty hand I’d been dealt in life. All of a sudden, I didn’t feel so helpless. It wasn’t much to work with, but it was more than I’d known before, and I was desperate to find out everything I could about Cam and his family.

  His eyes eat me up as they slowly climb up my slim frame. He always gets a carnal look in his eyes when he sees me dressed up in whatever outfit he brought—usually some sort of form-fitting dress that highlights my newly developed curves, and pushes up my perky breasts.