Schooled in Revenge (23 page)
She shook her head. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“It’s just…” He paused with a sigh. “I’m no saint.”
“I never asked you to be,” she said. “I just asked you to be honest.”
Jon took a deep breath. “I know. And I want to do that now. It’s long overdue.”
Jon sits in his Pontiac Firebird in a charmingly idyllic suburb of Napa Valley, where even the least decadent of homes dwarfs most real estate in the country. Towering houses define the block; luscious lemon trees line the sidewalks. The streetlamps
are somewhat antiquated, providing subtle ambience. It’s beautiful and quaint.But Jon’s not here by choice.
He’s been camped out for hours, the gun Cain had given him sitting on his lap. It weighs only a few pounds, but somehow it manages to crush every fiber of his being. He looks out the window, spotting a candy-apple-red Mustang, just as Cain described, pulling up in front of a large German Colonial across the street.
Jon’s palms are so sweaty he can barely wrap his hands around the trigger as he lifts the gun.
This is it. Cain needs him to send a message to the girl in the car by putting a bullet in her boyfriend’s back. Jon doesn’t know their names. Didn’t ask. It’s going to be hard enough to do this as it is.
He hears the young couple’s laughter from across the street, although he can’t hear what they’re saying. Jon looks at the gun as it shimmers in the darkness. He’s never shot anyone, doesn’t even like to put mousetraps out in his and Courtney’s apartment.
He looks back at the young couple silhouetted in the car. He can’t do it. The money isn’t worth it, even if it is a cool ten grand.
He’ll give it back. He doesn’t want it.
Jon takes out the disposable he carries for emergencies and complications, both of which Cain doesn’t care for. His hands tremble as he dials Cain’s direct line.
After a few rings, Cain finally answers. “I take it you’re not calling with good news.”
“How do you know that?”
“I’ve been doing this a long time, kid.”
Jon hesitates, looks at the young lovers, embracing against the side of the car. They kiss sweetly before heading inside. It seals the deal for Jon.
“I’m sorry,” he says to Cain. “I can’t do it. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
Cain is unfazed. “I’m not the one you need to apologize to. It’s your fiancée, Courtney,”
Jon grows dim, uneasy. Hearing Cain utter Courtney’s name is the last thing Jon expects.
Or wants.
“How do you know about Courtney?”
“I make it my business to know everything about the people who work for me. For unfortunate times just like these.” He pauses. “It’s Tuesday, right? Courtney stays late at work on Tuesdays. Someone should tell her that shortcut she takes home isn’t very safe. Especially tonight.”
“What are you going to do?” Jon asks, dread flooding his body.
“If you do the job you were hired to do, nothing,” Cain says. “But if you don’t fire that gun within the next twenty minutes, another one will be going off. And it will be aimed at your fiancée. Your choice.”
“I thought I could get to her before they did,” he explained, staring out over the channel. “Turns out, I was wrong.”
Ava didn’t know what to say.
“I know now that I can’t hold on to it—to her—forever. I’m not the one who killed Courtney. They are. I think I’m finally coming to terms with that. It’s time to move on.”
“I’m glad that Cain’s death helped you realize that,” Ava said softly.
“Cain’s death had nothing to do with it,” he said, looking at her.
“Then what?”
“It was you.” He pulled her into his arms. “That kiss on the porch in Napa. The way I couldn’t forget about you even when we were apart. It made me realize that there’s more to life than guilt and anger. Even for someone like me.”
He lowered his face to hers, their lips almost meeting. But now wasn’t the time. The sun was rising.
And they had work to do.
“You ready?” he asked her, the question lingering in the air.
Flashing him a smile, Ava turned, running toward the training grounds. She looked back at him.
“Well? What are you waiting for?”
They fell into line with Reena and Jane. Shay stood in front with Takeda, both men surveying the slightly smaller group, their numbers diminished by one. Ava glanced at Reena, knowing how hard it must be for her friend to be here without Cruz.
Reena met her eyes, understanding moving between them. They were sisters now.
Sisters in revenge.
They might not always see eye to eye, but they would have each other’s backs until the end.
She took Reena’s hand as Jane grabbed hers.
Shay cleared his throat, paving the way for Takeda to speak.
“It is time to continue where we left off. Time to resume your training. Time to take back your lives.”
“And something tells me I think you’ll all be ready this time,” Shay said, his nonchalance undercutting Takeda’s seriousness.
“We are ready, Sensei,” the group said in unison.
“Then the next time you return to the States, you will have greater skill. You will be more capable. You will be fully prepared for revenge.”
His gaze settled on Ava. She was ready. To learn. To prepare. Like Acala, she had burned off her weaknesses. Because when you’ve lost everything, sometimes there is nothing left but revenge.
And the next time Ava Winters returns to Napa Valley, it will be to reclaim her empire.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIn room 402 of the ICU at St. Luke’s Hospital, Courtney lies still in her bed, the flowers on the bedside table wilting. The EKG emits a constant string of steady beeps that offer little more than hope.
Then, abruptly, the beeping grows louder, and Courtney’s eyes open to the dimly lit room. She stares at the ceiling, a look of disbelief on her once-frozen face.
She’s awake. Alive.
Daniella watches from the shadows of the room as Courtney wakes from her extended slumber. Marie’s daughter can’t help but smile. Courtney’s recovery represents yet another way to wreak havoc on the life of the girl who always had everything while Daniella and her mother scraped by, living off Ava’s hand-me-downs and Sylvie’s charity.
Daniella had Ava Winters dethroned once.
And she’ll do anything to keep her from reclaiming the keys to her kingdom.
First and foremost I want to thank Mike Kelley and Melissa Loy for your unwavering support, and for creating a world you so generously allowed me to play in and expand upon. Sunil Nayar and the entire
Revenge
writing staff for your constant encouragement. Andrew Bick for your photography skills. Sonja Wright, thank you for all your help. Everyone at ABC, you have all been beyond gracious and obliging. Laura B. Hopper, thank you for your invaluable guidance. My management team—Zadoc Angell, Matt Horwitz, Dave Brown—along with Lev Ginsberg, for always being in my corner. Thank you to my incredibly loving parents and sister who forever believe in me. Finally, Danielle, my love, your endless strength and support go beyond words.
Jesse Lasky grew up on Long Island, before going to college in upstate New York. After graduation he moved to Manhattan to work on various television and film projects. He currently lives in Los Angeles and works on the writing staff of ABC’s
Revenge.
Revenge © 2013 ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 1500 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the original print edition of this book as follows:
Lasky, Jesse.
Schooled in Revenge / Jesse Lasky—First edition.
pages cm
ISBN 978-1-4013-1110-0
1. Revenge—Fiction. 2. Napa (Calif.)—Fiction. 3. Radio and television novels. I. Revenge (Television program) II. Title.
PS3612.A859S36 2013
813’.6—dc23
2013012432
eBook Edition ISBN: 978-1-4013-0504-8
Cover design by Anton Markous
Cover photograph © plainpicture
First eBook Edition
Original paperback edition printed in the United States of America.