Chapter 5. Small Revenge

Alan

Saturday morning’s meeting hadn’t just gone badly—it had been a complete disaster. Dragging a man out of a warm bed on his day off was never a good idea, no matter how important the issue was. The new employees were turning into one problem after another, and apparently even weekends weren’t off-limits anymore.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, cutting through the mess of thoughts in my head.

"Rinat, did you get her name?" I asked without wasting a second. As if work wasn’t enough of a headache, now I had personal problems too. All because I’d been an idiot who couldn’t keep his hands to himself.

"Alan, come on, we all have... needs. I didn’t sleep at all last night. I sat outside that damn room the whole time—"

"Spare me the details. Just tell me you got her name and address. She told you when you drove her home, didn’t she?" I snapped. I needed to get rid of the guilt that had been hanging over me since morning.

"She took off. The second I stepped away for a minute. Then security came over with some list of the escorts who got into the club last night, and I lost her."

"You’ve got to be kidding me." I shut my eyes for a second and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Then find her. How do you lose one girl? One? Tell security to pull the camera footage. Find her friends. Get me her name and address."

"You disappeared without a word. Maybe now you’ll finally tell me why you care so much?"

"She was a virgin." The words came out flat, like a sentence being handed down. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the ceiling. "I don’t think she belonged there. I think she was just with her friends."

"I think you’re wrong, my friend. I talked to that redhead—Kriss, I think her name was. She said they came to make money. And I paid her in advance, exactly the way she asked. Said it was to 'reserve a spot.'"

"Then find the redhead too. What kind of club lets girls like that in?"

"Then maybe you should explain why your mystery girl walked into the place without an ID. You’d have to be pretty damn sure of yourself to do that."

"She wasn’t drinking. If there had been anything suspicious, the bartender would’ve checked. She didn’t smell like alcohol either." I rubbed a hand over my face. "Doesn’t matter. I’m counting on you. Find her and bring her to me. The last thing I need right now is a scandal—especially when I’m about to announce my engagement."

"We’ll handle it. Your blonde will be delivered to you soon enough."

***

Kriss wasn’t answering her phone, and I had no idea where else to look for her.

The obvious place would’ve been her apartment. She was probably lying in bed with the world’s worst hangover. But she wasn’t there either. According to her bratty little sister, she’d gone to the mall.

By then, the need for revenge had dulled a little. Mostly because I had no clue what I was actually going to do once I found her. I’d stormed out of the house fueled by anger and adrenaline, without thinking any of it through. I probably should’ve stayed home and slept for another few hours. My whole body still hurt after last night.

I wandered past one glossy storefront after another, then stopped in the middle of the mall and swore under my breath. Acting on impulse had been stupid. Kriss would get what she deserved. I just needed to stop charging in blindly.

I was about to leave when I spotted a familiar figure stepping into one of the most expensive boutiques in the entire mall.

For a second, I thought I had to be mistaken. There was no way that was Kriss.

But the closer I got, the more certain I became.

It was her.

And there was no way in hell she could afford anything in a place like that.

So what was she doing there?

I slipped quietly inside and ducked behind a display of shoes, peering around it at my target.

Kristina wandered between the racks of designer clothes like she belonged there, casually flipping through dresses she had no intention of paying for.

"Can I help you?" a woman asked from behind me.

I turned and found myself face-to-face with an impeccably dressed sales associate. Apparently, I didn’t exactly look like I belonged there either. I had no makeup on, my hair was twisted into a messy bun, and I was wearing denim shorts and an old T-shirt.

"I’m fine. Worry about your own customers," I muttered. Too much attention was the last thing I needed.

Meanwhile, Kristina disappeared into a fitting room.

I tried to move closer, but the same saleswoman stepped into my path again.

"This is a luxury boutique, and if you’re not planning to buy anything, I’m going to have to ask you to—"

I yanked the first thing I saw off a rack, shoved it into her arms, then dug a few bills out of my pocket.

"Great. I’m buying it. Now please leave me alone."

The woman pasted on a tight smile and headed toward the register.

The second she was gone, I slipped behind a display of handbags and kept watching.

A minute later, Kriss stepped out of the fitting room in a gorgeous evening dress and slowly turned in front of the mirror.

Well, look at you.

And where exactly do you think you’re going dressed like that?

"Can I help you?"

The question came again.

This time, I lost it.

"If you want to help me get revenge, then sure. Otherwise, stop asking me stupid questions. I’m not buying anything else."

Kriss disappeared back into the fitting room, and I turned toward the latest annoyance.

Then froze.

That wasn’t the same saleswoman.

This time, it was a man.

Tall. Broad shoulders. Ridiculously attractive.

I glanced around to make sure he was actually talking to me.

"You work here?"

"In a manner of speaking." He smiled, and a dimple appeared in his cheek. "Now tell me—what’s all this about revenge?"

"I..." I started, then ducked down when I heard my former friend call for someone from inside the fitting room. "Well... it’s just..."

"Let me guess. That pretty little thing over there did something awful to you?" he asked, leaning casually against the display.

"Something awful?" I let out a bitter laugh. "That’s one way to put it. Because of her, I lost something that meant everything to me. And now I want payback."

"I see." There was something amused in his voice as he glanced toward the fitting room. "You know, you’re too young to spend your life chasing revenge. It never feels as good as people think."

"Maybe not for other people. But for me, it will." My voice came out sharper than I meant it to. "Because otherwise I’ll have to keep pretending I’m okay when I’m not. What she did... I can’t forgive it."

The words spilled out before I could stop them. I didn’t even know why I was telling a complete stranger any of this. Maybe because he didn’t know me. Maybe because there was no risk in it.

"You think it’ll make you feel better?" he asked.

"I know it will."

His eyes sparkled.

Then he crooked a finger at one of the sales associates and leaned down to whisper something in her ear.

She nodded and disappeared into the back.

A few seconds later, he looked at me again.

"I’d be very interested to hear what that girl did to you," he said lightly. "Other than trying to steal several sets of very expensive lingerie from this store."

My mouth dropped open.

Two security guards appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Kristina by the arms, and started dragging her toward the back room.

"You can’t do this! I’m filing a complaint! Let go of me!" she screamed.

Then the door slammed shut behind her.

"Well?" the stranger asked, flashing me a smug smile. "It’s a small start, but it has to feel pretty good, right?"

It felt even better than I’d imagined.

A laugh burst out of me before I could stop it, bright and shaky and completely real. My eyes filled with tears—part relief, part satisfaction.

No, it wasn’t enough to ruin that bitch the way she deserved.

But it was a beginning.