Free Revenge by Meli Raine Page A

of it. I want to hear you scream my name like you did last night.” And with that, he comes back, gives me a quick, hard kiss and storms out, leaving me breathless and aroused.  
    My thighs tingle .
    Maybe I should have jump ed in the shower with him, after all.
    My turn to growl.
    With a deep sigh, I walk into the tiny bathroom. The shower is about three feet by three feet. He wasn’t kidding when he said there m ight be room for two.
    Might .
    As I get under the hot water, the first wave of unreality really hits me. The water washes away the evidence of last night and this morning. I’m not a virgin any more. I slept with Mark. We made love—twice!—and I feel transformed.
    It’s as if there has been this secret dimension right in front of my face all these years. One I never knew existed. A grounded feeling fills me. I’m warm and calm. I shouldn’t be. Amy’s been kidnapped. My dad was framed and died in prison. I’ve come home to a giant mess.  
    And yet I am calm. Focused.
    Happy?
    I thought it would take years and years to finally be able to say that. I’m happy. I’m happy right now, even i n the face of so much tragedy.
    Weeds can grow and flower in a tiny crack in the sidewalk. I guess I can find a tiny sliver of happiness in the middle of so much pain.

Chapter Ten
    As I head out of Mark’s cottage, I lock his front door. My backpack is heavy on my shoulder. I turn around and wham — I run smack into Elaine and Brian’s oldest son, Daniel.
    “Carrie!” he says, shocked to see me slipping out of Mark’s place. His face goes from surprise d to cunning. He looks at my wet hair and guilty face and knows the drill. “You and Mark? Together again?”
    “What, you haven’t heard?” I pretend to be more jaded than I really am. “Your mom found out this morning. I figured half the town knew by now. She just found out an hour ago. Her gossip powers must be fading. ”
    He snorts. “Actually, she’s why I’m here. She wanted me to check up on you.” Daniel uses finger quotes for the words check up .
    “Seriously?”
    “It’s my mom. What did you expect? She’s probably planning which scent to use for the birdseed for your wedding by now.”
    We share a quick hug. Growing up, we were buddies. For a short time, I had a crush on him. Later, he had a crush on me. Now, we’re just friends. Daniel looks like Brian, all burly and blonde . We stopped hanging out on the same circles by our junio r year of high school. He went for vocational school and I was in the academic track. There’s no bad blood between us.
    We just grew up and grew along different paths.
    “How’s your first week home?” he asks. I know he’s just being polite. Making small talk.  
    “Uneventful,” I deadpan.
    He winces. “Oh. Yeah. Amy . Mom’s trying to help Minnie but...sheesh. What a fuckin’ mess.”
    I don’t know whether I can say anything about the body the police just found. I just nod and try to fight the giant balloon of tears that’s swe l ling inside every cell of my body. Daniel’s a good guy. He looks down and kicks the dirt at his feet, suddenly uncomfortable.  
    I wipe a stray tear from my eye with the butt of my hand. “It’s okay. I mean, no, it’s not okay. Amy’s kidnapped and no one knows where she is and who knows if she’s hurt or dead or...” I burst into tears, the emotion like having a door smack shut by a surprise gust of wind.
    Daniel looks alarmed. “Uh, do you want me to text my mom? Because she might be good with this.” He reaches out and p ats my shoulder like he’s petting a robot dog.
    I laugh through my tears. Daniel was never good with emotions. Cars? Sure. People?
    No.
    “ I’m fine,” I say, sniffling.  
    “Sure you are.”
    I give him a weak smile and he grins back. For a second, he reminds me of Mark. A less comfortable, quieter version of Mark.  
    Mark. Mark’s hands on me, inside me, the rhythm of our sex like the tickling of love’s timeless