Page 69 of Perfect Vengeance

“Locked in the trunk of the rental,” Anna said as she tugged the thin hospital blanket higher on Kinsey’s torso.

“Jack is letting us give it to the Center.” While they’d waited for Kinsey to be moved to her own room, he’d informed her there was no giving the money back, so it might as well do some good.

“Jack?” Kinsey arched a brow. “How does he know already? Did one of you call him?”

Margo took the cup of ice Kinsey handed her. “He heard about the shooting and tracked us down.”

“He’s here?” This time, both Kinsey’s brows hit her hairline. “At the hospital?”

Gina tipped her head to the door. “He’s out in the hall on the phone.” Probably making arrangements for my jail cell. That was a conversation they still needed to have, and one she dreaded.

Her friends stared at her, the unspoken question written plainly on their faces.

Anna said it first. “What do you think he’ll do to us?”

“Nothing. He won’t do anything to you. I pushed things too far. I’ll take the full hit for this fiasco.” Not only did one of her best friends get seriously injured but she’d obstructed Jack’s case. Again. Only this time she’d done it knowingly and willfully.

Her friends shook their heads at the same time. Margo was the first to speak. “No, Gina. When we signed on for this, we knew there were risks. Those risks always included the possibility we’d be caught one day, either by the people we were stealing from or the law. We’ve had this conversation before. Whatever happens, it happens to all of us.”

Kinsey reached for Gina’s hand. Margo and Anna leaned in to rest theirs on top of Kinsey’s. The gesture was so unbelievably supportive, so painfully poignant, her heart swelled.

“When we have our day in court,” Margo continued, “we’ll tell the absolute truth. We did this for the Center.”

“Exactly,” Anna added. “We’ll tell the judge and jury everything and let the chips fall wherever chips fall.”

“Our motives were pure,” Kinsey said. “That has to count for something.”

Their motives were pure. Hers weren’t. At least not entirely.

Tell them.

A lump bigger than a baseball lodged solidly in her throat. Even if by some miracle she didn’t wind up in jail for the next ten to twenty, after what she was about to confess, they would hate her. They’d never want to see her again, and she would be totally alone in the world. That would be the worst of her punishment.

“I have to tell you something,” she choked out. “I haven’t exactly been honest with you.”

“About what?” Anna narrowed her eyes.

“About my motives for stealing money for the shelter. You already know my mother was a victim of domestic violence. But there’s more.”

Margo canted her head. “We all know someone close to us who was victimized. That’s why we agreed to this in the first place. Isn’t that enough of a reason?”

“For you, yes. For me, there was something else.” She looked at her friends. Here goes. “There’s a reason we’ve stolen only from the Falzones.”

Anna’s brows scrunched. “You told us you happened to know someone on the inside, an informant who fed you information on when and where we could grab some cash.”

“That’s true.” She nodded. “But I didn’t tell you everything. Like how and why I had that informant.” She took another fortifying breath. “My father was a mob bookie. He ran numbers for Franco Falzone and—” A shot of renewed hatred punched her in the gut, and she clenched her hands. “Franco murdered my father.”

Anna gasped. Margo pursed her lips. Only Kinsey’s expression was neutral, probably due to residual effects of the anesthesia.

“When did this happen?” Kinsey asked.

“Fifteen years ago.” Sometimes, it seemed like only yesterday. “He got caught up in an FBI sting. To avoid going to prison, he agreed to wear a wire to get incriminating statements from Franco. Franco found the wire and shot him in the head.” She’d never seen her father’s body, but that’s what she overheard her mother repeating over the phone.

“My god.” Margo’s expression turned sympathetic, which only made Gina more determined to get it all out. “No wonder you’ve been keeping Jack at a distance.”

Exactly. No matter how much the man insinuated himself into her thoughts, a real and lasting relationship with him wasn’t possible. Maybe it was time to tell him everything too. Given his own quest for revenge, wouldn’t he understand her motives?

Anna and Kinsey’s expressions were similarly sympathetic. She didn’t deserve their sympathy. Because there was more to tell.