Page 1 of Payback

Chapter 1

The limo drove down Pall Mall, an elegant street of historical, stone-fronted buildings, whose lights resembled something from the nineteenth century. Everyone sitting in the back, Duncan included, turned their gazes in my direction.

I supposed it was rash of me to instruct the driver to turn the car around without informing the others, but the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced Rudolph was behind my recent abduction. I just needed Charlotte to confirm it.

“Emilia?” Edward tilted his head to the side. The artificial lights streaming in through the vehicle’s windows made the ends of his mahogany hair shine like rubies. “Anything the matter?”

The limo made a U-turn at the roundabout behind Trafalgar Square, passing the statues of Lord Nelson, the lions, and the fountains. I leaned forward, meeting each of the boys’ eyes.

Henry sat on the far left of the limo, the blue spotlights tinting his blonde curls. He furrowed his brow and leaned forward as though needing to examine my features.

Between him and me sat Blake, who narrowed his chocolate-brown eyes. Perhaps pieces of the puzzle were also coming together for him. Out of everyone in this limo, he knew Charlotte the best, even if it was because he believed in keeping his enemies close.

Edward sat on my left, his hand on mine, lending me his strength. Seeing Mom and discovering that someone had impersonated me all this time had been a shock, but it was nothing compared to the realization that Rudolph had been behind everything that had gone horribly wrong this term.

Duncan pushed his thick glasses up his nose, further magnifying his eyes. “What’s wrong, Hobson?”

“We’re going back for Charlotte,” I said.

Relief crossed his features. “I knew you wouldn’t leave a lady stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

Edward pursed his lips. “A young woman prepared to drug countless others to make them susceptible to a boat-full of boys who have paid for their… attentions is no lady.”

Duncan jerked his head to the side and grimaced. My shoulders sagged. He was probably conflicted. He had recently lost his virginity to Charlotte, securing his loyalty, and even in the face of dozens of sick girls being piled into ambulances, he still cared about her.

“I know what she did was wrong,” he said, “but surely the authorities—”

“Emilia explained it all to the police officers, and they let Charlotte go,” Henry snarled. “Do you call that justice?”

Duncan bowed his head.

“She’s guilty of far more than doctoring cocktails.” I turned my gaze away from the boy and stared out of the window at the Thames.

The limo sped along the embankment. The green and yellow lights of the Royal Festival Hall reflected on its surface. We passed the Oxo Tower, the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, and all manner of major landmarks, but none of that mattered. The realization that Rudolph was far more nefarious than I had thought rang in my ears.

Later, as we passed the Tower of London’s outer walls and approached Tower Bridge, a lone, female figure shambled down the road, sticking out her thumb at oncoming traffic. My nostrils flared, and my lips curled with disgust. If that girl didn’t answer my questions, I would strangle her with my bare hands.

“I’m surprised no one has picked her up by now,” muttered Blake.

“She’s about to wish someone had,” I said through clenched teeth.

The limousine slowed and stopped a few feet ahead of where Charlotte had attempted to hitchhike. She pulled off one of her shoes, hobbled toward us, and opened the door. The roar of a passing motorcycle filled the limo’s interior.

“Oh, haha, everyone.” She climbed in and settled into the leather seat opposite. “Very funny. I knew you’d come back for me.”

From the streaks of faded mascara running down her face, I got the impression she believed she had been stranded. If Mom hadn’t revealed that Rudolph was more calculating and malevolent than I’d originally thought, I would have ordered Charlotte out again.

Instead, I turned to Duncan. “Could you sit in the front, please? I want to speak to Charlotte in private.”

Duncan crossed his arms, lifted his chin, and gave me his most defiant stare. “Why am I the only one who keeps getting banished? You lot abducted me…”

His words trailed off at the sight of Edward brandishing a champagne bottle. “Blackwell,” said Edward. “I suggest you take this and leave.”

Duncan reached across, plucked it out of Edward’s hands, and opened the door, letting in the sound of traffic. “This is the last time I go anywhere with you wankers.”

“What’s going on?” Charlotte’s mascara-streaked face seemed to pale in the light of the limousine’s interior. Her gaze darted from Duncan’s retreating back to Henry.

I folded my arms across my chest and glowered at the girl responsible for my abduction. Partially responsible. A pained grimace crossed her features, and she shifted in her seat. She dipped her head, using her pale auburn hair, dyed to match mine, as some kind of shield.