Her Dangerous Revenge

CHAPTER 70

Still working quickly, she scrolled through Stephanie's recent

messages. Her eyes narrowed after a few seconds passed.

"What?" Cooper demanded.

"I was wondering how Mike found out." Calla showed him

Stephanie's phone. "Guess we have our answer."

"What?" Vincent asked, his eyes still fixed on his target across the

gym. "Keep me in the loop, please."

"Ouch. Man. That's rough." Cooper shook his head. "Steph sent

Mike the picture."

"For real?" Vincent made a disapproving noise. "Snitch."

Cooper rolled his eyes. "You would think that."

"I'm just saying. Snitches get stitches," he mumbled under his

breath.

And busted lips, Cooper thought. I guess we know why the twins got

into it. And why Mike called it quits.

"You don't think..." Cooper hesitated, desperate for any answer that

might point the blame away from Ryan. "You think Mike took things

too far?"

He gestured, indicating the unfolding chaos.

"The guy was probably pissed. But that doesn't mean he killed

Jess, for crying out loud," Vincent whispered, glancing over at the

group of freshmen still gathered in a vague cluster several yards

away. "I mean, who actually liked Jess? I know that's kinda fucked

'cause she's dead and everything—"

"You're right," Calla admitted, as if reluctant to agree. Even though

Cooper knew she would have happily lopped Jessica's head off

herself, if she'd only been given the chance. "Jess wasn't a very

likable person. She pissed off a lot of people."

Like Ryan, her eyes seemed to say. Cooper felt a jolt of dread as

he realized they were right. Ryan and Jess had almost been to

blows in that movie theater. Could the guy really hold a grudge for

that long?

Calla either couldn't sense his inner turmoil, or she didn't care. She

held out the phone again. He wrinkled his nose at the kissing

couple.

"Yikes." Cooper glanced at Vincent. The image of Vincent and

Astrid beneath the fieldhouse bleachers was unmistakable. "She's

got dirt on you, too."

"What?" Vincent tore his eyes from Stephanie. "Give me that."

"Ah-ah." Calla held the phone out of his reach. "Just look ."

He did so with narrow eyes, his face turning a dangerous shade of

purple.

"That..." He fought for the right insult. Apparently, there wasn't one

that could appropriately describe the town gossip.

"Sahein take that, too?" he asked, patting Vincent's arm.

"He did." Calla had already exited out of the image. "I guess she

just took the story and ran with it all the way to Gareth."

She swiped through the rest of Sahein's album, lingering on an

image of Cooper shoved against his locker, Jacob Stein's fist

twisted in the folds of his shirt. The reminder of the brutal beating

did little to calm his nerves. He tried to keep up as she flipped

through one picture and then the next, her eyes scanning the

screen with a speed that was hard to follow. She paused only

twice more. Once, on a close-up on Vincent kissing Calla's hand in

a crowded hallway. And again on a grainier image, a dark figure

retreating up a familiar staircase.

That was from the night of the Halloween party, he thought, a

growing sense of alarm blooming in his stomach. That didn't look

like Calla. They looked bigger.

And then, without warning, Calla swiped out of the camera roll and

locked Stephanie's phone, returning it to the spot on the bench

beside her. A moment later, Cooper understood why. Light

footsteps vibrated the stands and then Stephanie appeared,

slumping back down beside Calla. "That was exhausting."

"Vincent Townson!" Deputy Pendowski was back. He stared up at

them, tired. "Could you come down here for a moment?"

Vincent sighed, throwing a look back over his shoulder as he

hurried down the bleachers, hands shoved in the pockets of his

gym shorts. Cooper watched him go, his stomach twisting into

knots.