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River
By closing time, I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open, and even though I wouldn’t say I was in pain, I was more than a little uncomfortable.
Fighting a yawn, I went through my normal routine to make sure everything was in order and ready to go for the next day before grabbing my things.
“Babe,” I called out as I walked back to his room where he was finishing up the last of his appointments. He’d canceled the ones from the day before, and he’d had me squeeze some of them in between his clients for that day, so he was still working. “I’m on my way out. Do you need anything before I go?”
He lifted his gaze from the scripture he was doing on the older biker’s back. “I’m good,” he said as his gray eyes skimmed over me lovingly. “I’ll finish locking up. Just be careful driving home, baby.”
I crossed the few feet separating us and kissed him, glad that we didn’t have to hide our relationship from anyone now. “Love you.”
He grabbed my ass with one hand, giving it a squeeze before reluctantly releasing me. “Love you, River. So fucking much.”
I kissed the tip of his nose, told the biker goodnight, and then headed for the back door. As I headed for my cousin’s car, I couldn’t help glancing toward the woods. But like earlier, I didn’t see any sign of anyone.
Back at the apartment, I took a shower and then climbed into bed. As I did, my gaze landed on the bottle of pain medication, but I quickly turned my back on it. Now that I was off my feet, my discomfort was mostly gone. Making sure my alarm was set for the next day so I could get to school on time, I snuggled under the covers and was asleep within seconds.
The feel of Maverick pulling me into his arms made me smile, and I snuggled closer before drifting back to sleep as he kissed the top of my head and whispered he loved me. When the alarm went off, I was so comfortable I debated taking another day off, but I was already three days behind on everything.
Carefully, I untangled myself from Maverick’s hold and went into the bathroom to get ready. My mom had dropped off a box of my things at the shop the night before, and I found it in the living room where Maverick must have set it when he came in the night before.
My phone buzzed on my way out the door, and I looked down to find a text.
Nova: Can you give me a ride home after school? I’m staying over to help tutor some of the high school kids.
I shot her a reply, promising her I could. Nova was practically fluent in both Italian and Russian, but she had taken some of the other language classes the school offered. With our town so small, it wasn’t all that much, but she seemed to enjoy American Sign Language and Spanish classes. She was only a seventh grader, still in middle school, but she was better than some of the teachers and had started tutoring several of the high school kids for extra cash.
As expected, I had a load of homework for each of my classes that I needed to get finished, as well as study for an exam I would have to make up on Monday. My backpack was straining at the seams as I crammed all my books into it at the end of the day. The damn thing was heavy, and I knew I shouldn’t be lifting so much weight. The doctor had said I wasn’t supposed to lift anything heavier than ten pounds, but my backpack was at least twenty.
Knowing Maverick would blow a gasket if he found out I wasn’t following doctor’s orders, I glanced around to see if Nova was ready to go. She knew where my locker was, and she normally met me there when I gave her rides. Which was at least once a week. Garett had his own car, but he was usually out the door as soon as the final bell rang. Sometimes before the last class even started.
The school was empty except for a few teachers who were packing up to go home, the custodian who was already sweeping the halls, and students who needed extra help. From the looks and sound of how deserted the place seemed, I was sure the kids Nova was tutoring were already gone.
Leaving my backpack on the floor, I closed my locker and started for the library where Nova usually tutored. Most of them had study hall the last period, and Nova got extra credit in her language classes for helping. With the middle school right across the road from the high school, she didn’t have to walk far, and all the teachers trusted her, so they didn’t try to micromanage her.
The library was on the other side of the building from the senior lockers, so it was a bit of a walk before I reached it. Pulling out my phone, I texted Maverick to let him know I might be late opening the shop as I pushed open the door to the library.
Just as I hit send, I heard a crash that was so loud it startled me, and I dropped my phone. Cursing, I bent to pick it up even as I glanced around to see where the noise came from.
My mouth fell open as I stared at the mess that had once been the library.
There were bookshelves turned over, papers still in the air as they floated slowly toward the ground. Tables were overturned and broken chairs scattered around. But it was the two guys lying on the floor, both of them bleeding out onto the worn, decades-old carpet that had me gulping in fear. One of them had a knife sticking out of the side of his neck, while the other was lying at an angle that didn’t look humanly possible—unless he was dead.
Nova stood in the middle of it, her blond hair in a tangled mess around her face. Blood was splattered over her shirt and pouring down her arm, dripping into a small puddle at her feet. Her bottom lip was swollen and split, as if someone had hit her, and there were angry red marks on her throat and arms that looked like fingerprints. She was breathing heavily as she stared wide-eyed around at the mess.
“N-Nova?” I whispered her name as I slowly straightened, afraid of startling her. “Sweetie, are you…okay?”
Her green eyes jerked to mine, and her face paled. “I… Um… They attacked me.”
My gaze fell on the two men lying lifelessly on the floor in their own blood. “I can see that. Did you…do this?” I don’t know why I was still whispering, or why I’d just asked such a stupid question. How could my tiny baby cousin have taken on two grown men, let alone killed them? “Ah, fuck, Nova. Is there someone else in here?” I rushed to her, my instincts revving to protect her.
Her eyes skirted around the room wildly, as if she were looking for any other dangers. “No, I don’t think so. It was just them.” Her breathing was starting to even out. “I-I have to call Ryan. That…” She pointed to the guy with the knife sticking out of his neck. “That guy works for Matias Ramirez.”
“Who?” I muttered, but she was already looking for her phone. When she spotted it, she walked over to pick it up, but as she turned it over, I saw the screen was cracked. “Forget about calling Ryan. We need to call Ben.”
She shrugged, then winced. “Go ahead. I have to tell Ryan.”
Frustrated with her, I quickly called Ben. He picked up on the third ring, sounding distracted. “Hey, River. I’m in a meeting with the mayor, honey. I’ll call you back—”
