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“Wait—River. He has my phone.” I waited for West to stop, but he pulled into traffic.
“River can find his own way home.” Eli shrugged like it wasn’t his problem.
West nodded. “He has a gift. He can get people to agree to things. I guess he’s been gone for so long we forgot how fucking good he was at it. We weren’t planning on him coming with us. Longest three-hour drive of my damn life.”
Eli lifted his phone to his ear. “Yeah. We have her. She’ll be on campus by morning.”
I bit my tongue and rested my head against the seat. I didn’t need to ask who he was talking to. The fear I’d lived with during my entire childhood tried creeping up as I imagined what William was thinking about me coming back. I sucked in a long breath and pushed it all away. When I left Braidwood, it was engrained in me that I was born for the sole purpose of obeying.
I vowed I would never end up like my mother. Or my poor little brother. I would do whatever I needed to make sure Braidwood didn’t end up owning my soul. That city couldn’t have it anyway.
I’d already sold it to a higher bidder.
CHAPTERSIX
“Motherfucking assholes,”I muttered under my breath. I really should have expected them to pull some shit like that. Now I had to wait until my family’s car got here. For three damn hours.
I sat in Kat’s apartment, watching the guy start to stir. He was going to have a massive migraine from West’s knee meeting his head. Leaning forward in my chair, I rested my elbows on my knees. I grinned when Derek’s eyes snapped open. With a groan, he rolled onto his back, not realizing I was here.
“You should have left when we asked you to. You could have avoided all this.”
He jumped to his feet at my words, his eyes still a bit dazed as he stared at me.
“Where’s Katie?”
“She’s going back to where she belongs.”
He frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re not going to see her again. Forget about her.”
His eyes traveled over my expensive tailored suit as he clenched his fists. I kept my relaxed posture, feeling my gun pressing into my lower back. That thing had been my best friend for the past five years, but I wouldn’t need it for him.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” My voice stayed light, but my gaze turned menacing as he took a step toward me.
“Where is she?” he repeated, not heeding my warning. “Your friends left you here. Not much of a threat when there’s only one of you.”
“My mother has a strict dress code for family dinner.” He went tense as I unclasped my cufflinks and rolled up my sleeves. “I might look like some rich prick right now. But if you make the mistake of thinking you can fight me, you’re going to learn quick that I don’t need those two dicks to back me up.”
His eyebrows raised in confusion. “You came with them—”
“I’m being patient,” I cut him off, losing my laid-back attitude. “Get the fuck out of here before you piss me off.”
He didn’t respond as both of our attention went to the front door when it opened. Everly and another girl stumbled through the doorway, giggling. Her friend ran straight to the bathroom, not even noticing us. Everly spotted Derek first.
“Hey. Where’s Katie…” Her voice trailed off when she noticed me sitting on the couch. “River? Is West here?”
“Your cousin already left,” I told her, surprised she recognized me. Before the basketball game three nights ago, I’d only seen her a few times before I left Braidwood.
“Him and two other guys were here when Katie and I got here,” Derek explained, keeping his glare on me. “They knocked me out, and when I woke up, Katie was gone.”
Alcohol invaded my nostrils when Everly got in my face. “What did you do? You three were obsessed with her at the basketball game. She said she wasn’t interested. Leave her alone.”
“Did Katie tell you she was here on borrowed time?” I asked, finally standing from the couch. “And the devil came to collect early.”
“Where did you take her?” Everly shoved me back, the alcohol apparently making her brave. “You’re far away from Braidwood. You can’t do whatever you want here.”
“I haven’t lived there in a long time. I’ve made a lot of new friends.” I grabbed her arms when she tried shoving me again. “But you still know who I am. I’ve been lenient because of who your family is. But I am not your cousin. This is your only warning. Stop trying to fucking attack me.”
