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“Can’t sleep?”
His quiet voice came from across the room as a chill raced down my spine. My panic calmed a fraction when I realized it was River who was sitting at the desk. He had no reason to hate me. He was the one who’d fucked me over.
“How’d you get in here?” I hissed, my eyes going to the curtains that were still closed.
“Picked the lock on the back door downstairs.” My gaze went to my phone that he was fiddling with as he spoke. “Did you know these two houses share a backyard?”
“That’s great,” I muttered, not leaving the bed. “When did you learn to pick locks?”
He ignored me. “You made sure that the balcony door was locked, but you didn’t lock your bedroom door. Might want to start doing that.”
“Obviously, you’d still be able to get in,” I snarked. “Give me my phone, River.”
“We need to talk first.”
My guard rose. “I don’t want to talk. You helped them bring me back here.”
“They were going to do it anyway.”
“Give me my phone.”
“Not yet.”
He rose from the chair, and I scrambled out of bed to the opposite side of where he moved. I may not have feared him as much as Eli or West, but I didn’t want to be anywhere near him either. His eyebrow arched as his eyes trailed down my body. I gritted my teeth when I realized all I was wearing was a tank top and a pair of panties.
Screw this. I’d just get a new phone. I had the number I needed to call memorized. It was better than dealing with him. He was in the way of the door, but I was closer to the bathroom. I’d wait him out. He couldn’t stay here all day.
“Kat. Just give me a couple minutes to talk,” he tried coaxing me as I inched backward.
“That’s funny.” I scoffed. “I said those exact same words to you five years ago. I’ll give you the same answer you gave me. Fuck you.”
“I didn’t say that—”
“You did,” I snarled, my chest heaving as memories engulfed me. Nope. I was not going down memory lane today. I had too much to deal with. I turned around and raced to the bathroom. I almost made it through the doorway before I was yanked back and shoved into the wall. I flailed against him before he got both of my wrists in his grip. He brought my arms up next to my head, pressing them into the wall as I glared at him.
“West and Eli are going to want to make both of our lives a living hell this year,” he murmured, his usual grin gone from his face. “It would be easier on both of us if we helped each other.”
“I don’t want your help.”
He frowned. “You really think you can take care of yourself against both of them? And dealing with the families again after being gone so long?”
“I don’t trust you, River,” I snapped. “Your words mean nothing to me. And honestly, I think they might hate you even more than they hate me. Which means staying far away from you is the best idea.”
His jaw ticked as his gaze bored into mine. I didn’t know exactly what had happened between the three of them when they were sixteen, but my mom had even mentioned it when I called her. If the families had gotten involved, that meant that whatever had happened was a big fucking deal.
Suddenly, his anger was gone, and his lopsided smile was back in place. Releasing one of my wrists, he ran his fingers through my hair.
“Fine. When you change your mind, you know where I’ll be.”
“I won’t change my mind. Staying away from all three of you is my goal this year.”
He chuckled. “That’s not going to happen, and you know it.”
“Go away, River,” I bit out through clenched teeth.
“Who’s Amanda?”
Fear ripped through me, making my racing heart stutter. “A friend. From my school.”
