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I tappedmy fingers on the steering wheel of my Escalade, impatiently waiting for West to come out of the house. The passenger door swung open, and I scowled when River sat in my car like he had every right.
“Get the fuck out,” I growled as he buckled his seatbelt. “You aren’t coming with us.”
He glanced at me, looking as annoyed as I was. “Did you not check your phone? Richard said he texted you.”
Yanking my phone out of the cupholder, I read my dad’s message.
Richard: River is going with you. You three need to start working together. Do not disappoint me.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, tossing my phone back down. “Where’s West?”
“He’s not coming.”
I opened my mouth to argue until I realized why he was staying. River and I wouldn’t get back until after family dinner. One of us had to stay so Kat wasn’t alone with William. Or Richard. They both seemed to have it out for her. Without a word, I started the car and pulled onto the road. This was going to be a long three-hour drive to Detroit.
“Aren’t you worried?” River asked, reaching for the radio before I slapped his hand away.
“About what?”
“West and Kat. Alone all day…” River drifted off as I denied his second attempt at touching my music.
In all honesty, I expected a text from West stating that exact thing. I guessed it all depended on how much Kat wanted to cause trouble while we were gone. She’d been keeping her distance all week, ever since she’d held a knife to my throat. And we’d been leaving her alone. For now. I wanted to know where the hell she learned to handle a knife. And why.
“I think the thought of them bothers you more than it does me.” I smacked his hand for the third time. “I’m going to shove you out of the car if you try to change my song again.”
“I think that’s bullshit,” he muttered. “The thought bothers you too.”
“We talked to Kat,” I shot him a smirk, “and told her how it wouldn’t bother us.”
River frowned as he glanced at me. “What does that mean?”
“We told her we wouldn’t let a girl get between us.” I paused for a long moment, feeling his glare burning a hole in the side of my head. “By sharing.”
My rock song played for a straight minute before he burst out laughing. “She would bite off your dick before she fucked you.”
His words didn’t match the rage he was attempting to cover up. I’d gotten to him more than he’d ever admit. We drove in silence for a while until River spoke up again.
“How’s your nose?”
I ignored him, keeping my eyes on the road.
He chuckled. “Come on, Eli. Admit it. You were impressed that she got you on your ass.”
Impressed. Shocked. Pissed. Turned the fuck on. The fact that she held a blade to my throat with no hesitation proved she could hold her own in this world as much as the rest of us. And it also proved I’d severely underestimated her. She had always been strong, but this was different.
I changed the subject. “I better not find out that you had anything to do with my locker being searched.”
“Believe me, if I wanted to fuck you over, I wouldn’t be sneaky about it.”
“You’re right. The way you fucked West and me over wasn’t quiet.”
He didn’t answer, letting the tension of our conversation build. I turned the music louder, drowning out my thoughts and ignoring the asshole in my car. All we had to do was get this business done in Detroit without killing each other.
* * *
“I need you to drop me off a few streets over.”
I looked at River after parking on the street. “The meeting is here.”
