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“No, Angel. I didn't kill him. But I think we both know who did.”
After Riley accused me of coming into her room last night, I was stunned. Couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. It wasn’t me. Then Scar announced someone fell from their window. The same window that’s behind me and boarded up. That’s when I knew. Riley had to have pushed him to protect herself. Maybe she thought it was me, maybe she didn’t. Either way, she’s lying.
Lifting her legs off the ground, she flails and kicks, trying to break free from my hold, but I hug her tighter. “Are you accusing me? I didn’t push him! I didn’t even know who it was.” She’s sobbing now, so I hold her, showing her that I’m here and that she’ll always have me. “Let me go!” she cries, but it’s her hurt lashing out. Her guilt and her pain. She doesn't mean it. She doesn’t really want me to leave.
Instead of letting go, I bury my ear into the nape of her neck and listen to the thumping of her pulse.
A few moments pass and her tired body surrenders as her walls slowly come down.
I slacken my hold a bit, putting a small amount of space between us. “Can we sit now?”
She nods slowly, so I lead her to the bed. We sit down simultaneously and I take her hand in mine. “I don’t blame you for pushing him, Angel. I’m just sorry you had to go through that. I should have been here to protect you. I should have been the one with his blood on my hands.”
Eyes straight ahead, with a look of shock on her face, she says, “I didn’t push him.”
“You were drugged. You don’t remember. No one needs to know but us. The Society will protect—”
“I didn’t push him!” she shouts at the top of her lungs. “Stop trying to make me question myself! Stop planting seeds in my head that won’t grow!”
“Fine.” I stand up. “Then there’s only one thing we can do. We need to find out what he put in your system, so we know what to look for.”
“No,” she snaps back. “I’m not going anywhere with you and I’m not telling anyone about this! Do you have any idea how it would look if it was Zeke who came in here? They’ll think I killed him. I’ll be banished. My life will be over.”
I take her hand, holding it tightly as I trail the lines of her palm with my fingers. “Then you need to tell me everything.”
“It…it wasn’t something real potent. I don’t think it was any sort of date-rape drug. The effects took a little bit, but after a few minutes, my head started to feel funny. My eyes were heavy.”
“Did you want him to touch you?”
Fuck. I can’t help myself. I need to know. I just can’t imagine Riley allowing someone to do this shit to her.
“At first,” she says, tone soft, “because I thought it was you.”
I’m not sure what words will appease me more, those ones, or when I hear her tell me she loves me for the first time. Either way, my heart fucking doubles in size.
“Do you believe it wasn't me?”
“Don’t want to because it leaves so many unanswered questions. But, yes, I don’t think it was you who came in here first—”
“Good. Because it wasn’t.”
“I’m not finished. I don't think you came here first. But I think you came after I passed out and you found Zeke, then you threw him out my window.”
“That’s exactly what I would have done had I walked in and seen him in your bed, taking advantage of you. But I didn’t.”
Tears fall recklessly down her face and her voice shrills. “Then someone else did.”
I sweep her tears away with the pad of my thumb, and while she tugs her head back, she doesn’t fully retreat. It’s progress. Riley doesn’t trust me, but she will.
“Where is your roommate?”
“She’s having lunch with Crew. She’ll be home later.”
I’m given no choice here, but I can’t be in two places at once. Riley needs someone with her, and I need to find out who did this. Maddox is too good to take matters into his own hands, and Lev is too careless and sloppy. If Riley did do this when she was out of her mind, I need to cover her tracks. If she didn’t, then I need to find out who the fuck did.
I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.
Me: I need you to come to Riley’s dorm and stay with her for a bit.
