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After cleaning the knife once more, I stick it in its black sheath and put it in the pocket of my coat. It’s a different coat than the one I normally wear because Riley still has my favorite one. That’s okay, though. She probably sleeps with it at night, a reminder of me—her first. No matter how hard she might try to replace me with Maddox, he can never take that moment from us. I will always be her first.
Lighting a match, I toss it on the body doused in lighter fluid, then I check him off my list.
Dennis Mathers
Robby Nelson
Andy Porter
Eric Mathers
Mission complete.
I did it all for her. Now there is no one left to trace her to the death of the governor. Aside from her friends. But they won’t speak a word about it. I’ll fabricate some sort of evidence that shows the governor wanted to take his own life, and The Elders will be pleased.
Riley’s secret should be safe.
I’m sticking my notepad back in my pocket with the knife when leaves rustle from behind me. My eyes snap over my shoulder and the movements stop.
Pivoting around slowly, I keep my wits about me, watching for any sign of a lurker.
Then, a shadow bolts through the woods, hauling ass and making no attempt to quiet their steps.
I take off toward it. Running at full speed, I come up on the edge of the pines. Each row lined perfectly, my path a mix of brown, dead pine needles. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I sing through the breeze that's making the branches sway above me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see the lurker zip to the right. I head off the path in his direction, swerving and dodging trees.
Before long, I’m at the ledge of a small hill overlooking the river. Then I see the lurker bolt down the edge of the river, until he disappears from my eyesight.
Fuck!
Someone knows.
* * *
Feeling derailed and hopeless, I stumble through the door to my dorm. The second I see Maddox, my feelings of defeat are replaced with indignation. I reach into my pocket and pull out the sheath-covered knife, pointing at where he sits in his bed. His eyes lift from his laptop, wide and panic-stricken. “You think you can take her from me?”
“Whoa, Ridge.” His hands go up in surrender. “Put the fucking knife down.”
“It’s covered, pussy. I’m not gonna stab you. But I should.”
“I don’t know why you’re pissed, but if this is about Riley, I told her we could only be friends.”
“Did you now?” I walk closer to him, still holding out the knife. “Well then, why did she come to me today and ask me to give my blessing for you two to be together?”
His eyebrows shoot to his forehead, and he drops his hands. “She did?”
I nod. “Yeah. She did. And I wanna know everything. Every single fucking detail of everything you two have ever talked about or done.” I roll my neck, cracking it before narrowing my eyes at him again. “Did you fuck her, Maddox?”
“What? No! We kissed. You know that. That’s it.”
“What did you do to make her like you so much?”
“I swear, Ridge. I didn’t do anything to try and pull her in. I was just myself.”
Dammit.Had a feeling that was all. Everyone loves Maddox. Maddox is perfect. Maddox is good.
“I fucking hate you.” I drop my hand, resting the knife at my side. “I really fucking hate your holier-than-thou bullshit. Your strikingly good looks. I hate the way you fucking smile, Maddox. You know that? Everyone loves your smile. Not me. I hate it! You’re like the Marcia fucking Brady of our bunch. Everyone loves Maddox.”
