THE FIRST TWENTY minutes of the drive to the hotel were quiet. The last twenty were dead silent. Before we left, Riley apologized over and over again for leaving me in that underground room, naked. I told her I forgive her. It’s not that I’m angry; I’m just still so worked up after worrying about her for so long. I’m pissed she put me in that position. I want to protect her, but I can’t do that if she doesn’t let me.
I did, however, manage to get the names of the three guys who attacked her in the woods and I have every intention of handling those boys. At first, I thought maybe I’d give the list to Ridge and let him deal with them, but my gut tells me I need to do this one myself—for Riley.
When I started this school year, I was determined to break out of my comfort zone and stop being a passive participant in life. I refused to be my father’s doormat anymore, and instead of going along with the crowd, I’m learning to stick up for myself and Riley.
We’re currently in a run-down hotel room that we stopped at because we’re both too exhausted to keep going any more tonight, so the plan is to get a couple hours of sleep and then drive the other hour to Glendale. Riley’s on the bed beside me, on her side, facing the wall. She’s curled into a ball, and I’m almost certain her eyes are open. No matter how heavy my eyelids are, I can’t close them. All I can do is watch her.
Each time I blink too long, panic sets in. There’s a constant fear inside me that she’ll vanish by the time I open my eyes.
Riley rolls over to her other side and our faces align. “Are you mad at me?” she whispers.
My head shakes against the flat pillow. “No.”
“I’m sorry.”
I wrap an arm around her waist and jerk her body closer to mine. “I know you are. Promise me you won’t do that again.”
“I’ve never been so scared in my life, Maddox. I can one hundred percent promise you I will not flee again.”
“No more ropes.”
She chuckles. “No more ropes.”
My lips press gently to her forehead and I pause to savor the moment. “I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
“Everything is going to be okay, right?”
“Everything is going to be perfect now that you’re back where you belong.”
As soon as I punish those three boys, and find out exactly who the dead man is who kidnapped her from that girl’s dorm room. Because that’s what he is—a fucking dead man.
“I’m okay, Mom. And tell Dad to quit freaking out.”
I’m cruising down the highway while Riley gets drilled by her parents. Being members, and Elders, they know everything that’s going on. They’re demanding to know where she is, but she’s not giving up her whereabouts. She’s still using the burner phone Scar gave her, and I must say, that thing has come in handy.
“I promise you both, I am innocent, and I’m not going to stop until my name is cleared.” Her eyes skate to mine and she cracks a smile. We both know she’s not exactly innocent, but she’s not guilty either.
We’re only five minutes from Glendale and I’m anxious to see the guys so we can all put our heads together and come up with a solid plan to end this. Even though I’ve already got an idea of my own. I just hope everyone is willing to go along with it.
I reach over and place a comforting hand on Riley’s lap as she ends the call and violently chucks the flip phone at her feet on the floorboard.
“Didn’t go well?” I ask.
A growly sound escapes her. “I love my parents. I really do. But if they think I’m going home so they can take me to plead my case to the board, they’re out of their damn minds.”
“We’re gonna fix this, babe. And I think I know how.”
Her eyes widen in anticipation and a smile plays at the corners of her mouth. She grabs my hand and squeezes it, eager to hear what I’m thinking. “What do you have in mind?”
“You said that man wants a confession. Well, we can’t give him that, but we can give him a guilty party.”
“Who?” she blurts.
“Cade.”
“You’re a fricking genius, Maddox.” She practically climbs into my lap, grabbing my cheeks with both hands while peppering the side of my head with kisses. I fight to keep the car in my lane but smile at her excitement.
She drops back in her seat, a heavy breath of relief bursting out of her. “Why didn’t we think of this before? We can frame him for everything, then make it look like he spiraled out of control and took his life before he was caught.”
“It’s not going to be easy…”
All the hope in her eyes dissipates and she sinks into her seat. “Still doesn’t help with the whole governor situation. I’m still guilty, and eventually, I have to confess.”
“Not exactly. What if we find out who that man was who kidnapped you. You said he was hell-bent on proving Governor Saint was murdered and you thought it was because the governor knew a secret of his.”
“That’s how it sounded to me.”
“So then we make it look like he’s the one who took the governor’s life. Either that, or we just kill him.”
Her eyes bulge from their sockets. “As in murder?”
“We do what we have to do.”
“Wow,” she drawls, “I guess I just never took you to be so savage.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but once this is done, I plan to tell you everything. No more secrets.” I pin her with a glare. “And absolutely no more sneaking off.”
Her hand smacks my leg and she squeezes. “Deal.”
