Page 85 of Pretty Threats

“I know you told Killian that story, and he believed you. He actually grabbed me by the throat and accused me of helping to drug you! As if!”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see her touch her throat.

“He threatened me,” she says, sounding huffy and slightly breathless. “He said if he found out I’d had a hand in it, he’d make me regret it. But he didn’t find any evidence, did he? When he talked to other girls, no one had that story. He realized you lied. But that didn’t help my family, did it?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Your dad did drug me that night. I think he drugged you, too. I tried to wake you up and couldn’t. Didn’t you wonder what happened? I bet there were things you couldn’t remember.”

As we pass the second to last building before the parking garage, she grabs my arm. “I have powerful friends. You’re going to give me ten thousand dollars or you’ll regret it. After the trouble you caused, you owe me.”

“I don’t owe you anything. And you shouldn’t push this. Your dad was very smooth. I’m certain I wasn’t the first one he drugged. So often, when things come to light in the press, other people who were afraid to come forward realize they’re not alone.”

She grabs my tote and jerks it off my shoulder. When I reach for it, she shoves me so hard, I fall backward onto the cement in the narrow corridor between buildings. From the shadowy ground, I watch Alicia dart away.

Fuck this whole day.

I rise, brushing gravel off from my scraped hands.

Just what else could possibly go wrong?

A hissed voice comes from behind me. “Raine.”

I jerk around as a surge of adrenaline pours into my bloodstream.

There’s a man, and he grabs my arms. I scream and try to yank free of his hold.

He slams me into the side of the building with such force it knocks the wind out of me. A bony forearm slams across my throat and presses hard against my windpipe. I grab his arm, clawing at it, trying to get it off me.

I can’t breathe. My nails tear at his arm and face. His knee drives into my stomach so hard I almost vomit.

The shadows thicken to black. Panic, fear, and desperation ensure that…

The creep wins.

34

KILLIAN

War and Jamie pretend they believe me when I tell them Raine left the house with my permission. They’re giving me a chance to smooth things over, rather than raising the alarm with Crue bosses. They’re covering their own asses, too, since we were all upstairs when she walked out. But their reactions are chill rather than confrontational, which is good because the fuse on my temper is short.

In the afternoon, Jamie and I row out onto the river to an uninhabited isle to swim offshore into dangerous eddy currents. Jamie’s the best I’ve ever seen at navigating out of and around currents in the water. He was a lifeguard and surfer in Ireland and can spot hazards most people would never notice.

When we’ve got time to kill, we do maneuvers. Today, I’m restless so we go out in life jackets and I practice rolling into what he calls a soft spot between upstream and downstream eddies. I’ve gotta swim hard to keep control. The goal is to prevent myself from being dragged into solid obstructions.

As always, the water is a fucking ass-kicker. By the time we’re done, my arms shake as I start to drag myself up into the boat. Jamie laughs as I pause, panting, when I’m only halfway over the side.

“Mother fucking nature. Gotta love her,” he says.

“Fuck me,” I mumble, shaking my arms out after I take my seat. “Gonna be a slow slog back to shore.”

“Ah, nah. If I know you, you’ll get your second wind, mate. Drink some sugar, and we’ll go.”

After guzzling a sports drink and resting for a few minutes, I nod. “Yeah, good enough.”

We wouldn’t win any races now, but we’re at no risk of being pulled downriver either. We’ve been rowing together for months, and we’re both strong oarsmen despite the fatigue.

When we come ashore, War walks out and tosses me my phone.

“Phone’s been blowing up the past hour. C texted me, wanting to know where you were.”

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