Page 47 of The Tomorrows After You
When I got home, I didn’t find her in the house or her screen room. Her room was empty and her laptop was still open on the breakfast bar, a half-drunk cup of coffee sitting next to it. Brennan’s digital camera sat in a few disassembled pieces on the other side of the breakfast bar and nervous concern washed over me.
Faint shouts cut through the backyard. I didn’t see anyone and my stomach dropped realizing the yelling must be coming from Brennan’s place.
I threw open the screen door and sprinted across the lawn, my heart hammering in my chest. The only sound piercing through Brennan’s carnal roars was the high-pitched sound of Nicolette screaming.
15
Nicolette
“Die! Die! Die!” Brennan shouted, slamming the buttons on his blue alien robot.
“No!” I was so close to winning our best four-out-of-seven. Adrenaline raced through me as I hammered my thumbs so hard against the levers I thought they were going to fall off. I gave up and started slapping them with my palms.
The head of my red robot popped up and I let out a painful wail. Brennan cackled that robotic laugh.
“Okay, best five out of nine!”Iwhined.
“Nope!” Brennan yowled. “Pay up!”
I tried scowling at him but his ridiculous grin was infectious. I threw a handful of Twizzlers in his face.
We both flinched when the door crashed open.
Riot flew in with wild eyes, his firm chest heaving big gulps of air. The horror on his face weakened as he took in our scene. His eyes narrowed at me.
I laughed. “Riot… you’re going to have to teach your brother to be a gracious winner if—” But I didn’t get the rest of my sentence out.
Without warning, Riotwrappeda thick hand around my arm,tearingme off the floor, andpulledme outside into the bright sunshine.
“Riot, what the fuck?”But he didn’t respond, justcontinuedpulling me toward the main house.“Hey! Slow down!”
I tore my arm from his grip and stopped in my tracks. He spun around, rage and something else indecipherable in his eyes.
“What is your problem?” I asked.
“I told you to stay away from my brother!” he roared. “His place is off limits. Are you deaf or just dumb?”
The sting of his words immobilized me but I recovered, feeling the rage pounding in my ears. His hurtful words from the day before came hurling back to me and my expression darkened.
All the things he’d said to Katie about me being temporary. Her hard words of accusation. All the things he said he wanted that I’d never be able to give him. It all flooded back to me at once.
I shoved passed him and stalked toward the house. He followed me close behind with heavy, angry steps. I slammed the screen door in his face. My heart thrummed in my chest and my throat tightened. He was never going to see me as someone he could trust. I was always going to be some snake in the grass, lying in wait to strike.
Well, fuck that.
Istartedto shove clothes into my backpack.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’m leaving, Riot. What does it look like?” I hated how shaky my voice sounded but I couldn’t help my body from trembling. “I’ve been kidding myself. You made it clear I wasn’t welcome here the very first night and like anidiot,I didn’t listen.” I spun to face him and found his nose inches away from my face. “I guess I’m deafanddumb!” I spat, going back to burying my stuff with chaotic, angry, fistfuls, hoping the motions would also bury the hurt burrowing into my chest.
He grabbed my arm, gentle but firm, and spun me to face him. “Why didn’t you just listen to me?” His warm breath blew over my face. We were so close and my chest heaved from the emotional turmoil.
“Why didn’t you just trust me?”Iasked.
Because you don’t deserve his trust.
And somewhere a part of me knew that was true. I had lied to him about why I came back. I’ve stretched truths plenty in my career but none of them felt as rotten as this one had. Tears sprung to my eyes.No, oh, no.Besides my father, I had never let a man see me cry, and I wasn’t about to let Riot Asher be thefirst one.
