Page 68 of Let Me
“I saw her,” he says again, dropping his gaze. “She meant it. Whatever she was talking about, I don’t know. But she meant it when she said she got fucked, too.”
I shake my head. “I don’t get it. By who? She lied to me, man. She fucked over Jack. That’s why…” I bite my lip.
“You don’t have to say it. I know what she did. It was fucked up. But maybe…” He shakes his head and spins around, scanning the street again. “I don’t know, maybe there’s something we haven’t figured out yet. She always said she didn’t send it, right?”
“She’s a fucking liar. That’s what liars do. They fucking lie! What could possibly make any of this make sense?” There’s my philosophical speech for the night.
Benji shrugs. “Let’s just find her, okay?”
I want to argue with him, but it’s really dark outside and I’m still panicking over where she might be.
“It’s really touching to see the two of you so concerned over the girl you cornered in your basement.”
Her low, soft voice is right behind us and we turn as one to face her. She has her head cocked to the side, her purse dangling from her shoulder. Her green eyes are bright even in the darkness, and they’re narrowed.
On me.
“Riley,” I manage to say, “I’m sorry, that went too far—”
She grins. It’s not her usual smile. It doesn’t meet her eyes. It’s just white, straight teeth, and menace. “Oh, Caden. I don’t think we went nearly far enough.”
“Riley, what—”
She silences Benji with a look.A look.But her gaze finds me again.
“Why wouldn’t you film me sucking your dick instead?” she asks, so calmly. To hear those words come out of her pretty little mouth, well, it doesn’t surprise me. She’s always been as dirty as I’ve been. But now she knows. She heard us.
She takes a step toward me.
“You wanted the world to see me, is that it?”
At that thought, my fists clench.
She laughs, and Benji curses under his breath.
“You actually think I’d fuck your father?” she taunts coldly. A part of me feels relief at that question. That challenge. Because it means she didn’t. But that relief is short-lived. “Not yet,” she continues. “But there’s a lot of bases before that one, aren’t there?”
Icy anger plunges over me. Through my veins. Like a living thing. If my father was here, I would probably literally kill him.
“I’m leaving here,” she says, looking at Benji. “I’m not coming back. Don’t stalk me. Don’t contact me for him. Don’t even think about me. Or I will come after both of you for what you did tonight.”
She turns around.
I make to grab her wrist, but Benji stops me with a hand shoved into my chest.
“How are you getting back to The Villa?” I call after her, my mouth barely working. I don’t know if I want to tear her apart or crush her body against mine.
And then I see a car pull down the street, windows down, Moon Tooth pumping loudly through the speakers. The headlights are blinding, and I put my hand up to my eyes, squinting.
She opens the passenger door of the black Altima and hops in without another glance my way. And in the driver’s side, I see her best friend, Tyler. He’s glaring at me like he wants to kill me.
As I watch him turn the car around in the middle of the street and drive away, the feeling is definitely mutual.
THIRTY
Present
I HAVEN’T CRIED about it.
