Unbelievable: Haven Falls (Book 2)

by Sheridan Anne

  He visibly relaxes before turning towards Rivers with a proud, irritatingly sexy smirk. “Watch her like a fucking hawk.”

  Chapter 14

  I walk into the party with Rivers at my back and his hand on my elbow. “Don’t fucking wander off,” he warns me, taking in the packed bodies and red Solo cups that are already littering every available surface of the house, telling me that this party is going to get wild.

  I have a feeling if Noah knew that tiny little fact, he’d be right here, trying his hardest to drag me out kicking and screaming, but I’m all good because Rivers isn’t a rat. Well…sort of. He’ll let me have my fun as long as I don’t take things too far, but then he’ll tell Noah all about it afterward.

  Rivers leans in behind me so he can speak in my ear without needing to scream. “Just be careful, alright. This is Monica’s party.”

  I spin around as fast as lightning. "What? You never said anything about it being Monica’s party.”

  “Didn’t think I needed to,” he says with a deep confusion pulling down his brows. “Shit like that doesn’t bother you.”

  “I’m not saying that it bothers me,” I explain. “Just…a heads up would have been nice. You know, that way I know if I need to dodge any fists.”

  “Please,” Rivers scoffs, seeing an opening through the bodies and forging forward, dragging me along. “I thought dodging fists got you hot.”

  I grin up at the big guy before me. “It sure as hell does,” I admit.

  As we make our way through the party, getting stopped by people desperate to say hi to Rivers, I can’t help but look around, though instead of looking around at what’s going on at the party, I’m looking around for the girls who thought they had the right to storm into my home and beat the ever loving shit out of me.

  It’s only been a few weeks and even though the cuts and bruises have faded, the attack is still fresh. Even more so now that I have Aria at home with me. I mean, what if she had been there and saw that? What if she’d been hurt?

  I can’t let bullshit like that happen ever again. Fuck, if dad knew what had gone down while he was gone…shit, I don’t even know how he would have reacted. I’m not going to pretend that I know what it’s like to be a parent, but I can assume finding out your home was invaded and your seventeen year old daughter got jumped while you were working doesn’t sit well.

  My eyes trail through the bodies and I make myself a promise that if I see any of the cheer skanks who dared lay a hand on me, I will finish them. I don’t have Noah as my voice of reason holding me back and feel like some kind of wild animal who just slipped off her leash.

  Tonight is mine. You know, considering Rivers doesn’t feel the need to stand in my way. Usually, he’s the one to fight first and ask questions later, but I can’t help but think of the conversation I had with him about this. He thinks it’s best to be a calculating bitch about it and get payback in a way they wouldn’t see coming, but I can’t help the overwhelming need to just… finish them. I want to see them hurt just like they did to me. I want to see them laying on the ground, unable to move or even call for help with tears streaming down their faces because that’s the kind of twisted bullshit they put me through.

  Yeah, calculating bitchiness isn’t my thing. Violence is. Besides, I’m from Haven Falls, that’s got to count for something.

  Rivers tears my attention away from the bodies as he brings me to a stop in front of a drinks table. He bends down and scoops two beers out of a cooler before passing one to me. “Here,” he grumbles.

  “Huh?” I grunt, taking the ice cold beer from him despite the fact that I can’t stand the shit. I mean, it tastes like piss…not that I know what that tastes like. “I thought I was on an alcohol ban for tonight.”

  Rivers shrugs his shoulders. “I’m not your keeper, Henley. That’s Noah’s job. Do whatever the fuck you want, just don’t overdo it. I don’t want to be the one to explain to Noah that I let it happen.”

  “Got it, dude,” I grin, holding the beer up for Rivers to clink his against.

  He grins down at me, shaking his head as though being seen with me is the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to him. Nonetheless, he clinks his beer against mine and starts leading the way out the back door.

  After getting bumped into and elbowed for the fifth time by the hundreds of bodies cramped into this too small house, I hook my hand around Rivers elbow and let him drag me out behind him. “How did Monica get this many people to come to her party anyway?” I grumble as we finally break out into the night. “Isn’t she still down the bottom of the social ladder?”

  “Technically, yes,” Rivers says over his shoulder. “She’s been climbing her way back up, a little too quickly for my liking,” he adds. “It’s actually her little brother’s party and she’s just taking advantage. And trust me, most of these people are only here because it’s the only party in Haven Falls tonight and rumor has it that Jesse Ryder is going to be here.”

  “Yeah,” I tell him as he walks towards a few deck chairs that have been placed around a little fire. The chairs are all taken, but the second the people occupying them see Rivers heading their way, the chairs are quickly vacated and offered up to him as though they were in the wrong to be sitting in them in the first place.

  I shake my head. I will never get used to that kind of pull. I mean, it’s freaking awesome having people jumping at the chance to do your bidding. Though, I guess that’s more what it’s like with Tully. Noah and Rivers add the fear factor to it and the people of Haven Falls wouldn’t dare cross them.

  “Henley,” a high-pitched squeal comes from behind me. I spin around to find Kaylah barging her way through the crowd, with a girl who I’m assuming is Tora and Jesse walking up behind them, though naturally, he doesn’t need to barge his way through the crowd, it just seems to part for him like the red sea.

  Within seconds, Kaylah slams into me, throwing her arms around me and sending us off balance, wobbling back into Rivers who has to steady us before we eat dirt in front of a crowd who would most likely trample us while we’re down.

  “How are you?” I screech, squeezing Kaylah with everything I’ve got as Tora and Jesse catch up to us.

  Jesse steps in behind her before she has a chance to respond and nods at Rivers. “Yo, what’s up?” he murmurs as though he’s too cool for the party, but I guess he sort of is.

  Rivers just nods back without saying a word and just like that, Jesse drops down in the seat beside him which is probably where the two of them will stay, far enough away from everyone that they can actually relax without people begging for their attention. Just the way they like it.

  Kaylah draws my attention back as she grabs the girl beside her, pulling her in. “Have you met Tora?”

  “Can’t say that I have,” I tell her, giving the girl who seems larger than life a welcoming smile. I mean, she’s Nate Ryder’s girlfriend. News like that travels far and wide and comes with the utmost respect of every female around. She did the impossible, nailed down the one guy that everyone wanted. Except for me though, I was batshit crazy about Jackson Millington. How idiotic.

  “Nice to finally meet you,” Tora says with an amused grin. “It’s about time I put a face to the name. Kaylah is always talking about you and I was starting to think she’d made you up.”

  “I wouldn’t put it past her. She has a habit of talking shit.”

  “Hey,” Kaylah warns. “Tonight isn’t going to turn into another ‘tease the shit out of Kaylah’ night, got it?”

  “Fine,” I laugh. “What are you guys doing here anyway?”

  Kaylah leans in so she doesn’t have to yell. “Jesse needed to set things straight with Rowland,” she tells me, referring to Monica’s little brother who’s getting a little too big for his boots. “He was apparently causing some shit down at the races last week.”

  “Oh, really?” I question. “Why didn’t you tell me that? You know he’s Monica’s little brother, right?”

  �
��I did tell you,” she argues. “On the phone. I said Jesse had to come handle some shit,” she grunts, looking at me like I’m crazy. “You didn’t know this was Monica’s place?”

  “No, I had no idea this was her place until I was already here. If I’d known, I would have sharpened my claws before I came,” I tell her. “And for the record, you never mentioned a name on the phone.”

  Kaylah’s face scrunches up as Tora looks on in confusion. “What are you talking about? Why do you need to sharpen your claws?”

  I look at her blankly. Is she nuts? She was the one to come and help me after Monica and her band of hussies beat me up in my living room. “Ummmm…because of the whole getting jumped thing.”

  “What?” Kaylah shrieks. “That was her?”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Tora says, stepping in closer. “You mean to tell me that you got jumped by the chick who owns this place?”

  “Yeah, her and her friends,” I laugh despite the fact that not a damn thing is funny about it. “Why else would I need to sharpen my claws?”

  “Well, shit,” Tora, grunts, slamming her drink into Jesse who fumbles around to catch it before it spills all over her. She starts unhooking her earrings. “Let’s go cut some bitches.”

  “Whoa,” Kaylah says, reigning in Rocky. “We’re not beating up anyone.”

  “Hell yeah, we are,” Tora says. “Your girl got jumped by these people. What did you expect was going to happen?” She turns back to me. “You want to take them out one by one or as a group? I’m down for either. I could really use a good smackdown.”

  “Fuck, Tora,” Kaylah groans, turning back to Jesse. “Can you do something about her? She’s about to go rabid on these high school bitches.”

  Jesse stands and steps up behind me, wondering what the fuck is going on over here, but Tora cuts off whatever he was about to say, and I applaud her efforts. No one in Broken Hill or Haven Falls would ever get away with cutting off Jesse Ryder. “No,” Tora demands. “We’re doing something about this. Henley is one of your closest friends. You’ve said it a million times, she’s like a sister to you, that makes her family to not only you but to me too and I’m not about to sit back and let this go unhandled.”

  “Wait,” Jesse cuts in, looking at Tora. “What the fuck is going on? If you come home covered in blood, Nate is going to have my balls.”

  Tora grins wickedly. “What Nate doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

  Jesse groans and curls his hand around the back of his neck. “I’m a fucking goner.” He turns to Kaylah. “Nice knowing you, babe. I want a live band at my funeral and my ashes scattered in Nate’s bed so the fucker can’t sleep a wink without thinking of me.”

  Kaylah winks. “You got it.”

  Tora groans. “There’s no need for dramatics.”

  “Look who’s talking,” Jesse snaps back at her. “You’re the one about to go batshit crazy on some chicks you don’t even know.”

  “Easy fix,” I say, stepping forward, more than good to go ahead with the plan. “I’ll give you a quick introduction before we fuck up Candice’s nose job.”

  Tora grins wide. “I like you.”

  “I got to admit,” I tell her, “you’re growing on me too.”

  “Fuck me,” Jesse says, falling back into the chair beside Rivers before looking up at Kaylah. “I’m signing out. They’re your problem now. But be warned, Nate will hold it against you if anything happens to his girl.”

  I look over Tora before looking back at Kaylah. “She can handle herself.”

  “Damn straight, I can.”

  With that, Tora loops her arm through mine and drags me away, giving me only the slightest chance to latch onto Kaylah’s hand and pull her along with me. “You bitches aren’t serious, right now?” Kaylah seethes. “I can’t get in a fight. I can’t even throw a punch at my brother without hitting myself in the face.”

  I let out a sigh. “As much as I want to put them in their places, it’ll never work here. There are too many people. We’d just get knocked around and it’ll turn into a brawl.”

  “Yeah,” Kaylah agrees. “The last Haven Falls brawl that broke out, someone got glassed, remember?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh, remembering the way the bodies were slammed around and the cops were desperately trying to pull kids off one another. The beauty of living in Haven Falls. “That was a good party.”

  Tora grunts. “What kind of messed up town is this?”

  Kaylah rolls her eyes, ignoring Tora. “Alright,” she says, kind of getting on board, “what’s the plan now?”

  Tora shakes her head as though the answer is as clear as day. “We’re in the devil’s lair. Now, we dig up dirt and make her takedown that much better.”

  Kaylah visibly relaxes as though the thought of having to throw a punch was weighing on her little mind. “Ok, I can get down with that plan.”

  “Then what the hell are we waiting for?” I laugh. “Let’s find the skeletons in her closet.”

  Without even a moment of hesitation, the three of us head for the stairs while Kaylah quickly glances around, making sure we’re not about to be sprung heading in the one direction that seems to be off limits in the house. I’d dare say we’re good though, this party is too big for anyone to notice three girls discreetly slipping up the stairs.

  We hurry down the hallway and poke our heads into every room while Tora shakes her head. “Rookie error,” she murmurs. “They should really get locks for their doors if they’re going to have parties like this.”

  “Yeah, well, not everyone in Haven Falls can really afford those little luxuries like you Broken Hill people.”

  “Please,” Tora scoffs. “You can pick up a lock for like, two bucks at the hardware store.”

  “Really?” Kaylah muses.

  “BINGO!” I call, finding the right door and pushing my way through while cutting off Kaylah’s ramblings about locks.

  Tora closes the door behind us before switching on the light and giving us a good look at the lion’s den. “Oooh,” she says, walking over to Monica’s dresser and picking up her hairbrush. “We could plant a hair at a crime scene. That will fuck her up in all sorts of way.”

  “Ok, genius,” Kaylah laughs. “Where the hell are we going to find a crime scene worthy of a DNA sweep? Know of any murderers in need of a fall guy tonight?”

  Tora rolls her eyes. “Geez, it was just a suggestion. I don’t see you throwing any out there.”

  “If you two don’t shut up, I’ll be the murderer looking for a fall guy.”

  Kaylah pokes her tongue out at me and we get busy searching Monica’s room. After ten minutes, all we’ve managed to come up with is a Doritos obsession, a double headed dildo, and nude photos of herself with Candice using the dildo which I’m all for using against them, but Kaylah apparently has an issue with slut shaming. So, the search continues.

  On the other hand, I hadn’t realized how…adventurous Monica and Candice were with each other. I wonder if it’s an experimenting phase or they’re bi because I sure as hell know they both like dick…a lot.

  Though as a side note, I guess being on the cheer squad has some advantages as they’re both incredibly flexible.

  “Noah would really get a kick out of this picture,” I muse as I slide it into my back pocket. I mean, Kaylah might be against it, but I sure as hell am not. Besides, if I don’t find any other dirt then this is my back up plan.

  “He’ll more than get a kick out of it,” Tora laughs. “I can only imagine what Jesse would say if he was here right now.”

  “Ugh,” Kayla grumbles as she searches through Monica’s closet. “He’d probably want to sniff the dildo.”

  “Gross,” I boom out with laughter.

  The door handle wiggling has the three of us gawking at one another before each of us dive for the open closet, squishing ourselves in and pulling the door closed just as the bedroom door opens.

  I peer through the gap in the closet door and listen as a dude who I think
is Monica’s brother, Rowland, comes striding in with two girls. I have to crane my neck around to see their faces and smirk to myself realizing that one of them is Candice and the other is one of the girls who had jumped me. I think her name is Tiffany, but I could be wrong.

  Rowland closes the door behind them and dims the light as Tora wriggles around to see out the gap. “Who’s that?” she whispers as Rowland places his hands on each of their lower backs and leads them over to the bed. “Is that Monica?”

  I shake my head, cringing as Candice and Tiffany start making out and Rowland steps into them, instantly going for the boob grab. I mean, no class at all. You can’t just dive straight in for the grab. “No, that’s the girl from the picture and that’s Monica’s brother, the other is just along for the ride.”

  “What?” she chuckles under her breath. “Her brother is going to fuck her girlfriend in her bed?”

  “Looks like it,” Kaylah squeaks beside me.

  “Shit. Haven Falls is dirtier than I thought,” Tora whispers as the two girls sit down on the end of Monica’s bed with Rowland standing before them. Candice reaches for his jeans and I glance away, unable to watch. “Hats off to you guys,” Tora continues. “Haven Falls has finally found something they’re better at than Broken Hill.”

  I roll my eyes, knowing she has to be wrong. I mean, those rich dudes get up to all sorts of shit because they can pay their way out of it.

  Kaylah smothers a laugh and it has me curious to look up. “Oh, geez,” I groan, finding both the girls working together to suck him off.

  “Is it wrong that this is turning me on?” Kaylah laughs.

  “Nope,” Tora says, clearly in the same boat.

  I mean, the longer I watch…

  The girls take turns getting naked while still working Rowland and I have to admit, it’s like a choreographed dance that they’ve clearly perfected. This is not their first time.

  Rowland scrunches his hand into Candice’s hair as Tiffany lays back on the bed, and not a minute later, he finishes over her chest with a hard grunt.

  He steps back from the girls and I gawk as he turns side on. “Wow, he’s got a fucking python in his pants. Who would have known?”