by Alice Ward
“I know, and I have to prove it.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
I threw my hands up in surrender. “Fuck if I know. I’m hoping the right moment will arise.”
Ann-Marie smirked, but this time there was something friendly in her expression. “Okay, I believe you, but you need to get your butt in gear. Riley left a little while ago. She went sailing with that Seth friend of yours.”
“What?” I exploded.
Ann-Marie crossed her arms. “Yep. Tell me about it.”
“Why did she do that?” I demanded.
Ann-Marie’s face turned pink. “Because she wants to find out more about that stupid list you idiots have.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
“She has some hero complex all of a sudden. She thinks she’ll be able to get Seth to give her the list or something. And then she wants to contact all of the women on it and tell them about what’s been going on.”
“That’s crazy,” I breathed. It was also a daring plan. One I wouldn’t have thought Riley would concoct.
“That’s what she said.”
“Seth won’t give it to her. He doesn’t just give anything away.”
Fear passed over Ann-Marie’s face. “Maybe I should call her. I had a bad feeling about her going...” She bit her thumbnail. “I should have gone with her. God… I’m so stupid.”
She pulled her phone out, hit a couple buttons, and pressed it to her ear. “She’s not answering. I told her to keep her phone on her.”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to get her.”
“I have the name of the yacht.”
“I know it.” I backed away from the stoop and turned. There was no time for goodbyes. My phone was already out of my pocket and in my hand. I rushed to the corner as I called my driver and told him to come pick me up.
So, Riley was a sleuth now? And just where did I play in all of this? Did she plan on publicly exposing the list and bringing me down? Or was it really all about the women?
Right now, it didn’t matter either way. Seth wasn’t a person to be trusted. He’d already proven that beyond a doubt. The thought of him getting Riley out on his yacht all alone had me wanting to roar with rage.
I would find them. And if Seth had so much as touched one hair on Riley’s head, I would make him pay. She was mine. What I’d told Ann-Marie was true. I loved that woman.
Thank God, I finally realized it.
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
Riley
Seth grabbed his third or fourth beer from the cooler and popped the top. I eyed him with growing discomfort. I didn’t know how long we’d been out here, but it wasn’t that long ago that Seth had switched from water to alcohol. Since his first beer, he’d been guzzling like a champ. He’d also smoked a second joint.
I adjusted my weight on the seat and turned my face into the sail’s shade. “Are you okay to drink and then sail us back?”
Seth made a face. “Yeah, of course. Drinking and driving is bad. Sailing is fine. Do you see any dotted lines out here?” He waved his hand around the general area.
“Huh.” I didn’t buy what he said at all. I myself held no sailing knowledge whatsoever and wouldn’t be able to take us back to shore if something did happen. However, I figured Seth’s drinking might have a silver lining. Perhaps he was now loose enough to talk about what I came to learn.
“What kind of girls do you like?” I asked.
Seth’s bottle stopped halfway to his lips. He looked at me with a pleased smile. “Brunettes. Ones with brown eyes.”
My stomach churned, but I forced myself to keep my cool. “That’s funny. If you wanted to meet one you could just go and look her up in… a filing cabinet?”
“I wouldn’t need to look one up. I have one right here.” He scooted along the cushioned bench. His arm came up to snake around my shoulders and his hand pressed against my upper arm. I sucked in a sharp breath and held it.
Seth leaned his face toward me. The beer on his breath washed across my mouth. Even with my breath sucked in, I could smell it. Just before his lips made contact with mine, I pushed myself out of his reach.
Seth stared at me with wild eyes. “What’s the deal?”
“I’m just, I’m not into you in that way, Seth. Sorry. It’s so nice of you to bring me out here today, but I don’t feel that way about you. I was hoping we could be friends.”
I tried to hold back my cringe. I couldn’t afford for him to catch me in a lie.
Seth’s nostrils flared. “Okay, I get it. You just came out here to tease me. That’s how you get off.”
“No,” I insisted. “I just don’t have those kinds of feelings for you.”
He snorted and took another long drink of his beer. “Feelings. What kind of feelings do you need to have in order to have fun? Jesus Christ, Riley, you’re such an ice queen. No wonder Xavier is going crazy for you. You have him all pussy whipped.”
His words made me burn. Coming here was a mistake. It had been silly to think that I could somehow coerce Seth into basically sharing his and Xavier’s list with me. Now I was stuck here in the middle of the Hudson River with one of the most despicable people I’d ever met. I wanted to hide, but I stood on a boat I could clear in a few swift strides. I wanted to run, but there was nowhere to run to.
I looked away from Seth and dropped my face so that my hair fell across my cheeks. “I’m not feeling well. I think I’m getting seasick.”
“We’re not moving.”
“Yeah, but I’m not used to being out here. I think we should go back.”
Seth snickered. “You are such a bad liar. Really.”
He grabbed my wrist, and I jerked my arm away. My heart pounded, and all the little voices in my head screamed. Run, they said. Run away! Swim if you have to!
Were there sharks in the river? That’s all I could think as I stared back at Seth. He finished off his beer and dropped the bottle on the deck. It hit the wood with a thud and rolled a little bit before stopping. He started to reach for me again. Quick as I could, I jumped to my feet and took a step back.
“Really,” I said, my voice shaking. “I’m feeling really bad. I think I might throw up.”
Seth stood. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”
Although I’d been watching him closely, I was still surprised when he lunged toward me. I dashed to my right just as he hit the deck. Seth was fully down, his right foot tangled up in the rope that tripped him.
“Fuck,” he grunted, turning to loosen his ankle.
Now that I’d taken one step to get away, I couldn’t stop. I skirted around Seth and ran to the cabin. Once inside, I slammed the door shut and locked it.
I heard Seth’s muffled voice on the deck above, calling my name. I took a few steps back from the door as his footsteps pounded toward me.
“Breathe,” I whispered to myself. “Just breathe.”
I was so dumb. I shouldn’t have come out here. I knew what kind of guy Seth was, and yet I thought I could control him. Thought I could use him and get what I wanted out of him. Thought I could save the day and do the right thing or even help some other women out. Maybe understand Xavier better.
I closed my eyes against the oncoming tears. That was the part I hadn’t let myself face. It was sad, really, but I half believed that if I found this list, I’d find another part of Xavier. A missing part. And maybe that would be the link I needed, and I would finally understand him. I would get why a man as passionate and deep as him could do such a thing as share his women.
It didn’t even make sense, but there it was. I knew I had to let go of Xavier, but I was unwilling to fully do it. I wasn’t finished with him yet. I needed more.
“Riley!” Seth banged on the closed door, and I flinched. “Let me in!”
I forced myself to breathe. Everything would be all right. I just needed to make a phone call. I’d call the police and let them know where we were and what was going on. I’d tell them Set
h had consumed too much to drink, and he was trying to hurt me. They’d send the Coast Guard, or whoever was in charge of patrolling the Hudson River.
I turned and looked for my purse… and realized I hadn’t brought it down with me. I’d left it upstairs on the deck — with my phone.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Xavier
I called Julian on the way to the pier, holding my breath as his phone rang. If he wasn’t available, I’d have to find someone else with a boat to take me to the river. For all the money I’d made and all the interests I’d dabbled in, boating had never piqued my interest.
If he doesn’t answer, I’ll call the police and report a kidnapping. It wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea to assume Riley was in trouble. Seth was worked up right now. He was probably looking to exact revenge on both me and Riley. Though he hadn’t specifically said it, I could be certain Riley would turn down any move he made on her. Seth was akin to a toddler when it came to his mental programming. Tell him no, and a shit storm would surely follow.
“Hello?”
“Thank God,” I breathed. “Julian, it’s Xavier. I need you to meet me at your boat.”
“What’s going on? I’m in the middle of something at work.”
“Seth is losing it. He took this girl… this girl I’ve been seeing out on his fucking yacht. He also told her all about the list and my fights.”
“The little bastard,” Julian hissed.
“She’s in danger. I know it. I need to get out there right now.”
“Xavier, just calm down. I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll deal with Seth this afternoon, after I get—”
“No,” I cut in. “This can’t wait. Riley is important to me, Julian. Very important. And I know something is going on.” I clenched my teeth and tried again. “I know.”
Only Julian’s breathing permeated the air. I was reaching for my next argument by the time he finally answered. “All right. I can be there in twenty.”
We got to the pier within a minute of each other. Julian kept his boat not far from where Seth’s docked. We clambered on board, and he brought it to life. I shaded my eyes and scanned the water. There were a few small vessels within eyesight, but I couldn’t decipher which one of them was Seth’s.
“Try over there first,” I said, pointing to the left.
Julian guided us out into the water. “You don’t have to tell me everything, and you obviously won’t… but is this all because of this girl?”
“Seth is trying to get back at me.” I curled my hand into a fist and pressed it against the console. “He knows that Riley’s mine.”
Julian looked at me in surprise. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”
“Since never.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “This sounds pretty complicated.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Maybe you can fill me in some time. Right now, let’s focus on finding them.”
The first few yachts we passed were unfamiliar ones. With each vessel that glided by, my stomach dropped another few inches. What if they weren’t here? What if Seth took them out of the river? He could be anywhere with Riley, doing anything to her…
I ground my teeth together to keep back the howl of fury that wanted to fly out of me. Seth would pay for everything he’d already done. If he dared to touch Riley, I would fucking kill him.
“There!” Julian shouted.
He pointed to a familiar yacht. It sat adrift in the water, its sails down with no one on board I could see. Fear seized my heart. “Get over there. Quick.”
“I’m working on it.”
Julian navigated his boat until it was side by side with Seth’s yacht. The whole deck was visible now. Seth sat on the front deck, slumped over and drinking beer. There was no Riley.
I hurried to the side and hauled myself over. The whole while, Seth watched like he’d been expecting me.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
Seth took another drink of beer. I reached down and knocked the bottle out of his hand. It hit the deck, sending froth and liquid spewing everywhere.
Seth grimaced. “Hey, I need that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m injured.” He pushed his hair back to reveal a swelling bruise on his forehead.
“Where is she?” I repeated, working to keep my voice level—for my own purposes rather than Seth’s. If I really lost control, there was no telling what I’d do. I’d had few moments where I worried about really hurting someone, but this was one of those.
“Oh, she left,” he answered with a lift of his shoulder.
Something snapped in me. I grabbed Seth’s shirt, hauled him up, and brought his face to mine. Since he was shorter than me, his feet dangled in the air. He stared back at me, his face red and his eyes full of fear.
“Xavier!” Julian shouted from the other boat. “Put him down!”
“Yeah, Xavier,” Seth sputtered. “Put me down.”
Even with my hands around him, he was still cocky as fuck. The kid must’ve had a death wish.
“Xavier,” a softer voice said.
The one word allowed me to breathe again, and I instantly dropped Seth. He fell to his feet and stumbled back a little bit. Turning, I saw Riley standing by the entrance to the cabin. Her cheeks were sun-kissed, and her eyes red and puffy underneath. She’d been crying.
“Riley,” I croaked. She was alive. Fine. Mostly. If her face was any indication, something awful had happened to her. For the second time in one minute, I broke. My hand went into a tight ball. Turning around, I pulled my shoulder back and let my fist fly.
My knuckles connected with Seth’s jaw, making a satisfying popping noise. His head snapped back, and he went down.
“Christ!” Julian said from behind me. The yacht moved as he climbed on board. I stood where I was, thick ropes of fury still holding me in place.
Julian kneeled next to Seth and rolled him over. “He passed out. That, or you knocked him out.”
I rubbed my sore fist. “I didn’t hit him hard enough to make him black out. He did it to himself. Too much drinking in the sun.”
Julian straightened up. “Oh, I wasn’t reprimanding you.”
For the first time, I noticed Riley’s purse sitting on the end of the bench. Picking it up, I walked over to where she still stood by the doorway. She silently accepted the purse, staring at the water behind me.
“What are you doing here?” she quietly asked.
“The better question is what are you doing here?”
She tilted her face back up, her eyes narrow. “I can go wherever I want and do what I want with whoever I please.”
What she said was too suggestive to handle. Jealousy consumed me. I fought to keep my breathing even. “And how does Seth play into that? What were you doing out here with him?”
“I...” Riley fell silent and pursed her lips. Her eyes darted over my shoulder and then back to me. “I was just talking to him.”
Reaching up, I lightly touched her cheek. “And then you randomly started crying?”
I expected her to recoil at my touch, but she stayed put. “I shouldn’t have come out here by myself.”
“No, you shouldn’t have.”
Riley defiantly lifted her chin. “But I did, and that was my own decision to make.”
I scoffed. “When did you get so cocky?”
She exhaled, and suddenly looked sad. “I had to. Things happened, and I had to.”
My throat tightened. “Did Seth force you to do anything?”
Her cheeks puffed. “No. Not really. I mean, he tried, but I locked myself in the cabin.” She looked past me. “Is he all right?”
“He blacked out,” Julian answered, coming to stand with us. “He’ll probably be up and moving about in ten minutes or so, but we should probably get him checked out by a doctor, just to be safe.”
“Or we can leave him here,” I answered, sliding my eyes to the bastard.
Julian nodded in acknowledgment. “As much as I like that thought, it
’s not the best solution, publicity wise. If anyone cruises by and sees him passed out, they’ll call the authorities. With Seth’s parents being who they are, the story will be all over the internet tomorrow.”
“Right,” I answered through tight teeth. “I guess we bring him back with us.”
“It’s the only answer. I’ll take him back to his place and get a doctor to come to the apartment.”
We moved quickly, pulling Seth into some shade. Julian took the helm of the yacht, which was harder to sail than his own, and Riley and I steered his boat back. The trek across the water was a silent one. Riley stood as far away from me as she could, her arms folded and her eyes cast toward Manhattan. I wanted to speak, but I was once again in that frozen state. I could tell Ann-Marie how I felt about Riley, but around Riley herself, it became a different story.
Something bad had almost happened to her today. Knowing what could have occurred made me want to fall to my knees and yell until my lungs gave out. I’d let her go before, and I couldn’t make that mistake again. With Riley gone, I was a mess. With Riley gone, she was in danger. Nothing was right with her not in my life.
I wished I could just come out and say these things, but it was probably too late. I’d hoped that she’d be thrilled and grateful to see me coming to her rescue on Seth’s yacht, but she still looked at me with that cold distance in her eyes. I could have saved her from a burning building, and she would still hate me.
We docked the boats, and I helped Julian carry Seth to the end of the pier. He moaned a little bit and shook his head side to side, but his eyes were still closed. Julian’s driver pulled up, and we loaded Seth into the backseat. Julian turned and gave me a parting handshake.
“I’ll call Davis and have him come over,” he said. “He can take a turn at babysitting.”
“Sounds good. Let me know what happens.”
“Will do.” His gaze fell on Riley. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
“Same here,” Riley murmured.
Julian gave me one more look, but since his face was flat and emotionless, I couldn’t tell what it meant. He climbed into the car and rolled away, leaving me and Riley alone again.