Death by the River (A St. Benedict Novel Book 1)

by Alexandrea Weis

  “For what?” Her half-hearted laugh irritated him. “Calling her whore? Threatening to rip out her hair? That’s what I wanted to do.”

  “Then you would have committed assault, Dawn.” He gripped the wheel, holding in his admonishment. “For being the daughter of an attorney, you’re not too bright.”

  Her eyes widened, and she got that shocked deer-in-headlights look he hated. It meant a fight was coming.

  “If you hadn’t been hanging around that slut Saturday night, this wouldn’t have happened!”

  Beau punched the steering wheel. “I didn’t do anything with Sara!”

  She flinched and retreated into her seat.

  For the first time, a taut expression of fear distorted Dawn’s face. She clenched her hands, her knuckles showing white against his sienna leather seats, and hugged the door as if she would jump out at any moment.

  Beau had gone too far. He’d let his anger show. His hand throbbed. With the pain came the regret.

  Keep it together. She can’t see you. Not yet.

  “I’m sorry.” He sat back in his seat, keeping his eyes on the road. “I lost my temper back there and I shouldn’t have. But with Sara and you about to go after each other … I should have handled that better.”

  She moved back into her seat, settling down, and rubbed the red mark on her upper arm. “No, I should have ignored her, like you said.” Her gaze softened and her clenched hands relaxed. “She just seemed awfully interested for someone you just said hello to.”

  “Forget about her.” Beau put on a pleasing grin, wanting to assure her all was well. “Do you really believe I would want to go out with a slut like her?”

  “No.” A slight smile returned to her lips, but her eyes remained apprehensive. “I’m sorry I was a witch at the restaurant. I promise to do better.”

  In the beginning, her sweet disposition and promises to do whatever he wanted—be the girl he needed and follow his rules—had pleased him. Now, they grated on his nerves. Perhaps it was time to shake things up with her.

  “You can make it up to me at the river this weekend. There are some things I want to try with you.”

  Her smile slipped. “Ah, I have to go to the lake house this weekend. My dad is being a real pain in the butt about having a family weekend. So, I can’t hang out at the river with you.”

  The pang of regret in his gut didn’t last long. There were others he could have fun with.

  “I’m going to miss you.”

  She leaned across the console. “Promise to keep out of trouble and away from Sara Bissell while I’m gone.”

  He made his smile appear genuine; years of practice had taught him how to deceive people.

  “I won’t have anything to do with her.”

  The lie pleased her, but he questioned how anyone could be so trusting. Leslie would never have believed him.

  His sour mood lifted. With Dawn out of his hair, his weekend looked bright.

  Perhaps an evening with Sara is what I need.

  Beau punched the accelerator. He would invite Sara to join him at the river and bring her to the cells. There, he would exact his revenge for the shitstorm she’d brought down on him. With Sara, he could try something new—and dangerous.

  * * *

  The vroom of Beau’s engine carried up her sidewalk as he pulled away from the curb. The stars popped out in the sky above, and the lights from the other houses on her street cast a protective glow, chasing away the encroaching darkness.

  But the tranquil ambiance did little to offset the unease raging inside her. Stunned by Beau’s treatment at Carl’s, Dawn didn’t understand what had happened to the gentleman she had known.

  She turned from the street and walked up the path to her front door, her upper arm still stinging from where he had held her. She checked the spot again. His red fingerprints remained.

  She’d seen another side of him tonight. She knew he had a temper, but this had been different. It was as if he had unleashed a fury that scared her to death.

  I bet Leslie doesn’t have to deal with this crap with Derek.

  The comparison brought her to a standstill on her porch steps. She admired the warm lights coming from the windows of the other homes and considered her relationship with Beau as compared to the one Leslie had with Derek.

  They never seemed to fight, have problems with other girls, or even argue about their future. They were always laughing, talking, and happy together. Derek didn’t push Leslie to have sex. Derek never wanted to party with his friends. He was always kind to her.

  Maybe I picked the wrong guy.

  Weak at the thought of a life without Beau, she sat on the steps. For the first time since seeing his face in the hallways of St. Benedict High, Dawn had reservations about continuing with Beau Devereaux. She’d dreaded the coming weekend at the lake house, but part of her wanted an opportunity to think.

  What is happening to me?

  It was the first indication her feelings for Beau might not be what they seemed. Had what she believed to be love been something else? A little time away from Beau could help her get some perspective. Perhaps even consider calling off the whole thing. Playing by his rules wasn’t as fun as it used to be. It was time to create some rules of her own.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The rustle of people moving, the clatter of steps on the metal bleachers, laughter of children, and shouts of excited teenagers filled the football field of St. Benedict High School as patrons of the Cougars’ winning game packed up to head home.

  In his football uniform, fresh from the game, Beau escorted a clingy Dawn, still in her cheerleading uniform, to the blacktopped parking lot next to the field as her parents waited by the gate.

  “Promise to call me every night, even when you are at the river.”

  Her sweet voice had the tinge of desperation to it, but he didn’t care. Getting her out of his hair for a weekend was what he needed.

  “I’ll call day and night.” He searched the field, hoping to see Sara. “You know I can’t go a day without you, Dawn.”

  Dawn pulled away, and his eyes instantly went back to her. “Remember, I love you, Beau.”

  Love? Did she even know what the word meant? To him, love meant possession, rage, power—not some fuzzy warm fairy tale.

  “I have to go. Coach always wants to do a recap of the game after we get off the field. He’ll probably bring up my two TDs to Mitch.” He kissed her cheek. “Can’t miss that.”

  He took off running for the locker room, glad to have gotten away before she pushed for his feelings about their relationship. He didn’t have any.

  When he made it to the metal doors of the gym entrance, Sara was waiting. His anger for her still smoldered, but tonight he would take care of it.

  “You and me at the river tonight?”

  She gave an ambivalent half-nod. “What about Dawn? I saw you and her at the gate.”

  His gaze drifted down her red top and snug blue jeans. “She’ll be gone all weekend. I told her we needed a break, so she’s going away with her parents.”

  Sara’s eyes lit up and she moved away from the doors. “I like the sound of that.”

  He admired Sara’s hips as she sashayed away.

  This day just gets better and better.

  * * *

  “Man, you nailed it tonight.” Mitch pumped his fist in the air as Beau turned his car into the Rouse’s Grocery Store parking lot for a liquor run. “When you hit me with that twenty-yard pass, I was like boom. We crushed it.”

  The fiery beat blasted from the stereo speakers, the cool fall air sifted through the cracked windows, and the high from the game radiated through Beau’s system.

  “It was sweet.” Beau headed around the side of the store to the back-loading area.

  “And now we’re gonna have ourselves a wild time at the river.” Josh leaned in from the back, his broad shoulder barely squeezing between the bucket seats. “So glad Dawn cut you loose for the weekend. I hate to say
this, dude, but she’s a downer.”

  Beau turned to the loading dock, not wanting to give away his true sentiments about Dawn, but he had to agree.

  “Lately she’s been different. I’m not sure what the problem is.”

  “You just tell her who’s in charge and she will back down.” Josh scanned the inky darkness around their car. “Chicks dig an alpha male.”

  “My sister reads them alpha male books like they’re goin’ out of style. All chicks do.” Mitch batted his chest with his fist. “Be the beast, dude.”

  He wanted to laugh. They have no idea.

  “You guys aren’t in relationships.” Beau parked next to the rear entrance. “It’s not so easy just telling women what to do. You have to finesse them into thinking what you want is what they want.”

  Josh looked mystified. “How do you do that?”

  Beau dialed down the music, itching to boast about his special talent.

  “It’s a question of power. You have to assert yourself in a relationship. You ask a girl what she wants, pretending to be considerate and all, but before she can have time to think about it, you put suggestions in her head. Where to go out? What she should wear? Who her friends should be?” He thought back to how easily he had conquered Dawn. “Pretty soon, her wants are yours. When you have the little things down, you can manipulate their thoughts and move on to bigger things like sex.”

  Mitch turned to him, his eyes wide with amazement. “Dude? You’re creepin’ me out. You really do that shit?”

  “Shut up.” Josh leaned in farther. “Go back to how you get girls to have sex with you.”

  Beau was well aware he wasn’t dealing with the brightest of the bunch, but that was why he hung around them. What he did to girls, he could also do to friends.

  “You weren’t listening. You cajole. You sweet talk. You tell them what they need to hear, and then once they’re addicted, you change the rules.”

  Mitch chuckled, his coarse laugh cutting through the air. “Sounds like the same crap you’ve done to win over everyone in town. The good boy, no drinkin’, smokin’, or drugs, do-gooder.” He thumbed Josh next to him. “But we know better. You’re a badass.”

  Beau shook his head. You have no idea.

  Josh’s brow furrowed. “So, what happens when you do all that stuff and they still refuse to sleep with you?”

  Beau just smiled.

  Bright fluorescent light bathed the car as the back door to the grocery opened.

  Eddie emerged, carrying a box loaded with bottles.

  Beau climbed from the car and met him at the trunk.

  “Here ya go.” Eddie held up the box. “Wish I was going with you guys. I remember the river used to be a blast.”

  Beau set the box in his trunk. “Yeah, still is. Thanks for the supplies, Eddie.” Beau reached into his pocket and handed him some cash.

  “Let me know whenever you guys need more.” He looked at the two, one-hundred-dollar bills before tucking them into his shirt pocket. “Your liquor runs sure help pay the baby bills.”

  Beau shut the trunk. The ass-kissing store clerk disgusted him. One of many in the small town who saw his family as a meal ticket.

  Losers.

  “We stocked up?” Josh had a boatload of exuberance in his voice.

  “Yeah, we’re good.” Beau started the car. “Let’s make this a night to remember.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Dawn arrived with her family at their cabin on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. The setting sun tossed ribbons of red, orange, and pink across the lake’s modest waves. A log home designed with picture windows along the front sat nestled amid a circle of thick pines. A wooden deck jutted out over the edge of the lake with two Jet Skis secured to the dock.

  A sleek, modern interior with a log décor added an earthy texture to the walls and beamed ceilings. The simple furniture, with forest green and burnt sienna upholstery, complemented the pine hardwood floor. A massive stone fireplace rose past the straight staircase leading from the combination living room and den.

  Once settled in her upstairs bedroom, Dawn unpacked one of the two large duffel bags set on their twin beds. Through the window overlooking the lake, the last dregs of sunlight reached across the white plush rug.

  She turned away from the window and cast a wary eye to her sister, wanting to broach the subject of her confusing feelings for Beau but unsure how to do it.

  “You said goodbye to Derek?” She set a few shirts in her dresser.

  “Yep.” Leslie pulled out her blow dryer from her bag. “What did Beau say after the game?”

  “Not much, but that’s Beau.” Hand on her hip, Dawn debated how to ask the question on her mind. “When you say ‘I love you’ to Derek, does he say it back?”

  Leslie put the blow dryer on her bed. “Yes.”

  Dawn smashed her lips together. “And when you leave Derek alone for the weekend, do you trust him?”

  Her sister’s musical laugh circled her like the bothersome caw of a crow. “Of course, I trust him.”

  Dawn went to Leslie’s bed and flopped down next to her bag. “Then why don’t I feel like I can trust Beau?”

  Leslie took a seat next to her. “Maybe that’s your heart telling you he isn’t the guy for you.”

  The wall of hostility she’d put up whenever she dealt with her sister came tumbling down. She believed she was impervious to Leelee’s comments and quips about Beau, but every single one had stuck in her head for months. Suddenly, she needed to know what Beau had done to her.

  Dawn kept her eyes on her bag, afraid to look at her sister. “I’ve been thinking about the things you said. The things Beau told you.” A lump formed in her throat; her lower lip quivered. “When did it start?”

  Leslie’s loud sigh sliced through Dawn like a razor blade. In that instant, she knew—she could feel it—Leslie had been telling the truth.

  “After the first night you two hooked up at the river. He corners me at school, saying …” Leslie shook her head. “Disgusting things.”

  Her heart broke into a thousand pieces; she knew why he’d harassed her. It was the same reason she’d refused to acknowledge.

  “He wanted you that night at the river, not me. And he’s been making you suffer for turning him down. Beau doesn’t like for anyone to tell him no.”

  Leslie touched her hand. “I was trying to protect you. You seemed so happy with him in the beginning, so I let it go. Was I wrong to keep quiet?”

  Dawn put her hand over Leslie’s. “You can’t always protect me, Leelee, but I probably wouldn’t have listened until now. I had to see for myself what Beau is, but I believe you.” She sniffled, trying not to cry. “And I’m going to talk to him, tell him to stop.”

  Leslie gripped her hand. “Be careful. There’s something very wrong with him.”

  “Wrong with who?” Shelley came through the open bedroom door, carrying a duffel bag. “What are you girls so cozy about? Haven’t seen you put your heads together about anything in months.”

  “We were talking about Derek and Beau.” Leslie got up from the bed.

  Shelley set the bag by the door. “Do I want to hear this?”

  Dawn stood alongside her sister. “Leslie was just trying to help me make up my mind about something.”

  Shelley’s eyebrows went up. “Can I ask what?”

  “What’s going on in here?” Her father walked into the bedroom, looking oblivious as usual. “Why isn’t anyone downstairs ready to roast marshmallows?”

  Shelley waved to her and Leslie. “Your daughter was just about to tell me she made up her mind about something having to do with Beau Devereaux.”

  Her father folded his arms, appearing stoic, but Dawn knew better. “Which one?”

  Shelley frowned at her husband and pointed at Dawn.

  John grinned. “What’s the big decision?”

  Dawn went back to her bed, the pressure of her parents’ curiosity suffocating her. She hadn’t even made up h
er mind yet and felt no need to share her problems with anyone.

  “It’s no big deal.”

  “Are you two having problems again?” Shelley took a step closer to the bed. “Because if you want to talk about—”

  Her father held up his hands, demanding quiet. “New rule. For the duration of the weekend, there will be no more talk of boyfriends. No one is to mention the names of Beau or Derek until we are back in St. Benedict. Agreed?”

  Dawn wasn’t crazy about the idea, but reluctantly nodded along with Leslie.

  John rocked cockily back and forth on his toes. “See? Problem solved.”

  He left the room, and a grimacing Shelley followed close behind him.

  Dawn sagged into the bed. It was going to be a long weekend.

  * * *

  The moon shone down on the beach next to the Bogue Falaya River while the pounding bass from speakers sent ripples out over the black water. Beau felt the throb of music through his tennis shoes, mesmerized by the dance of light on the shallow waves and how the canopy of trees arched over the river seemed to sway with the beat.

  He turned, nursing his bottle of water, already bored with the festivities. Revelers on the beach danced, most paired off in couples, while those gathered around the bonfires close to the water’s edge talked or checked their phones.

  A few of the guys from his football team had settled farther up the shoreline with a ping pong table and were doing shots of tequila every time someone missed the ball.

  How had he found such simple minds fun? Before Taylor, the kids at the river had intrigued him. Now, they bored him to death.

  Josh and Mitch sat on picnic tables not far from his spot, chatting with two scantily clad girls from Covington High who had heard about the party on Instagram.

  Beau loved the notoriety, but not the bigger crowds. He preferred the beach filled with locals who knew who he was and that he ruled the river.