Judging by the bulk of him along my back, he’d grown a couple inches since I’d last seen him and had filled out, no longer the somewhat scrawny kid I’d known. I always wondered if he’d changed much over the years, but I’d never allowed myself to look. I’d never allowed myself to ask Ghost or Aaron about him, thinking it was better for everyone—me especially—to have a clean break. To forget about him as best I could.
But it was painfully obvious now, as that low hum of awareness I’d always felt around him buzzed through my veins, that I hadn’t forgotten an inch of his body. Hadn’t forgotten the sound of his voice.
Hadn’t forgotten how safe it felt to be held in his arms.
Chapter Four
As quickly as the thought had come to me, it fled, replaced by a wave of anger, my helplessness and fear transforming into aggression in the blink of an eye.
“Get off me,” I said, enunciating each word and pushing as much force into my voice as I could.
“Are you going to be a good girl and not fight?”
His tone, so carefree and steady, almost patronizing, only pissed me off more. “I said,” I spat, twisting my head around until our noses were only an inch apart, “get off me.”
He stared at me, his eyes flitting between mine in the muted light spilling down from upstairs. Then slowly, oh so slowly, he started relaxing his grip on me until, finally, he stepped back, the weight and heat of his body stolen from mine. I closed my eyes, resting my face against the wall, and breathed a sigh of relief as I tried to get my bearings.
When I once again had the mask in place, I pushed off from the wall and turned to face him. And even though I’d taken the time I’d needed to get myself in character, it hadn’t helped. I might as well have done nothing at all as the shock of seeing him once again after so long with only my memories to keep me company hit me full force, a roundhouse kick to the chest.
I’d been right—he had filled out since eighteen. While still not as bulky as Ghost, Riley had grown, his once lanky body transforming to something lean and muscular. His hair was longer than it’d been when I’d known him, no longer the buzz cut he’d once favored. The sides and back were trimmed close now, but the top was grown out a bit more and shaggy. His eyes, even in the dim light, were still just as piercing as they’d always been, the crystal-clear blue of the ocean reflecting back at me. His jaw was shadowed with a day or two’s worth of stubble—something he’d never done back when he was a kid. It made him look older, harder, harsher—another thing he’d never been in all the time I’d known him. Though he’d tried, though he’d put on a front because he looked up to his brother and wanted to be like him—something I knew he’d never admit to—he hadn’t ever really fit in with the crew. He was too laid back, too easygoing, too happy to truly fit in with a group of people who broke the law for a living.
And yet here he was.
How much had these past five years changed him?
Forcing myself to snap out of my musings on the kind of guy Riley was now—because it shouldn’t matter; it didn’t matter—I asked, “Why are you here?”
He was quiet for a moment, and if he was shocked to see me, he didn’t let on. Had he known I was here this whole time? I wondered if, despite my attempts to keep myself hidden from him, he’d found me anyway somewhere along the line. The thought that he’d known where I was but hadn’t made any effort to see me shouldn’t sting the way it did.
His face was a mask, hardly different from the one I put in place every day. Finally, he said, “Ghost sent me.”
I swallowed against the disappointment I felt, pushing it down, down, down. Burying it deep where it belonged. There wasn’t room here, in the life I lived now, for those kinds of emotions. Especially not when they were for Riley. “Why?”
He stared at me for another moment, then blew out his breath and shook his head, a hollow laugh leaving his lips as he looked toward the floor. “Apparently my ex-girlfriend, who I thought was dead, is alive and well, living in a fucking mansion in Minneapolis.” He looked up at me, his eyes locked on mine. “Engaged to a rising attorney.”
He didn’t let me answer, didn’t even give me time to contemplate the look in his eyes, before he plowed on, “A picture-perfect life to anyone looking in. Not for long, though. You’ve got a bull’s-eye on your back, and people are coming to collect. Soon.”
RILEY
The trip here had been brutal, both because I’d been awake for nearly twenty-four hours, thanks to the job I’d just come off of when I’d gotten Gage’s call, and because my mind wouldn’t stop spinning. Like Gage had told me to, I’d dropped everything and moved as quickly as I could. I’d thrown a couple things in a bag, jumped on my bike, and gotten the hell out of the city. Minneapolis was a long enough trek from the South Side of Chicago—one that was, thankfully, made easier by the middle-of-the-night road trip and the fact that I didn’t have a problem breaking every speed limit, but I was still edgy. Still worried I wouldn’t make it to Evie before someone else did.
And now that I was here, looking at her in the flesh for the first time in so long, I didn’t know what the fuck I was feeling. Over the course of the past five years, I’d run the gamut of emotions when dealing with grief, eventually ending with acceptance.
Yet here she was, standing in front of me, alive and well. A part of me wanted to simply turn around and leave, forget all of this. But then another part of me—a part that was too fucking big for my liking—wanted to grab her and shake her, brush her hair back from her face and look into her eyes, feel her under my hands and make sure she was real.
“I’m not—” she started, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair.
I still couldn’t get over it—how different it was from the short, blunt styles she’d always preferred. Before, she’d dyed her hair a different color every week and had dressed in all black. Combat boots and baggy black jeans all topped off with a fuck-everything attitude. Now, she stood in front of me, her long, vibrant red hair hanging in loose curls all the way down her back, an oversized ivory sweater falling off one shoulder, not even a bra strap to interrupt the creamy, pale skin dotted with the freckles I’d once had memorized. My fingers itched to see if she was as soft as I remembered.
She looked up at me, her eyes pinning me in place just like they used to. With her jaw set and her shoulders straightened, her arms crossed right under the tits I was sure were bare beneath that sweater, she said, “I’m not going anywhere, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”
I clenched my teeth, at both my reaction to seeing her in the flesh and her defiance. I’d already anticipated her reluctance. As much as Evie had changed—and I had no doubt she’d changed as much as I had these past five years—she wouldn’t have been able to drop this part of herself completely. The part that always pushed back, the part that always had to be in control—the part that had craved it.
While I’d definitely anticipated that aspect of her, what I hadn’t anticipated was the pull I still felt toward her. Shoving that aside, forcing it down where it belonged, I said, “You’d rather stay here like a sitting duck? Waiting for whoever Max sent? Whoever is coming? Because”—I stepped closer to her, lowering my voice—“don’t doubt this, Evie. They’re coming.”
She rolled her shoulders back, jutted out her chin. Defiance pouring from every inch of her. “I can take care of myself.”
Raising an eyebrow, I said, “Can you, now? Take care of yourself like you did when I had you pressed up against the wall? If I was someone who wanted you dead, make no mistake, you would be right now.”
Her eyes hardened even further, into the look I used to be wary of. The one that used to tell me I needed to tread carefully. That was the great thing about no longer being together, though. I didn’t have to tread for shit. “If you think Max will let you go after a talk, you’re wrong. You have something he wants. Whether that’s literal or figurative, I don’t know. But either way, he’s not going to stop with just a slap
on the wrist.”
With her arms still crossed, she stared at me, none of her softening at my threat. Willing to do anything to get her to concede, I tried a different tactic, even though the words burned my throat as they came out. “What about your fiancé? What about keeping him safe? Whoever is coming isn’t going to stop with just you, if they find him here.”
It was the first time I saw any kind of emotion other than anger cross her face, and I clenched my fists at the wave of unease that washed over me. I hadn’t felt jealousy in a long, long time, and I sure as hell wasn’t ready to feel it now. Not for her. Not for the girl who, up until half a dozen hours ago, had been out of my life—dead to me—for the past five years. She wasn’t mine anymore, and I had no right feeling anything other than indifference now.
“He’s out of the country until the end of the month, probably.” She shook her head and glanced out toward the window across the room. As she did so, the softest whisper of movement from somewhere else in the house caught my attention. “I can—”
So fast she didn’t see it coming, I had my hand over her mouth, her body clutched tightly against me, chest to chest as I pressed her back into the wall around the corner. We hadn’t turned on any lights, and it was still dark outside, providing the cloak of coverage we needed. Lowering my mouth so my lips brushed against her ear, I breathed, “We’ve got company.”
She went still as stone in my arms, and I carefully removed my hand from over her mouth, clutching her harder against me and telling her without words to stay still. We stood there, waiting, watching, for what felt like an hour, when in actuality it was mere seconds.
Whoever had broken in was good, because as hard as I tried to hear something, anything, there were no noises. I peered over my shoulder and strained my eyes, looking for shapes in the shadows, and finally, just when I started to wonder if I’d mistakenly heard something, a dark form loomed on the wall across from us. Evie tensed even further in my arms. I gripped her hips and pushed her back against the wall, pressing her into it, hoping she got my meaning and stayed put while I dealt with the problem.
I didn’t know who was here, if it was just one guy or a handful. And if it was the latter, I didn’t know if I’d be able to take them all down while keeping Evie safe. Making sure she got out was my number-one goal. That was why Gage had sent me here, because he’d known that even after so long, after years of her absence, after accepting her death, I would still do anything for her.
Before I could focus anymore on the what-ifs, the shadow disappeared and a dark shape loomed in front of me.
I didn’t even pause before I took the first swing.
Chapter Five
EVIE
One minute, Riley was pressing me into the wall, his hands telling me without words to stay right where I was, and the next I heard the sickening sound of flesh against bone, followed immediately by a grunt. I held my breath, praying the groans I was hearing weren’t coming from Riley. While I tried in vain to see what was going on, I listened to the sounds of the fight, my back flattened against the wall. It was too dark, though, the shadows playing tricks on my eyes, and I couldn’t tell what was happening, who was getting hits in … who was the one taking those hits.
I didn’t know how long it’d gone on for, me standing against the wall, watching and listening and waiting, before I realized this wasn’t me—the girl who stayed out of the way while a guy fought her battles for her. That was Genevieve, the girl who’d never been in fights, who’d never learned to defend herself.
The girl who’d never had to.
As much as I didn’t want to distract Riley from what he was doing, I couldn’t stay still any longer. I had the ability to help, and I was going to. This was my fight, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to let someone else fight it for me.
As quietly as I could, I slipped away and toward the front entry where there was a heavy plaster figurine. I’d always hated it, this woman wrapped in flowers, her pale blond hair flowing down her back, a serene smile on her face.
With the statue gripped in my hand, I crept over to where Riley and the other man were in a full-out brawl now. One person definitely had the upper hand, getting in most—if not all—of the hits. I only hoped it was Riley. Squinting my eyes, I tried to make sense of the bodies in front of me. One was taller than the other by several inches, bigger, too. And while Riley wasn’t massive, he also wasn’t scrawny, not like the dark form I saw attempting to block the near-constant incoming strikes.
Confident the smaller shape was the intruder, I moved around to the other side, being sure to stay in the shadows so I didn’t distract Riley from what he was doing. When I got into place, the alcove off the dining room my cover, I gripped the statue in my hands and waited.
Riley and the other man stumbled in front of the staircase and into the light spilling down from upstairs. Riley’s face was more pronounced in the shadows, the hard, sharp edge of his jaw and the hollows under his cheeks making him look intimidating … and so different from the boy I once knew. I was so relieved to see that he was free of any cuts and bruises that I forgot what I was doing for a moment, not moving as swiftly as I should’ve.
Not wanting to waste any more time, I stepped out of the shadows, coming up behind the intruder. My movement alerted Riley and he looked up at me, shifting his attention from the fight in front of him to me. The look in his eyes was something I’d seen from him more times than I could count.
Pure, undiluted fear. For me.
Years ago, back when we’d been together, we’d run jobs for the crew, the two of us a team, though no one there had ever known of our relationship besides Ghost. My job hadn’t been physical—I had always been the knowledge collector, used to ferret out information. And I’d been good, but Riley had always come with, just in case. He’d been smaller then, but he’d always known how to fight, and every time he’d had to step up and fight off someone, I’d be right there next to him, helping in any way I could. And every time, there had always been a moment where Riley would look at me, his expression full of worry and uncertainty … full of terror for my safety.
I’d loved that look, because it’d meant someone had cared for me. Truly cared for me, for more than what I could give them—whether that was my body or my mind.
But just like before, I didn’t like staying in the shadows. I didn’t like other people fighting for me. Riley and I had always worked best as a team, and I was sure that would still ring true now.
I raised the statue over my head, ready to bring it down on this guy, when he used Riley’s distraction to his advantage. He got a punch in, and Riley staggered back, his head snapping to the side at the same time I swung.
RILEY
A thud sounded, followed by a grunt, and then I twisted back around and watched as the guy’s body slumped to the floor. Evie was standing over him, some object clutched in her hand. When she looked up at me, the dim light from upstairs casting shadows over her face, her eyes were brimming with determination.
And that pissed me off.
“Evie, what the fuck?” I snapped, walking over and pushing at the guy on the ground with my boot. He flopped over, his body lifeless, and I reached down to feel for a pulse.
“He’s just unconscious,” she said with certainty. Then with irritation lacing her voice, she continued, “I fended him off. You should be thanking me, not yelling at me.”
I stood from where I was squatting and glared at her. “You could’ve killed him. You’ve got to think, Evie. What the hell would we do if you had a dead body in your house? Jesus Christ.” I clasped my hands together behind my head and spun in a circle.
“Well, I’m not apologizing for it.” Her voice was hard, and if I’d been looking at her, I knew she’d be staring back at me with eyes just as hard. “Jesus, Riley, you act like I’ve never had your back in a fight before.”
Walking up to her, I didn’t stop until we were mere inches apart, her head tipped back to look at me. “A lot has changed i
n the past five years, me included. Starting now, we do things my way or not at all.”
“Not at all it is, then.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I pointed to the guy sprawled out on her floor. “Not at all isn’t an option for you anymore, baby. Sorry. Now here’s what’s going to happen.” I gripped her shoulders, turned her around, and pushed her toward the steps. “Go get whatever necessities you need. And I mean basic necessities. You’ve got five minutes and then we’re leaving.”
She breathed out a laugh. “You’re kidding, right? This Neanderthal bullshit didn’t work back then, and it’s sure as hell not going to work now.”
“Oh, it’s going to work, because I’m not leaving here without you. So you can either get your shit and come with me willingly, or I can toss you over my shoulder and haul you out of here. Your choice.”
Her mouth dropped open before her eyes narrowed. “You cannot haul me out of here, that’s—”
“Exactly what I’ll do if you don’t get your ass in gear.” I went over and flipped on a light, then walked back to see who the guy was. Squatting next to the unconscious form, I turned his head toward me so I could get a good look at his face.
“Shit,” I muttered.
It was Frankie, a greasy, creepy son of a bitch who used to work with the crew. He’d made himself scarce since an incident involving Gage and his girlfriend, Madison. Frankie had been aggressive toward her and made some brutally crude comment about Madison. If Gage ever saw him again, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop him from bringing a world of hurt down on this asshole. A world of hurt that would make getting knocked unconscious by a statue seem like child’s play.
“See what you’re dealing with? It’s not going to stop with him, Evie, more are—” I glanced up at her, and her face had gone white, her eyes wide as she stared at the unconscious form of Frankie on the floor. “Evie?”
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