Found by the Rivers

by liberty freer

  “It’s hard to completely cut ties with a parent, especially a mother,” Kelsoe says softly.

  I feel like crying, but I hold it in. “I just wanted her to love me,” I whisper, looking at the ground. “I didn’t understand why she couldn’t. I felt so hollow.”

  I’m pulled against Kelsoe’s chest. I grip his shirt as I will myself not to cry. This is seriously fucked up. Adam’s on the couch with the shit beat out of him, and I’m over here talking about my childhood problems. Kelsoe runs the palm of his hand up and down my back.

  “Damn, Lena. You can’t tell her no, now, Kelsoe. I don’t think any of us can,” Ramsey says. I feel his chest press up against my back. “You can have anything you want.” He kisses the top of my head. “You want a horse? Bitches are always talking about wanting a pony, right?”

  I could elbow him in the gut for that last comment, but I don’t. He means well. I turn to look up at him. “Maybe a puppy?” I grin playfully.

  He smiles. “Whatever you want.”

  The sound of a car door outside grabs our attention. I glance over at Adam. He seems to be sleeping. Whatever pain meds Chris gave him probably helped.

  “It’s just Tyler,” Kelsoe says. He lifts my chin. “You have us now. We’re your family. You can let your mother go.”

  I nod, not knowing what to say to that. I want his words to be true. I want it so bad that I’d do almost anything for it. I have this nagging feeling that keeps telling me this isn’t permanent. Nothing is. Kelsoe leaves out the front door, closing it behind him.

  Chris wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You okay?” he whispers in my ear.

  “I’m fine. Didn’t mean for all that to come out.” I wave my hand in the air like I can erase the words. “It was stupid and not the time or place.”

  He lightly kisses the top of my head. “Don’t worry about it. No such thing as the wrong place or time.”

  “Tyler got here fast,” I say.

  “He was in the next town over at a friend’s house,” Ramsey replies.

  “He’s on the couch,” I hear Kelsoe say from outside.

  “How bad?” a male voice asks.

  Chris opens the door. “He’ll live.”

  Tyler is not what I was expecting. Well, in some ways he is. His jeans look expensive, and they fit his thick thighs perfectly. He’s wearing a black button-down shirt that shows off his broad chest and narrow waist. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, revealing tattoos on both forearms. His almost white hair makes his ice-blue eyes pop. Those must be contacts. I’ve never seen eyes like that. This dude is fucking hot. Holy shit.

  His eyes land on me, and he smirks. “You must be Alena.”

  I arch a brow. “You’ve heard about me?”

  His smirk turns into an all-out grin, showing straight white teeth.

  Kelsoe clears his throat. “Are you ready? We’re good to go if you are.” He’s facing Tyler, but his eyes cut to me at the last second. I see the worry there. He really doesn’t want me to go.

  “I’m ready,” Tyler says calmly like he’s going for ice cream and not about to fight.

  I look down at my bare feet. “Let me grab my boots.”

  “She’s going?” I hear Tyler say, but I’m already headed to my room.

  I change into black leggings and a dark-blue tank before pulling on my black boots. I quickly twist my hair into a braid as I walk back into the living room. Zack’s sitting next to Adam in a chair that’s been brought in from the kitchen. He looks a little pale but seems to be doing better than he was earlier.

  Kneeling, I press the palm of my hand to Adam’s forehead, checking for fever. “You got this, Zack. I think he’s going to be fine. Just look out for any distress like trouble breathing or rapid heart rate.” I take Zack’s hand, placing his fingers on Adam’s neck. “Feel that? That’s what a normal pulse feels like.” I lift Adam’s shirt. “Keep an eye out for swelling in his abdomen.”

  Zack nods. “How do you know all this?”

  “My friend Alex and I have been in Adam’s shoes a couple times. We got good at playing doctor.”

  “Me too,” Zack whispers, his eyes trained on me and not on the guys who have all gone silent. “I’ve been in Adam’s shoes too.” He grabs my hand and squeezes. “You’re going to come back, right? When you left with your mom…”

  “I’m coming back.” I smile. “I promise,” I say, breaking all the rules. I never make promises.

  “You got this, bud?” Drew asks, bending down.

  “Just want everyone to come back.”

  Drew lays a hand on his shoulder. “I know, bud. I know.”

  I make note that Drew doesn’t feed Zack any promises. We’re walking into a bad situation. The Montgomerys are crazy. I just hope that Barette is there. “Who found Adam? How’d he get here?” I ask Drew.

  “Jess,” Ramsey says. “She was at the party. She’s at my place.”

  “We ready?” Chris asks, eyeing each of us.

  We all nod. I don’t look back at Zack as I follow the guys out the front door. I hope I can keep my promise.

  Chapter 22

  I turn off my emotions the best I can as we park a block down from the party. We’ve already driven by twice. There are a handful of cars parked out front, but it’s quiet. Too quiet for a party. It’s like they’re waiting for us. My stomach won’t calm down. Everything is telling me this is a bad idea. That we shouldn’t be here.

  I’m in the middle of the back seat. Drew is on one side of me and Tyler on the other. Kelsoe’s in the driver's seat with Chris in the passenger’s seat. Ramsey’s behind us on his bike. I think he’s the lucky one. He doesn’t have to feel all the nervous energy even though it’s probably just mine.

  The guys seem to be handling this better than me. I think it’s because I made that fucking promise to the kid. Normally, I wouldn’t care. I’ve had beatings. I’ve been close to death. Those things don’t bother me. There are worse things than being beat or leaving this world. That fucking kid though. Hurting him further would cut me deep.

  “Are we not bringing up how bad of an idea it is to bring her?” Tyler asks, breaking the silence.

  Ignoring him, I twist in the seat trying to face Drew. It’s cramped back here. Tyler’s as big as Kelsoe, and Drew has his legs wide-open. I tried making him close them some on the way here. He insisted his dick was too big to do so. I laughed my ass off at that. He didn’t think it was funny. Kelsoe, Chris, and Tyler did.

  “I promised him, Drew. I fucking promised Zack.”

  Drew nods. “Yeah. I know.” He doesn’t meet my eyes.

  I swallow the lump in my throat.

  “Fucking hell,” Tyler says. “You will make it back. Like any of us are going to let them hurt you. If shit hits the fan, you run.” He pauses. “Everyone good with the plan?”

  “Alena runs,” Kelsoe confirms with a nod.

  My mouth drops open. “That’s the fucking plan?” I laugh. “Oh my God.”

  “We don’t usually make plans. Kinda just go in swinging,” Chris says.

  I smirk as a plan takes form. “Now, you boys have me. We’re going to need to get Jess here ASAP.” I turn to Drew. “And I’ll need your phone.” I made the kid a promise that I intend to keep.

  ≈≈≈

  An hour later, I’m in the backyard alone with Barette. Well, I’m not completely alone. All the guys are hidden in the shadows, ready to jump in if needed. I’ve seen Barette a few times. I’ve even talked to him once or twice. If my instincts are right, Barette will listen, and all this will be resolved.

  Jess tricked him into meeting her in the backyard. She bailed as soon as I stepped out from the bushes. I smile at Barette. “Sorry about that.” I wave my hand in the direction Jess ran. “I just needed to talk to you without your brothers around.”

  Barette narrows his brown eyes, looking around the yard that’s encased in darkness. He hasn't changed much since our last encounter. His brown hair is in his usual military
style. He’s the tallest and most muscular Montgomery. Maybe it’s because he’s the oldest. His face is average looking but somehow looks daunting. His nose is on the smaller side, but his nostrils have a constant flare. If I didn’t know that he’s genuinely a good person, I’d be a lot more nervous than I am.

  “I’m not going to lie to you, we aren’t alone.” I roll my eyes. “They wouldn’t let me come alone.” I look Barette in the eyes. “But I swear, I just want to talk. As long as nobody touches me, it’ll be just you and me.” I let out a breath. “Do you remember me? You found me in the kitchen at a party. I was all busted up.” I wave my hand in front of my face. I had a black eye at the time. My first and hopefully last one. “You told me about the secret spot on the river. The one with the sandbar.” I watch his reaction. He nods once so I continue. “Thanks for that. I used it for a couple years. I was safe there.”

  I pinch my bottom lip between my finger and thumb. Even though the outline is planned, I don’t have a speech prepared. I don’t know the best way to lay it all out. “Your brother Ethan, he tried to rape me.” I guess I’m going with blunt.

  Darkness washes over his face. He stares at me. With both of us silent, it’s really fucking uncomfortable.

  “Continue,” he says.

  Just as I remember him—a man of few words. I lay it all out. I tell him about Kelsoe and Drew finding me at the river. How I didn’t want to go to the party, but I was running low on weed. I tell him about the vodka and orange juice, about the stairs, and about what I remember happening in the bedroom.

  And then, I show him the pictures on Drew’s phone. When Ethan backhanded me, there was a perfect outline of his ring on my cheek. I tell him how the guys, mostly Kelsoe and Ramsey, beat his ass, but how I wish it would have been me who had done the ass-kicking. I tell him about all the encounters I’ve had with Ethan and how he always acts like a sleaze. Barette doesn’t interrupt me once. I’m a little breathless when I finish.

  “All right, Red.” Barette smirks. “Here’s what we’re going to do.”

  ≈≈≈

  Thirty minutes later, I’m in Stephanie’s living room surrounded by Montgomerys. Barette has promised me and the Lost Boys that nobody would touch me. Never-the-fucking-less, I still find myself sweating.

  Barette has my hands pinned behind my back. All for show. He’s not even holding me that tight. I pretend to struggle. He tightens his grip, and shoves me forward, forcing me into the center of the room. It’s all part of the plan.

  I search the room, my eyes landing on each Montgomery. Ethan is sitting on a chair with Stephanie on his lap. Reece and Tommie are on the couch deep in conversation. All the Montgomerys besides Barette and Ethan are fair-skinned, blond, and blue-eyed. I don’t see the youngest Montgomery, but I didn’t expect to. Joey Montgomery drives down to visit his mom every summer.

  Stephanie’s the first to spot me. Her eyes widen and she stiffens. Ethan notices the change in her and follows her gaze.

  “Is this the lying bitch?” Barette asks the room, getting his brother’s attention.

  Ethan jumps up; Stephanie slides off his lap and onto the floor with a yelp. The urge to break loose and lay into Ethan is so fucking strong that I actually try to do it.

  “Calm down, Red,” Barette whispers in my ear.

  “Where’d you find her?” Ethan asks, narrowing his eyes at me.

  Barette laughs. “She came to talk to me.”

  This causes Ethan to laugh. “What the fuck? Really? Alone?” Ethan laughs again like it’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard.

  He really doesn’t know his brother at all.

  “Did you talk to her?” Tommie Montgomery asks.

  He’s on the couch, a phone in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other. He’s acting like he’s barely paying any attention to what’s going on, but I know this crazy bastard lives for the fight. I bet he’s hoping that the Lost Boys are on their way.

  “Not yet. Figured we’d all do it together,” Barette says.

  Tommie smirks. He stubs his cigarette out in the ashtray.

  Ethan limps forward. “See this, bitch?” He points to his leg.

  “Yeah. That’s called a leg, Ethan, and your attempted pimp walk looks like shit.” I roll my eyes.

  Tommie stands, his hands balled into fists at his side. His brother Reece, who’s on the couch next to him, whistles low.

  Ethan’s face turns bright red. “My leg is fucked. I can’t do shit with it.”

  Barette jostles me. “What do you want to do with her, Ethan?”

  Ethan smirks. “Give her to me. I’ll take care of her.”

  My fucking face pales. I don’t have to fake a reaction to his words. Just the thought of what he’d do to me makes my anxiety skyrocket.

  Reece laughs. “She looks like she’s going to puke. Maybe she’d like it if I handled her instead? I love a good redhead.” He laughs again. “I’m only kidding, Barette.” His eyes roam over my body.

  He’s not kidding. Anyone in the room can tell he’s not kidding. He only said it on the off chance Barette would let him. Barette’s thumb rubs my wrist in gentle circles. He’s reassuring me he won’t let that happen. This is the second time in my life I’m trusting him.

  “We could use her to bring the Rivers here,” Tommie says.

  “But this is all her fault. She’s the one who needs to be put in line,” Ethan snaps. He reaches his hand out to touch my face, but Barette steps back. Ethan drops his hand, his eyes narrowing. “This is my decision.” He gestures to his leg. “She lied to her boyfriend, and I got fucked for it.”

  Tommie laughs. “Looks like she doesn’t agree with that. Why’d you blab to your boyfriend? Did you regret sleeping with our dear brother?”

  I smile. “I would never sleep with Ethan willingly.” I turn my attention to Ethan. “Little bitches aren’t my type. That’s why you had to drug me, huh? When you couldn’t get in my pants, you resorted to rape.”

  Ethan snorts. “Yeah right. I get enough pussy. I don’t need to beg for it. And if I’d known you were a River’s dirty cunt, I would have never let you touch my dick.”

  I glance at Stephanie who has moved from the floor to sit back on the chair. I hope she’s understanding how insane her boyfriend is. I might not like her, but I wouldn’t wish Ethan on anyone. “That’s where you fucked up, isn't it? You thought I was a nobody: always alone and a bad home life. You figured you’d drug me and get away with it. Why me? Did I hurt your ego?” Barette lets me go. I step up closer to Ethan, so we are toe to toe. “You think you’d put me in my place by raping me? You think I’d start letting you fuck me? Or do you just get off on fucking lifeless things?”

  “You dumb bitch. You were nothing! Nobody was supposed to come looking for you!”

  The world spins by in a blur as my feet leave the ground. I briefly wonder if I’ve been hit. Nothing hurts though. My head swims with dizziness. I’m in Kelsoe’s arms on the other side of the room by the front door. I hear the Montgomerys yelling. Barette’s voice booms over them. Telling them to shut the fuck up.

  “Did you overreact, Kelsoe? You’re not supposed to be in here.” I smile up at him. He was supposed to wait in the hallway where nobody could see him.

  “He was going to hit you. I couldn’t let that happen, Red.”

  “What the fuck is going on! That’s the motherfucker that jumped me. Beat his ass!”

  I can hear Ethan yelling, but my back is to him, so I can’t see what’s going on.

  “Come on back, Red,” Barette calls.

  “You okay?” Kelsoe’s voice is just a whisper.

  “I’m fine. Let’s go see the finale,” I say, and Kelsoe takes my hand.

  All eyes are on Kelsoe and I as we come back into the room.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Ethan asks, eyeing each of his brothers.

  “The Rivers and the Montgomerys have coexisted until you come in with your bullshit, getting everyone worked up. I had a feeling yo
u were full of shit.” Barette rolls his eyes. “Tommie and Reece love any excuse to fight, so they didn’t care if it was true or not.” Barette looks to Kelsoe. “Both our families are big players in town. I didn’t want to jump into a war if it could be avoided.” Barette smiles at me. “Plus, Red is good people.” Barette’s gaze slowly drifts to Ethan. “You didn’t know I knew her, did you?”

  Ethan swallows. “No.”

  “I do. You drugged and tried to rape her. The Rivers had every right to do what they did.”

  “You let us beat Adam’s ass,” Tommie says. “Won’t the Rivers want retaliation for that?”

  This is the kinda fucked-up part. The part Kelsoe was hesitant about. If circumstances were normal, then yeah, the guys would probably want to retaliate, but as Barette informed us outside, Adam fucked up.

  He slept with the Montgomerys’ only sister. She got pregnant, and he bailed. He didn't want anything to do with the kid—even with the DNA test proving he’s the father. The Lost Boys aren’t cool with deadbeat parents. He knows how it fucks with a kid’s life. Adam has a one-year-old son that he’s never even met.

  “Adam had it coming for other reasons,” Barette says. “The unspoken truce is still in effect. We don’t fuck with theirs, and they don’t fuck with ours. From now on, if anyone has a problem with one of the Rivers, you tell me, and I’ll talk to Kelsoe.” Barette paces the room. “And Kelsoe will talk to me if him or his has any problems.” He turns his attention to Ethan. “You’ll be going to stay with Uncle Bruce in Arkansas. Penny’s doing good there. Hopefully, you will too.”

  The look on Ethan face is, well, I almost feel bad for the fucker. Almost.

  Barette turns to Kelsoe and me. “Let me walk you two out.”

  Kelsoe and I follow Barette out front where the guys are waiting. They all relax when they see us.

  “My brothers, mostly Reece, fuck up occasionally, but we are all on the same side. I want the same things you do. I think we should work together,” Barette says. He rubs the back of his neck. “Just think about it.”

  “What’s he talking about?” I ask Kelsoe once Barette heads inside and we move towards the SUV.