The muscles in my jaw tighten as I clench down hard. My hands slowly ball into fists and I take a deep breath in, keeping myself calm. I didn’t knowexactlywhat he was going to do toher, but I had my suspicions. Julien wouldn’t force himself on someone; he’s not like that. He’s fucked in the head sometimes, sure, but his thoughts on anything nonconsensual matches mine. Our world bleeds in shades of gray, and we stumble through it, numb to the difference. I know what happened today belongs in that same place—where right and wrong don’t mean shit anymore, and innocence is just another thing that gets lost. Julien doesn’t beg. Especially not for a blowjob. He would have a line of eager mouths, both women and men wrapped around the damn block with a snap of his fingers. Maybe I’m misunderstanding her. God, I hope I am. Because if I’m not, I don’t care if he’s like a brother to me, I’ll bury him six-feet under.
“What do you mean,madeyou? Did he force himself?” I keep my tone even, although I’m ready to pounce, to shake the answer from her.
She glares up at me, her gray eyes painfully sad, and slowly raises her head so I can see the rest of her beautiful face. Her mascara is smudged from her crying and probably her interlude with Julien, but other than that, she seems unscathed. There's no blood, and she appears pain-free, so nothing seems broken.
“No. He gave me a choice. But it was a trick. That’s all you assholes know how to do, isn’t it? Lie and cheat to get what you want.” She dismisses her words with a scoff and a shake of disbelief. Riley rises to her feet and steps away from me when I offer to help her get her balance. “Don’t touch me, Wes.” Her sullen words offer no bite.
My chest squeezes at hearing those words. It’s the first time I can ever remember a girl affecting me this way. She won’t push me away that easily. She can’t. “Come here.” I pull her to my chest and wrap her in a hug, pressing her cheek to my chest. She doesn’t move. Doesn’t fight. Just stands there and lets me hold her. While she’s not hugging me back, she’s not pushing me away, so I’ll take it as a win. “What’d he say?”
“Suck his cock or he’d break Derek’s arm.” I feel wetness hit my tattooed arm and I pull away, tipping her face up to me, and wiping the tears from under her eyes. She closes them and takes a shuddering breath. “But he told me he let him go after the fact. He tricked me to get a blowie. He had no intentions of hurting him more, just wanted to embarrass me. Wanted to show me he’s smarter than me,” she bites off the last word as her anger rears its head again. She tries to shove me, but I hold her tighter. “Just leave me alone.”
Julien was done with Derek the moment he told her to run. He gave him some nice parting words that almost made him shit himself. Luckily for Derek, the "no guns outside the shooting range" rule is strictly enforced. Any student found in possession of one would be disciplined harshly. And let’s just say fingernails are optional. Plus, his uncle would kill us, literally. But this little run-in won’t be more than a slap on the wrist. It’s hard when there are so many enemies amongst families. You can only control so much, and sometimes things happen. Derek won’t be fucking around with any of us anytime soon, that’s sure as shit.
But for Julien to make Riley suck him, and then turn and leave her like a worthless whore, makes my blood boil. She doesn’t deserve that. He’s as confused as the rest of us, and the uncertainty of the situation makes her an easy target, but we need her. So no matter how he feels, a broken girl does us no good. I hold her tighter and kiss the top of her head, breathing her scent in.It’s going to be okay. I’ve got you. The words are on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t say them. It's pointless to; she won't believe me, anyway.
She speaks in a low voice, her voice muffled by my chest. “I wish I’d never met you. Wish you’d all leave me the hell alone.”
The words feel like a sucker punch, leaving me breathless and reeling. I huff out a breath and my lips turn down in a frown. Not that she’d know how those words truly affect me. I don’twant her to hate me. I’ve never wanted someone the same way I want Riley. There’s something about her that draws me in—I don’t know what it is. She’s intoxicating. Everything about her screamsmine!
She traces the pattern of tattoos that are peaking out from under my rolled sleeves. At first it’s disinterest, an involuntary tic, and then her movements become more focused. She follows the curves and hard lines of each one she can see. “How many do you have?” she asks.
“Seventeen.”
The same age I was when my brother died in a horrific car accident and I became the albatross around my parents' neck. He was the prodigal son, destined to follow in our father’s footsteps. He could do no wrong. I was the spare; and my father paid me no attention, especially after he uncovered my true thoughts on the family business.
I shiver and clasp my hand over hers, stopping her exploration. Then push the terrible memories aside and focus on Riley. “We need to get you back to campus.”
“Why?” She looks up at me for the first time since I found her and I soften. She draws her brows down and her eyes are bright and glassy from the crying. Even through the hell she just endured, she’s still beautiful.
“Because you have classes.” I push an errand bunch of hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ear.
“Not that.” She waves her hand in front of her face. “Why are you being nice to me? You’ve been out to get me since the moment I arrived. I have done nothing to you guys. I know I don’t deserve to be treated like this.”
I hum in reply and gather my thoughts. “No. You don’t. But things are a lot bigger than you and Julien.”
Without her, Julien’s plan will fall apart. Julien thinks it would be best to leave her like a broken doll, but she needs tobe whole. She needs to fight along with us, not being dragged behind. The entire situation changed when she came here, and like it or not, how we have her needs to change, too. She needs to learn to fight and carry her own weight. It’s going to be a tough road for all of us, especially if we can pull it off; but we won’t succeed without her. I can feel it deep in my gut.
She’s not accustomed to this world—our world. For her, the worst thing that can happen is coming here. For most students, Pointebreak is the start of their lives. It’s how they will survive the darkened world we all come from. Pointebreak hires the best of the best for a reason and she’s going to find out the hard way that skipping classes aren’t an option. Sick, tired, or hungover…you show up.
“I don’t even know what that means, Wes.”
“Listen, Riley, I know things here are a lot different from what you're used to. Your dad threw you in the deep end without a life vest, but you’ll learn quickly it’s sink or swim. You need to keep your head down and your mouth shut. Do as you’re told and stop trying to piss Julien off.”
“He—”
“No. I don’t care. Stop with the self-righteousness and trying to be friends with everyone. They aren’t your friends, they’re your enemies and will tear you down the moment they can. Everyone here’s grown up knowing exactly who they are, and who their families are.” I pause and mull over my next words. “If you want, I can help you.”
Let me help you.
She sighs and wipes her face, smudging a little dirt along her cheek. I rub it off and caress her soft skin. She pushes out a harsh breath. “Help me how?”
I grin down at her. “We’ll train together. Weights, cardio, agility. All of it.”
“Yeah, I’m sure Julien’ll love that,” she says sarcastically, then licks her lips. I’m achingly aware of the movement and start to wonder what else that tongue can do. “What’s in it for you?”
That’s a great question and one I can’t answer. Well, I fear she won’t like the answer. When Riley stepped out of the car and onto Pointebreak campus, the hate radiating off Julien was palpable. The air was electrified and everyone instinctively knew to stay away. He was on high alert, and Zander and I jumped in like we always do. We’re equals, the three of us, but we will always follow Julien’s lead. Which is why I’m struggling to go against an order from him.
He’s wrong about her, though. I just know it. He thinks she’s weak, but I want to prove she’s not. I want to show him what she can do, and what she’swillingto do to get what she wants. She’s already proved today she’s prepared to do what she has to. If we can channel that energy to be directed with us instead of at us, we’d be unstoppable. I can almost taste victory, and it’s so fucking sweet.
