CHAPTER 28
Riven
Mother Mother - Hayloft II
Istand in front of Evren’s car while Ren talks, probably explaining how to replace a side mirror, but I’m not listening.
Why would I listen? I won't do a fucking thing he says.
I glance around when a shadow falls over me from behind.
I stiffen.
It’s not Evren.
It’s someone far more imposing.
Slowly—painfully—I turn my head like a malfunctioning robot, moving in short, jerky motions.
My gaze lands on arms thicker than my own legs, then slowly travels upward.
And up.
And up.
Until I meet the eyes of a man so tall, it’s like looking at a fucking mountain.
His stare burns, but there’s something strangely calm about it.
“Riven.” His voice is deep, steady. It seems to vibrate through my entire body. “Listen to Ren. I don’t want to hurt you. Do you understand?”
I swallow.
Evren could snap me in half if he wanted.
This man? This man could snap anyone in half.
He’s terrifying.
I nod, the movement sharp and jerky, then immediately turn back to Ren, trembling.
I’m not stupid enough to pick a fight with this.
“This is Varek.” Ren’s voice finally cuts through the haze in my head. “He’s calm. Loyal as hell. Doesn’t throw his weight around for no reason. But trust me, you do not want to find yourself between those hands if Evren gives the word. So focus and work.”
I can only nod and try to follow Ren’s instructions.
The hood of Evren’s car sags under my weight.
Grease is smeared all over me, and I don’t even know what else.
I was working on the windshield.
But what can I say?
Varek is terrifying.
He just stands there, staring at me like I’m going to bolt the second he looks away.
Which I absolutely will.
It’s been hours, and I’m still wrestling with that stupid cowl panel—or whatever the hell Ren said it was called.
I haven’t accomplished shit. And it’s starting to piss me off more than being watched like a child.
I try again.
Being watched, only makes me more conscious of how long I’ve been stuck on this stupid thing.
I lift my head, sitting back on my heels and wipe my brow.
My eyes sweep across the garage, only to meet a dozen pairs of eyes already watching me, besides Varek and Ren.
“What?!” I bark. “Don’t you assholes have anything better to do? Or do you usually spend your days sucking each other off and watching other people?”
A stunned murmur ripples through the garage before giving way to outrage and fury.
A few of them rise to their feet and start to advance on me.
I don’t move.
My face stays blank, but my pounding heart gives away just how badly I’m shitting myself.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“You’re getting too comfortable, thinking you’ve got the boss’s protection.”
My eyes widen ever so slightly.
Protection? What? What are they talking about?
He would never.
I’m about to open my mouth and, most likely, make things even worse when suddenly, Evren steps in front of me, appearing like some fucked up ghost out of nowhere.
“Back off,” he snarls. The veins in his neck bulge, standing out beneath his skin. “Or do I need to kill someone else? She’s working. She’s a brat—”
At the insult, I hurl the tool in my hand at his head.
He ducks without even looking, and the tool sails past him, smacking into the chest of one of the men who had been advancing on me.
“See?” he says dryly. “A brat.”
He glances over his shoulder at me before turning his attention back to his men.
“But she’s fixing my car. She’s slow as fuck at it, but she’s doing it. And if any of you bother her, or touch her…”
He lets the words hang in the air, the threat clear even without saying it.
“What the fuck is wrong with you Evren?” I snap. “Since when do you give a shit? I don’t need your help or whatever—”
He moves in a blur.
One second, he’s standing in front of me, the next he’s on me, slamming me back against the hood.
His body cages mine, coiled tight with restrained violence.
“You think you can handle them?” he asks, leaning in.
Evren’s eyes glow, his face utterly serious, stripped of any trace of sarcasm or amusement.
It makes my skin prickle and my stomach twists.
Ever since he kidnapped me—whether it was yesterday or sometime in the middle of the night—he hasn’t been joking.
Not once.
That terrifies me.
I can’t speak. I can only stare.
His sarcasm, his refusal to take anything seriously, they make me feel like I actually have a chance.
A chance to kill him. A chance to hurt him.
But when all of that disappears, when there’s no amusement, no mocking grin…
I realize just how wrong I am.
“What’s the matter, Riven?” he whispers in my ear.
His hips pin mine, and I can feel the unmistakable bulge between us, applying pressure on my pelvis.
My jaw clenches so hard it aches.
“Get off me,” I hiss through gritted teeth.
God, I hate him so much.
I want to drive my nails into his eyes and claw until something gives with a wet, disgusting sound.
“Or what?”
My breath quickens.
I hate the way my body betrays me, I feel it, the wetness between my thighs.
“Make me let you go.” he murmurs.
He pauses.
Then a crooked smile spreads across his face—creepy, terrifying, enough to make my entire body go rigid with fear.
He leans in, his breath warm against my ear.
Evren pushes himself off me and drops back onto the ground, leaving me sprawled across the hood.
I sit up, my face burning with anger—and something I refuse to acknowledge.
I turn back to the windshield, ignoring the sting in my burned hand or the probable bruises from being shoved and pinned everywhere.
I work on the damn car like it owes me money.
Which is ironic, considering I’m the one who wrecked it.
I suddenly feel a warm breath against the back of my neck, and I freeze.
The movement of me prying off the cowl panel stops dead.
“Make sure you fix it properly,” Evren whispers in my ear.
His hands settle on my hips, his fingers digging into the flesh through the pants.
I yelp.
“Or you'll never go back up there. And we both want you to get the fuck out.”
He pauses.
“And I don't want to be responsible for what happens if you stay for too long.”
I whirl around, my elbow flying on instinct. Aiming straight for his cheekbone.
My body reacts before my mind catches up.
Evren's hands leave my hips in an instant. Then one closes around my throat.
His face twists with fury.
“Do not, Riven.” His voice is final. “Hit me again, and I swear to whatever God exists, I'll fuck you right here, right now, in front of everyone, until you're left dripping with my cum like a whore.”
His grip tightens around my throat—not enough to cut off my air, but more than enough to make his point.
Pain and fear flash across my face.
He's serious. He'll do it.
I see it in his glowing eyes. I claw at his wrist.
“Let go, Evren!”
I kick uselessly, my legs flailing beneath me.
He releases me abruptly, and I stagger back, clutching my throat.
Running a hand through his black hair streaked with red, he takes a slow breath.
“Fix my car. You don't leave until it's done.” He pauses, his gaze settling on me. “Ren. Varek. Teach her. Don't help her. If it's not perfect, she does it again. And again.”
His expression hardens.
“She's a spoiled rich brat.” Another beat. “Time she learned how the real world works.”
Evren turns on his heel and walks away.
“And bandage her hand properly,” He throws over his shoulder. “I don't want her hurting herself anymore. If she becomes useless... get rid of her.”
I stand there, still gasping, watching him disappear into the garage.
Get rid of me? Like I’m a trash bag? He thinks I'm a spoiled brat?
He doesn't know a fucking thing about me.
I swallow the rage clawing its way up my throat.
Fine.
I'll show him exactly what a spoiled brat can do.