Chapter 26
River
“Greg is coming over to dinner.” My mother informs me as I sit on the edge of my bed.
These fucking drugs don’t do shit for me.
I’m still on edge, having nightmares, and just can’t calm myself in general.
It’s been a month since I’ve been home, and all I can think about is slitting my own wrists and ending it all.
The pain doesn’t go away. It lingers there, sticking to me like a wet shirt.
“And?”
“And I expect you to act like an adult, River.”
“I don’t want anything to do with Greg.”
“But you do want the money, yes?” she asks as I roll my eyes.
“We’ve been over this. I don’t care about the money.”
“But your father does! And this is a huge deal for him, River. Now stop acting like a little bitch and act accordingly!” I almost laugh at her.
She has no idea what she’s talking about right now.
I will not act accordingly. In fact, I’ve had enough of being here.
The medicine isn’t working. The shrink isn’t working.
What the hell am I even doing here still?
I shove off the bed and walk over, grabbing a bag and stuffing a few things into it.
“What are you doing?”
“Leaving.”
“No, you’re not. Ryan!” She yells for my father, but I’m already shoving my shit into the bag. My father comes in and looks between me and her.
“She’s trying to leave again,” my mother tells him.
“Not this time,” he growls as I turn to look at him.
“You can’t keep me here.”
“I can and I will.”
“I’m an adult. You try and keep me here, and I will expose everything. Every fucking secret I know about this family, and I’ll tell what really happened to me. You want a scandal? I’ll give them more than one,” I threaten him. He looks from me to my mother and back again.
“You leave here, and I’ll ensure you never get married. You will never lay a finger on that money,” he warns me as I begin to laugh.
“You can’t stop me from marrying anyone.”
“I can and I will. No one in their right mind would have you, River. This was all for business,” he reminds me. I huff a laugh as I look down at the string around my finger.
“Maybe I don’t need someone in their right mind.”
“You walk out of here, and you are done. Do you hear me? You’re done! You’re never coming back, and we will never take care of you again.”
“Is that a promise?” I ask, keeping my head held high. Without another word, I walk past them and out the door, throwing my bag over my shoulder. I don’t need them. I need him. I need Royal. He’s the only one who can make this all go away. He’s the only one I trust with this and my heart.
I understand his reasons for leaving me. At first, I wanted to hate him. I thought I might, but the more I thought about it, the more I know he did what he thought was best.
I rush out the front door and down the steps, heading down the driveway and begin to walk.
I keep walking. And walking. Getting across town isn’t as easy as I thought it would be, but I do it. I make it to the warehouse and see the door boarded up, so I walk around and climb in the busted window.
It’s dark in here, but I pull out my phone to shine a light.
“Royal? Are you here?” I call out, but I get no response.
“Jeremy?” I call out as I walk toward the center of the room. I keep going to the corner where we slept at times to find the sleeping bags rolled up. They must be at a hotel, or they’re just out somewhere.
I drop my bag and slide down the wall until I’m sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest. I wonder where they are.
I lean over and grab Royal’s pillow and pull it into my lap. Then I bury my face in it, inhaling his scent. Fuck, I’ve missed him. More than I thought I would. I miss him holding me. I miss him telling me things will be okay.
I lean my head back against the brick and close my eyes, praying that one or both of them will come back soon. I hate being here alone.
I doze off because the next thing I know is the sun is shining through the busted windows. I groan as I sit up straight and stretch my back. Neither of them came back here last night.
I toss Royal’s pillow back on the pile and shove myself up to stand. I stretch a little more before I get ready to leave and go look for them. If they aren’t here, then it has to be the hotel that they’re at.
I leave the same way I came in and walk down the block. I know Royal hated me out here on my own, but I have a reason this time. I get to the hotel and walk in the front doors, asking if Royal and Jeremy are checked in. The man knows me, so he has no issue with telling me they’re not there.
“If you see them, will you tell them I’m looking for them?” I ask nicely. The man nods his head before I walk back out. I don’t know where else they could be besides the spot where he fights. So that’s where I go.
I walk back the way I came and pass the warehouse on my way. I keep going until I get there and head inside.
“Have you seen Royal?” I ask a few guys hanging out by the door. They shake their heads as I continue inside.
“Anyone seen Royal?” I ask others who are inside. They all say no, but one watches me closely.
“You looking for Royal?” he asks. I nod my head as he walks closer.
“You seen him?”
“He hasn’t been around in a few days. I heard he took a little vacation.”
“Where?” the man shrugs before nodding to someone else. Before I know what’s happening, my arms are being jerked behind my back, and I can feel the zip tie tighten around them. “What the fuck?”
“Royal hasn’t made it back for his last fight,” the asshole tells me.
“I don’t even know where he is,” I remind him.
“That makes sense as to why you’re here looking for him. But I need him back here in a timely manner.”
“What the hell does that have to do with me?” I snap as I jerk at my arms, where they’re being held behind me.
“He brought you here a few times. Seems he really likes you, right? What better way to get his ass back here in a hurry?”
“Let me go. I don’t know anything,” I plead with him.
“I’m not letting you go anywhere. In fact, you’re going to help me get his ass back here,” he sneers at me. My insides somersault at his words. What’s he going to do to me?
“Take her in the back and cut her up real nice. Send the pictures to Royal as an incentive,” the bastard tells the men behind me.
They laugh as they drag me down the hall and into a back room.
I’m tossed to the floor like a rag doll when one kneels in front of me.
The other moves behind me and cuts the zip tie, and that’s when I try to fight.
I swing, kick, and even try to bite the assholes, but it’s useless.
One back hands me across the face while the other holds me down.
The one in front grabs my wrist and begins to cut as I scream for him to stop. He doesn’t. He moves to the other and cuts it as well. Then he pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of what he’s just done and one of my face as tears stream down my cheeks.
“He’ll kill you,” I tell them as pain shoots through me. The cuts on my wrist are deep, but not deep enough to kill me right away.
“We’ll see how long you bleed out for. If he were smart, he’d get back here soon.” The one behind me stands and drops me to the ground. I immediately move to cover the cuts on my wrists. It’s hard to do when both of them have been slashed opened.
Tears continue to slide down my cheeks when I hear the door lock from the outside.
There’s no way out of here. I look down at my arms and cry a little more.
Blood seeps out around my fingers, and I wonder if this is the way I’m going to go.
Am I going to die here on this dirty floor? Where is Royal anyway?