Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
RILEY
It turned out my car wasn't stolen, it was repossessed. It was almost laughable what was happening to me.
It had been a week since they'd blackmailed Aiden, and we were waiting for the next thing to happen. I had managed to find contact information for Trident Industries and sent an email detailing what their sons had done to me. There had been no response.
It was our first stay-late for yearbook since we had a deadline approaching for a portion of the fall sports and activities. I was impressed with the work Jax had done so far, considering he was new to the program we used to design the yearbook.
"Food's here." Ashley came to stand in front of my computer as everyone except Jax got up to go to the adjacent classroom to eat. "I need your money if you're going to eat."
"I brought something to eat." I didn't look up from my computer as she continued to stand on the other side of it. "You can go now."
"Come on, Jax. We're having sushi. I know it's your favorite." She sauntered out of the room and I rolled my eyes.
Jax clicked out of the layout he was on, learning his lesson from when I unplugged his computer and swiveled around to face me. "You've been bringing lunch every day. A peanut butter sandwich and pretzels."
"How do you know or even care?"
He stood and crossed his forearms on the top of my monitor, staring down at me. "Where's your car?"
I didn't answer and made sure to click save on the layout I had open. "It's none of your business."
My chest tightened and I fought the urge to flee.
The last thing I needed was for Jax to know that I had absolutely no money.
The few thousand that had been in the envelope Mr. Nguyen had given me had gone toward the bills that were necessary like gas, electric, and cell phone.
Food was way more expensive than I thought, and I'd rather spend less than a dollar a meal than have sushi or cafeteria food.
"Any word from your mom?"
"No." I gulped back the sudden urge to cry. It had crossed my mind a time or two that they might have done something to her, but after the letter it was clear something bigger was going on.
"So, where are you getting money?" Jax was still leaning on the computer monitor.
I finally looked up at him and worry was etched in his features. Why was he worried? He hated my guts.
"I'm waiting on a judge to approve my extenuating circumstances." I covered my face. "Fuck. Now he's probably going to go on a leave of absence."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Detective Wilson and Mrs. Miller both conveniently went on leaves of absence with no return dates once I involved them with this." I moved my hands, not caring that tears were streaming down my cheeks. "I don't know where my father is and he doesn't care about me. Why are you ruining my life?"
"We didn't-"
"Forget it. You know what? I'll just see if I can finish my senior year online or even just get my GED." I logged out of the computer and stood. "Go enjoy your sushi."
"Riley."
I stopped at the door and looked back at him. "Fuck off, Jax."
I was grateful he didn't follow me. I started walking toward my house. It was about five miles and I needed the time to think. The sun was just setting, but I felt fairly safe walking home along the busy streets and highway.
I was about a mile into my walk when a black Maserati pulled over. I groaned in frustration and kept my eyes straight ahead.
Blake rolled down the passenger window as I was passing. "Hey! Get in."
I glared at him and continued on. I didn't want a ride from anyone, especially him. The car rolled up along the shoulder next to me.
"It's almost dark. You shouldn't be walking alone." He stopped ahead of me and got out partway, leaning on the roof of his car. "Did you hear me?"
I stopped and tightened my grip on the strap of my bag. "Yes, I heard you. I don't want a ride. Especially from you. Leave me alone."
He cursed and then jogged to catch up with me as I began walking again. "I wasn't giving you the choice." He stood in front of me, blocking my path.
I clenched my teeth and resisted the urge to shove him out of the way. His shoulders were so wide, he practically blocked the entire sidewalk. There was no getting around him.
"I don't want or need a ride. I have two perfectly good feet." I tried walking around him, but he moved to stop me. "Seriously?"
I bit down on my lip to stop myself from having a meltdown. He reached forward and put his hand on the side of my arm. "Come on."
He wasn't going to give up, and I did not want him to haul me over his shoulder like a caveman. I let him guide me to the passenger door. He opened it, and I dropped into the bucket seat with a huff. I'd let him give me a ride, but that didn't mean I had to be pleasant.
He jogged around the front of the car and smiled at me as he got behind the wheel. "See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"
"Just go." I buckled my seatbelt and crossed my arms.
We were both silent, the music coming from the speakers the only thing keeping it from being too awkward. I saw him out of the corner of my eye stealing glances at me, but I kept my eyes on the road or the side mirror.
The car passed my exit and I sat forward a little. "That was my exit." I was fairly certain he knew where I lived.
"I know. We're going to dinner." He started tapping on the steering wheel to the music. "Jax said you hadn't eaten."
That fucker.
"I don't want to eat dinner with you. You'll probably somehow poison my drink when I get up to wash my hands."
I sat back in my seat again, thinking about what my options were. I had a few hundred dollars left that I could use to call a cab, or I could call Ivy. Aiden wasn't an option since Blake would see him.
"Too bad. We're having dinner and you're going to answer some questions."
"Why the hell would I-"
The chirp of a siren came from behind us and I looked in the side mirror to see a highway patrol car with its lights flashing.
"Fuck." Blake's hands tightened on the steering wheel and he flipped his blinker on and slowed as he pulled to the shoulder.
"You weren't speeding, were you?"
His jaw was set tight and worry was written across his face as he glanced over at me and put the car in park before turning it off.
"No." He grabbed his phone from the cupholder and pushed a few buttons before putting it back. "Just... don't say anything about me making you come with me. Please."
I didn't respond, and he rolled his window down half of the way, turned on the interior light, and put his hands back on the top of the steering wheel. His eyes were locked on his side mirror as the officer approached.
Blake’s breathing was labored as the officer came to a stop outside the window and shined his flashlight down on him. His hand was on his holster.
I'd never been in a car that had been pulled over before, but I didn't think having his hand on his weapon was routine procedure for a traffic stop.
"Do you know why I pulled you over, boy?"
"No, sir." I couldn't see his face, but his voice was serious and trembled slightly. "Sir, I wanted to inform you that once my car was in park and turned off, I turned on my video recorder on my phone."
The officer made a noise of annoyance. "This is a traffic stop, boy, not a shakedown. Unless you're hiding something?"
"I don't mean to offend you by filming. It's in my cupholder and won't interfere with you doing your job."
I sat up a little straighter in my seat. It sounded so rehearsed and my chest burned with the sudden realization that this was reality for Blake. I would have never even thought to record an interaction with the police.
"One of your taillights is out." The officer looked over at me. "Where are you two headed this evening?"
Blake's jaw ticked. "Just headed to grab a bite to eat. Just got done at Salinity Cove High with our extracurriculars."
"Young lady?" His eyes were locked on me and I met his questioning eyes. "Where are you headed to eat?"
"We haven't decided yet."
He studied me for what felt like entirely too long before his attention was back on Blake. "Let me see your license and registration."
"Sir, I'm going to reach for my wallet in my cupholder to get my license and grab my registration and insurance from my visor."
Blake passed the documents through the window and the office looked at them. "Mr. Huron. You seem nervous. Is there anything in the car I need to know about?"
"No, officer."
"So, you won't mind if I take a look?" Tears sprang to my eyes and I sat on my hands, resisting the urge to give the man a piece of my mind.
"I don't consent to searches." Blake was calmer than I would have been. "Sir, am I free to go, or are you going to give me a ticket for my taillight?"
With a grunt, the officer walked back to his vehicle. Blake cursed under his breath and kept his eyes on the rearview mirror.
"Blake, what's going on?" I reached over to touch his arm and he pulled away, all the while keeping his hands on the steering wheel.
"Just... be quiet," he whispered.
The officer returned a few minutes later. "I'm going to let you go with a warning this time. Get that taillight fixed." He looked over at me again. "Have a nice evening."
Blake put his papers back in his visor with shaky hands and turned off the cell phone before starting the car and pulling back onto the highway.
We rode in silence and took the next exit. He pulled into the far end of a parking lot and parked.
"Get out and go behind my car to check my taillights." He stared straight ahead without looking at me.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it, Ri."
I unhooked my seatbelt and got out of the car, hoping he wasn't going to do something crazy like leave me behind.
"Do they work?" He pressed the brakes a few times and flicked both blinkers.
"Everything works."
As if he didn't believe me, he got out and came to stand next to me. "Get in the car and press the brakes and the blinker."
"Is that really-"
"Yes! It's fucking necessary!"