Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
RILEY
Icrept along the side of the house feeling like I was in a spy movie. There was a paved walkway that led to the front. Their entire house and property was fenced in, so there was no gate for me to hop over.
I peeked around the front corner of the house, considering my next move. I didn't know the kind of surveillance they had, but judging from the underground fortress they had taken me to, they most likely had something.
Jax's car sat in the circular driveway, beckoning me. It was unlikely there were keys inside, but I had to check because my options were limited. I ran to it and tried the handle, the SUV beeping as the door opened. Who the hell leaves the keys in the cup holder unattended?
Had Jax swum back to get his car, or had Finn driven it? A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of Finn coming out of the house and discovering me.
I turned on the car and took off without second guessing myself.
It was only a matter of time before they figured out I had escaped and taken the car.
I drove down the long driveway to the gate and waited impatiently for it to slide open.
My eyes were locked on the rearview mirror, waiting for the inevitable.
As soon as the gate was open far enough, I pulled through, and in the rearview saw the front door of the house burst open.
"Shit, shit, shit." I stepped on the gas and sent dirt and pebbles flying as the tires left the paved surface and hit the dirt road.
Once I was on the highway, I relaxed slightly. I had a minute or two before they could get to another vehicle.
The Bluetooth connection rang in the car and the word Me flashed on the screen in the dash. I was confused and pushed the accept call button on the steering wheel. I didn't say anything as silence met my ears.
"Riley. What are you doing?" Jax sounded a little out of breath, and then I heard a door slam. "Turn the car around and come back. We need to talk."
I ended the call. It rang again, but instead of answering it, I looked in the compartments near me while keeping my attention on the road and the rearview mirror. No one was behind me, but that wouldn't be true for long.
I found the cell phone in the center console arm rest. It was an older model phone and had a crack in the screen. Who in the hell had two cell phones? Did he call and talk to himself? Was one for all his girlfriends?
I snorted at that thought, rolled down the window, and threw it out. A wave of joy rolled through me.
I looked in the backseat, hoping to find something else to chuck out the window, but all I saw was a single shoe of mine that must have fallen off while I was passed out.
I tapped the steering wheel, considering where to go. The police weren't an option. What would I say to them? I was kidnapped by the mermaid mafia? That a great white shark pulled me in a state-of-the-art escape pod that shot from a tube in the mermaid mafia's undersea fortress?
I needed to get home and get my knife. I somehow knew deep inside that it would protect me.
The exit for my house was fast approaching. My mind began working on a plan to ditch the car away from my house. That would be the first place they looked.
I exited the highway and drove past the turn for my street. I was headed to the beach parking lot, which was empty since it was just past five in the morning and most people were still sleeping.
As soon as they found the vehicle empty, they would come looking for me at my house. It wasn't that far from where I was. I needed a bigger distraction than just leaving the car in the parking lot.
I laughed as a thought occurred to me, and I backed up. I took a deep breath and put the SUV in drive, pressing hard on the accelerator. I screamed as I went through the wooden fence posts surrounding the parking lot that kept cars from driving onto the sand.
They weren't meant to stop a speeding SUV on a mission to create a distraction.
I hit the sand and drove toward the waves. My heart was beating so hard I heard it in my ears. I unbuckled my seatbelt and opened the door. This was probably the stupidest idea I'd ever had.
I bailed out the door before it got to the water. My entire body jolted as I hit the sand, and I rolled with the momentum, coming to a stop face down.
I sat up and watched as the SUV hit the water, a thrill running through me and making me want to jump to my feet and clap my hands. What the fuck was wrong with me?
The car got stuck for a moment before continuing forward with the outgoing wave.
I stood on wobbly legs and walked through the sand as fast as I could. Once my feet hit the pavement, I ran through the parking lot. There was a path between the houses that would deposit me on the street my townhouse was on.
When I was out of sight of the parking lot, I stopped and leaned against a fence. I just destroyed Jax's car. A smile spread across my face and I turned back to watch the car be hit with wave after wave. It had gotten stalled about halfway from being under completely, so someone would soon find it.
A few minutes passed, and I was about to leave when the sound of a motorcycle came from the street. I plastered myself flat against the fence and moved back down the path so I could see the parking lot more clearly.
Morgan hopped off his bike and took off running toward the ocean. Not far behind him were Jax and Blake, who had pulled up in Blake's car.
Morgan got to the car and looked inside before turning around and shrugging. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing and took off running down the path.
I was just about to the exit for my street when an arm wrapped around me and a hand went over my mouth. I was lifted off the ground and I kicked my legs, connecting with shins.
"Stop struggling," Jax said in my ear.
Morgan stepped in front of me, his chest heaving. "Vixen. What are you doing?"
I stilled in Jax's arms as Morgan and Blake stared at me with brows drawn in and frowns.
"I thought you were in the car." Blake looked over my shoulder at Jax. "Let her go."
Jax removed his hand, and I opened my mouth to scream, but Morgan stepped forward and caught my scream with his mouth. I clamped my mouth shut and turned my head to the side, his lips sliding to my cheek.
"Jesus Christ, Morgan." Blake pulled him off me. "Why are you running? You don't need to run from us."
Jax loosened his grip and my feet reconnected with the ground. "You kidnapped me!"
"You destroyed my car. We're even." Jax let me go and I turned and raised my hand to smack him, but the look in his eyes made me drop my hand. "We're sorry."
"You're sorry?" I stepped back and bumped into Blake. "You're sorry?" My voice was trembling and I was probably waking up the neighbors. I laughed and then choked on a cry. "You don't get to be sorry."
I continued on the path. I knew they were behind me even though they didn't make a sound. It was going to take a lot more than I'm sorry to get back in my good graces—not that it could ever be achieved.
Ivy's and Aiden's cars were still parked on the street, so I went to the front door. I didn't have a key hidden outside anymore since the assholes following me had been in my house multiple times without my permission. I tried the knob, but it was locked.
"I have a key." Jax reached around me and inserted a key in the door.
"Of course you do." I opened the door and stepped inside, holding out my hand. "Give it to me."
Jax's shoulders fell. He took the key off his keyring and put it in my outstretched palm. He had some major balls to make a copy of my house key.
"Riley!" Ivy sat up from the couch and rubbed her eyes.
I slammed the door and locked it before leaning back against it and shutting my eyes. Happy birthday to me.
"Where have you been? We've been worried sick." Aiden got up from where he had been sleeping on the floor. "You didn't even take your phone or keys."
"I know." I pushed away from the door and sat down on the couch next to Ivy. "I was with Jax, Morgan, and Blake."
Ivy made a noise. "You left your own party to go with them? Where'd you go?"
"We thought maybe you had gone to meet your mom or something since she called you." Aiden handed me the phone. "We tried calling that number back, but she wouldn't answer."
I looked at the phone and it vibrated as a new message came through from Jax. I threw it onto the coffee table.
"I'm sorry." I turned to Ivy, who had planned my entire birthday, including the after-party events where me, her, and Aiden would stuff our faces with popcorn and binge watch shows on Disney Plus.
She took my hand and then pulled up my sleeve. She ran her finger over the bruising on my wrist. Her lips pressed together and she searched my face. "Did they hurt you?"
I needed to be careful with what I was going to say. I couldn't say too much or too little. "No. They just took me for a ride and we got lost."
She stared at my wrist. "You got lost." She wasn't asking me a question. I could tell just from the annoyance on her face that she didn't believe me for a second. "How could you get lost for almost twelve hours?"
"Nice shoes." Aiden tapped the toe of my shoe with his foot, oblivious to my injuries. "Did you suddenly decide to start wearing men's shoes that look a few sizes too big?"
"Where are your shoes, Riley?" Ivy let go of my hand and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I don't know." I leaned back into the cushions and shut my eyes. "I can't tell you guys everything, but... I drove Jax's car into the ocean."
"You what?" Ivy squeaked and jumped up. "Details. Right now."
I laughed and looked at her. "I was pissed and took off in it. I bailed out of the door before I hit the water."
"Is he mad?" Aiden put his hand on my knee. "He loved that car. He and Blake make the freshmen on the swim team detail their cars on a weekly basis."
"I don't know if he was angry." If anything, they had thought I was still in the car. "But I think once he gets home and sees what I did to his room, he will be."
"After what those three have put you through, they deserve your worst." Aiden laughed. "Although, your worst is not that bad at all."
I stood. "I'm going to bed."
Ivy lay back down on the couch. "We aren't done with this conversation, Riley."
I would expect nothing less from my best friend.
The smell of something delicious woke me, and I rolled over, stretching and then cringing as soreness radiated through my body. Jumping out of a moving vehicle hadn't been my finest moment, but at least the sand had cushioned my fall.
I grabbed my phone and looked at the time. It was almost one in the afternoon. I had several missed calls and texts from the Tritons, and I left my phone on my nightstand as I got up. I took a quick shower and threw on a pair of sweats and a tank top before going downstairs.
"I was just going to come wake you up." Ivy was standing at the stove, stirring a pot.
"It smells good." I sat down heavily in a chair and waited for the Spanish Inquisition to begin. "Where's Aiden?"
"Church." She got a bowl out of the cupboard and brought me a steaming bowl of macaroni and cheese and then got me a bottle of water.
We ate in silence, and as soon as I put my bowl down, Ivy pounced. "Where were you really? Your wrists look horrible. They didn't... did they?"
I shook my head as I took a drink of water. Ivy wasn't going to let up until she got the truth out of me. I could trust her, but could I trust her with everything?
"Do you think there are other beings living among us?" I started peeling the paper off the bottle.
"Like aliens?" She raised an eyebrow and then laughed. "Please don't tell me you were abducted by aliens."
"No. Not aliens. Non-humans, like vampires and werewolves." I had the paper completely off and started playing with it. "What if I told you I wasn't one-hundred percent human?"
Her laugh faded. "Are you being serious right now? Did they tie you up and brainwash you?"
"It's ridiculous. Forget I said anything." I stood and stacked our bowls. "Last night was a stupid decision."
"But they didn't hurt you? Because if they hurt you, we need to go to the police." She brushed off my comment about me not being perfectly human.
"I'm fine." I wanted to add that the police might not be able to help considering who I was dealing with, but bit my tongue. "I drank a little too much last night. I had a lapse in judgement."
"Where did you go?" She eyed my wrists again. "It looks like you were locked up."
I rinsed off the dishes and put them in the dishwasher. "To their house." I leaned against the counter. "Nothing happened. We were horsing around and things got a little rough."
Ivy tapped her nails on the table. "I don't believe you." There was a tense moment of silence before she stood. "I should go."
"Ivy..." I pushed off the counter and followed her to the living room. I didn't know what to say to her. "Thank you for everything."
She gave me a brief hug without a word and left. I locked the door behind her and put my forehead against the door.
I should tell her the truth.