Thirteen - River
“I had coffee with Asher this morning.”
Accidentally, might I add. The little bastard followed me from point A to point B, trailing after me like a lost puppy dog. I couldn’t shake him off. So, I made him buy me breakfast. I was starving, and he was offering. So, I took the opportunity to drag information out of him.
Something tells me Evil Ash had more to say but wasn’t willing to give it all up.
Olivia chokes on her glass of wine. “What?” she croaks, wiping her mouth.
“I had coffee?—”
“No, I got that part. I’m just…surprised, is all. Asher Montgomery? Really??” She gives me that—you’re not falling for his shit again, are you?—look.
Kaycee watches me with an intense stare and nods after soaking in the information. “Was he informative?” she asks, cocking her head to the side.
“Very,” I croak, forcing myself to gulp down the rest of my white wine.
“Do tell,” Olivia says, grinning wide.
I sigh, explaining how I stormed out of the shop after learning about the video someone sent him, causing them to leave. Not to mention the whole, they had no idea about the restraining orders thing.
A shiver of disgust rolls through me, imagining why Van decided to do that and then sharing it with everyone. Was he really that obsessed with me? He was the one who broke it off with me because of his parents. Yet, he kept trophies on his phone like a creep.
“Also, apparently, Kieran’s bitch mom lives right here in town,” I groan, refilling my glass. If I had known that, I would have been more cautious walking around.
Thank God for my bestie’s sober husbands. Or I’d be sleeping on this uncomfortable couch and have a headache in the morning before facing the guys.
Tomorrow is the day. The day I face these assfaces with confidence and determination. It’s up to them now whether they succeed or crash and burn.
Kaycee wrinkles her nose. “I can drain her bank account if you want. Or hack into her FlashGram.” Kaycee shrugs when I snort. “We can set her house on fire. I have connections.” She wiggles her brows playfully until I’m bending at the waist with laughter.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Olivia murmurs into her glass, slightly cringing at the mention of fire but plays it off by laughing at Kaycee’s dedication.
I’ll mention that to her later. Fire makes her uneasy. I don’t blame her though. After what happened when she was a teenager, she’s overcome a lot. But to be locked in a house while bleeding out and then having to fight her way through a blaze? Yeah. It was brutal for her. So, even at the slightest hint of fire, she cowers away. Yet, she’s a badass Veritas agent, fighting the good fight and taking bad guys down without fear.
Trauma is a hell of a thing.
“I’m just saying I can help,” Kaycee says, taking another sip.
“I’ll remember that,” I groan, rubbing at my forehead. “Is this reality?” I murmur, looking at my best friends. “How am I going to survive this?”
“Because you’re a strong, independent woman who don’t need no man!” Olivia shouts, shoving her glass into the air.
“She’s right. You’re you. Strong, sassy, and you don’t take any shit. I could have used you as my bestie in high school,” Kaycee says, blowing out a breath.
“Pfft. You did fine on your own,” Seger says, sauntering into the room with a grin. “When you hacked into that bitch Hadley’s FlashGram, that was a fucking riot.”
Kaycee’s grin lights up her face when she stares at him with dopey eyes. “I guess,” she says with a shrug.
“So, fucking modest, Angel,” Seger coos, kissing the tip of her nose.
“Yuck! Gross!” I playfully say, throwing a couch pillow at Seger’s head.
“Umph,” he grunts, tossing it back with a frown. “Rude.” I grin in return as he grabs a magazine off the table and whacks me in the head.
“Asshole!” I laugh, clutching my head.
“I love ya, Sis. But I think we would have murdered each other back in the day.” He grins, kissing Kaycee one last time before disappearing out the door, humming under his breath. Probably heading upstairs to continue watching Lyric, and the rest of his children–Maggie, Axel, Dash, and Roman.
“Back to this topic,” Olivia chides, tapping on the table. “What the fuck is happening with you right now? Them?”
“Absolutely nothing. I’m their boss. That’s it.” I feel Olivia’s eyes on me as I guzzle more wine and ignore her snort.
“Sure. That’s it.”
“They fucked me over, Liv. Like…so fucking bad. I can’t fall into that trap again.”
As I empty my glass, I finally feel the effects of the wine swimming through my veins. Instead of stopping like I should, I pour another glass, clinging to it like a lifeline.
“You don’t feel anything for them?” Kaycee asks.
“Hate. Disgust. Wanna punch them in the dicks. Does that answer your question?” I ask with my brow rising high.
Liar! I may hate their guts and hope they rot in the desert. But dear God, they’re fine as hell. Hot. Fucking smoking. I’ll never understand why I’m being punished so much with their chiseled rock star looks.
Couldn’t they be, I dunno—less attractive? Mouth-watering, assfaces.
They’re like my damn wine, getting finer with age. I may despise their asses, but I have fucking eyes. I see the way their clothes fit snugly against their bodies, emphasizing their goodies. And I do mean goodies. Asher’s ass alone is biteable…pinchable. I could bounce a quarter off it.
Jesus, what’s wrong with me?
It’s the damn wine, that’s it. Nothing more.
Colors swirl before my eyes, blending in a rainbow. Fuck. When did the room start spinning? I squeeze my eyes shut, groaning at the sensation.
“Shit. I think the wine’s kicked in,” I snort, covering my mouth. “Fuck.”
“Why? Because you’re thinking about them naked now?” Olivia quips, drunkenly poking me with her index finger. “They were hot back in the day, weren’t they?”
“No, not naked!” I hiss, swatting her away. “Okay, fine! They’re hot as hell.”
“No takesy backsies!” Olivia sings, taking another swig of wine with a grin.
“But they’re not forgiven,” I mumble, taking another sip. “Not one bit. I loathe them. They’re dirty little brats.” I pout.
“Absolutely not,” Kaycee agrees with glossy eyes. “This is really good, by the way. I think we need more. They were so mean to you. How can you look them in the eyes? Do you look at their dicks? Dickmatized, am I right?” We cackle together.
“Dickmatized!” Olivia shouts, folding in half with a cackle. “Seriously, though? It’s because she’s braver than anyone I know,” Olivia says with a grin, recuperating from her laughter by wiping her eyes and taking a breath. “Who else could face their exes like a professional?”
Professional, my ass. I want to drown them. And get dicked down. And… I should never drink wine again when I’m conflicted.
“Speaking of… Have you found any more information about my little stalker yet?”
Good! Change the subject. No more thinking about their cocks and… I wrinkle my nose, glaring at the wine.
“Sorry, babes. We looked into it and kept the pictures as evidence. But per his usual, he didn’t leave any fingerprints behind. He’s like a damn ghost.”
“No one can be that good,” Kaycee says.
“And you’re like 100 percent sure it’s not Donavon Drake?” My heart pounds the second I utter that stupid name. That scumbag doesn’t deserve an ounce of my time or space in my brain.
“Still in Europe working with his company. He only has a few ties to East Point. A cousin and aunt live in town, but that’s it. He hasn’t been here for over ten years. He’s out.”
Fuck. It’d be easy if it were him. I’d at least have a clue as to why he was stalking me. With a stranger, though? I’m drowning in anxiety.
“And you’ve checked into Nathan down at the coffee shop? He’s gotten extra clingy these days.” I shiver at the thought of his eyes following me around the damn cafe every morning when I show up. If their coffee wasn’t the best in town, I’d go somewhere else. But nothing beats the smooth taste of theirs.
“Nope. As far as we can tell, he’s not it. Doesn’t own any sort of digital camera and we checked through his photos on all devices. We’ve looked through his apartment and his background. We even followed him for a few weeks to make sure. There’s nothing tying him to you or the stalking. He may be a little creepy, but he’s innocent.”
“Who the fuck could it be?” I grumble, massaging my temple.
“I don’t know, Riv. But we’ll get him. The good news is he hasn’t escalated into something more yet.”
“Yeah, just pictures of me and Lyric. He isn’t hiding in my house or anything,” I groan, throwing myself back into the couch.
“And it’s still nothing digital?” An odd sparkle forms in Kaycee’s eyes at the prospect of hacking.
She’s the best in the nation. On par with her husband, Carter. If she weren’t a stay-at-home mom with her other husband, Chase, she’d have joined Veritas, too. Olivia has been gunning for her to be on her team since they met in high school when Olivia saved Kaycee and the guys from some weird cult. Something they rarely talk about.
“No,” Olivia snorts. “You’d have to be on my team to join the hunt.” She smirks when Kaycee huffs.
“Can’t leave the boys at home just yet. Maybe Carter will let me sneak a peek,” she blurts, quickly taking a sip of her wine.
“He does, doesn’t he?” Olivia laughs, shaking her head. “I should have known he’d never come up with half the stuff he does.”
Kaycee snorts. “I am the brains of the operation.”
I cackle when a grin explodes across her face. I don’t know how I ever lived my life without these girls. Since I came here and this whole thing started, they’ve been Team River. We’ve had so many of these nights where the kids play, and we drink while the guys cook and babysit us.
After an hour more of laughing, Chase offers to drive me home as Seger follows with my car and Lyric in tow.
Tomorrow is the first day of the rest of my whole damn life. And even though I’m all wined up, my bravery is dwindling.