Chapter 29 #2
“Sure, but you attend the academy. I know Isla well enough that I have no clue how she’d meet anyone from northside.” She scrunches her nose. “I need to ask Wren if she’s heard any rumors about this.”
“Well, she probably has now,” I say as I note the hushed whispering flittering through the air. “I feel bad for her.”
“Me, too. She’s nice.” Sighing, she rises to her feet. “I think I’m going to go check on her.” She waves and walks off in the direction Isla took off in.
About thirty seconds later, River plops down on the bench. “Was that Lily that I just saw walk off?”
I nod. “She went to check on Isla.”
At the mention of his betrothed’s name, he visibly squirms. “I don’t know why she didn’t answer my messages.”
“Isla?”
“What? No, Lily.”
“Oh.” I fall silent. This conversation is getting slightly uncomfortable. “She was probably distracted by the scene in the parking lot.”
He peers over his shoulder. “What scene?”
“The one where a guy pulled up in a car that looked straight up from northside, and Isla went over there and argued with him for a second,” I say, which only elicits more confusion on his part. “Dude, you were right over there when it happened.”
“I know. I was distracted.” He rubs his lips together, his gaze lowering to the ground.
“What did you find out?” I ask. “Because I can tell something has made you twitchy.”
His gaze sweeps the area. Then he stands up and offers me his hand. “Come with me for a second. I need to talk to you about something.”
I squint against the sunlight as I look up at him.
His jaw is taut, and tension is raveled deeply into his muscles.
I then take his hand, and he pulls me to my feet then starts toward the parking lot.
I don’t ask where we’re going. I assume it’s to his car so we can talk in private.
While the alarm has shut off, an announcement hasn’t been made that we can return to the school.
River’s car is parked in the far back corner.
In his typical gentleman fashion, he holds the passenger door open for me.
The moment I slide into the leather seat, the scent of his cologne wraps around me.
It was the same way when he took me out the other night.
I don’t know if this will make me sound crazy, but I find the smell of him calming.
“What’s that smile for?” he wonders as he notes my expression while climbing into the car.
What am I supposed to say to that? That I’m having a smell-gasm? Hard pass.
I wipe my expression clean and give a shrug. “I’m not sure what look you’re referring to.”
He looks at me skeptically while shutting the door.
Before he can ask questions, I hurriedly say, “So, what did you want to talk to me about?”
The skepticism from his expression fades. “So, there’s a rumor going around that a hacker has hacked into the system, and that’s why the alarm is going off.”
I rest my arms on the console. “That makes sense, I guess, but what about those loud bangs and that guy in the hoodie we saw in the hallway?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I think the school might be trying to cover something up, because, apparently, the administration is thinking about closing up for a few days until they can work out”—he makes air quotes—“‘the hacking issue.’”
“Does that not seem like something they’d do?”
“No, not at all. The academy has some of the most high-tech systems in the school, not to mention they have people monitoring it around the clock.”
“What could they be covering up?”
“I’m not sure, but I want to find out. Finn and I know a few people who could maybe give us some insight. Finn actually got this information from one of them.”
I nod, chewing on my lip. While it could be a coincidence that this happened around the same time the society decided to come after me, and I learned I may be from a bloodline that was once hunted, I feel like there’s a connection.
However, I have something else to worry about at the moment.
“If they’re closing down the school for a few days, does that mean everyone just goes home?” I attempt to keep a neutral expression, but I think I fail.
“You can come stay with me,” River promptly offers.
I immediately shake my head. “I’m good. I can go stay with my mom now that Drew is no longer looking for me.”
The edges of his lips dip downward. “I know you don’t like handouts—I get that—but Finn, Lily, and I are going to stay in that condo we went to that day we were hiding from Drew.
My parents won’t be there, and there’s a ton of room.
I promise it’s okay, and it doesn’t cost us anything extra for you to stay there. ”
“River,” I start to protest, but he places a finger against my lips.
“Lily would love to have you there. I know she’s been wanting to spend more time with you, so just look at it as a sleepover.”
I snort a laugh. “I’ve never actually had one of those before.”
“See? This could be your first one.”
He makes a convincing argument, and even more so when he adds, “And we can also dig more into this Everford thing. The Royal City Library is one of the biggest in the world, so if we look in the right area and we’re careful, we might be able to find some useful information.”
I breathe in deeply, mostly to steady myself. “I still need to go to northside and talk to my mom. Plus, I might need to get some of my stuff … Are they going to let us go back in to get any of our belongings?”
“Probably not,” he replies. “It’s probably too much of a liability to allow students back in until they’ve had the place inspected and the security breach has been taken care of.”
“But what the heck am I supposed to do? I don’t even have any other clothes. This is crazy.” I bang my head against the headrest, not hard, but it still worries River.
“Hey, easy with your head.” He slips his hand between my head and the headrest.
I angle my head toward him. “You’re one to talk. You’ve been running around with a hurt side.”
“I know. And I really need to rest. So, how about we drive to my place, do that, and then we’ll take care of everything else when we feel up to it.”
“My life doesn’t really work that way, River.”
“It can for the day,” he assures me as he rotates forward in the car.
I straighten. “You want to go right now?”
He pushes the button that starts up the engine. “Yeah, why not? It’s not like we need to stick around when we already know what’s going to happen. Besides, getting a bit of a break from the academy might help us relax.”
He’s right, but I’m not even sure if I know how to relax. I guess I’m about to find out.
“All right, but as soon as we wake up, I need to go to northside and get some answers.” Because, at the end of the day, despite how many other problems I need to solve, if I don’t figure out what’s going on with me first, I might not be around to deal with the other issues.
I fall asleep on the way to River’s family’s condo. I tried not to, but the soft lull of the music playing from the stereo was so calming that the instant I started to relax, I fell asleep.
River wakes me up by brushing his fingers along my hairline in a gentle way that’s unfamiliar.
“We’re here,” he tells me as my eyelashes flutter open.
He’s staring at me while leaning over the console, his eyes filled with caution, his lips right there. I have this overwhelming compulsion to kiss him but manage to resist as I sit up and yawn.
“Holy crap, I passed out, didn’t I?” I yawn and stretch my hands above my head.
He watches me intently. “You did. But that’s good. The doctor said to rest.”
“I know, but I’m not used to sleeping this much.” I push the door open as he does the same.
We climb out and step into the mostly empty parking garage that’s sealed off from the outside world.
We barely speak as we get onto the elevator.
As it begins to rise upward, my stomach spins with anxiety at the view of our climb being visible out the window.
I concentrate on my breathing, trying not to have a panic attack.
River suddenly wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him until my face is pressed against his chest. “Just breathe.” He skims his hand up and down my spine.
God, the fact that he remembers I have anxiety over heights makes me feel like I ate a bunch of cotton candy and am riding a sugar high. It makes me take a deep breath, mostly to breathe in his scent. I can play it off as regaining my breathing, but the reality is that I like the smell of him.
Ding.
The doors glide open, and I barrel off the elevator, relieved to be in the condo. River follows me out then places a hand on the small of my back.
“Are you good?”
I nod. “I’m fine. I just”—I gesture at the elevator—“well, you know.”
“I do. Sorry the condo’s so high. I wish we had one on the first floor.”
Did he seriously apologize for his parents not buying a lower-level condo to appease my acrophobia?
I shake my head, unable to stop a smile from pulling on my lips.
“What?” he questions with his brows furrowed.
I shrug. “It’s nothing. You’re just too nice for your own good.”
He absorbs my words with a wary expression. Before I can ask why, however, he urges me forward.
“Let’s pick you out a room so we can get some rest before it’s dinnertime.” He steers me through the doorway and into the wide hallway on the other side.
I can’t help chuckling. “Pick out a room? You make it sound like we’re going shopping for shoes.”
“In this house, it kind of is.” He smiles as he leads me through the living room and down the hallway where Lily’s bedroom is located. “I’m going to have you stay in the guest room that’s beside my bedroom.” He points at a shut door. “Which is right there.”
I drag my thumb along my bottom lip, considering. “Can I see it?”
“My room?” Surprise flashes in his eyes.
“Yeah, I’m curious what River Averson’s bedroom looks like.” I smile, but he doesn’t return it. In fact, he looks apprehensive. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” I quickly add.
“No, it’s fine.” He removes his hand from my back to scratch his forehead. “I just … Ignore me. I’m being weird.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.” He steps forward and opens the door. Then he moves aside for me to go in first.
I hesitate before stepping over the threshold. “Wow …” I say as I take in the high ceilings lined with beams, the ocean-blue walls that match the blankets and pillows on the bed, the framed artwork, and then, of course, the shelves covered in trophies, medals, and plaques.
I make my way over to those. “There’s so many.” I smile at a photo of a younger River running on a track. “Look, it’s a little River.”
I feel more than see him move up behind me. “Yeah, I was in like sixth grade, I think.”
“You have so many trophies and medals,” I remark. “I know you have some in your dorm room, but this is crazy. And impressive.” I flash him a smile from over my shoulder, only to find him gazing intently at me. “What?”
“It’s nothing.” He lifts a shoulder, his gaze never straying from me. “I’ve just … I never had anyone compliment me about something outside of my looks and wealth. It’s refreshing. You’re refreshing.”
You’re refreshing, too, I want to say but decide to keep that thought locked away for now.
“Hmm … I’ve never been told that before.” I face him while taping my finger against my lip. “Bossy, for sure. Annoying, yep. But never refreshing.” I dazzle him with a haughty grin.
But he remains utterly serious. “I mean it, Maddison. You’re wonderful.”
I smash my lips together for a second. “You can’t say that stuff to me.”
His confusion is genuine. “Why not?”
“Because … it makes me feel too fluttery.” I sigh. “And I need to feel still for now.”
“Sorry.” He doesn’t sound apologetic, though.
“You should show me where I’m sleeping so I can get some rest.” Not that I want to sleep. But I need a breather from his pretty eyes and fluttery words.
He eyes me suspiciously, as if sensing I’m avoiding.
But in typical River politeness, he nods and leads me to a bedroom right next to his.
The walls are a light shade of purple that matches the décor, the bed is massive, and the comforter is velvet.
Like with the other bedrooms I’ve been in, it has its own private bathroom attached to it.
“If you need me, just knock on my bedroom door,” River tells me as I walk around, taking everything in. “When it’s actually time to go to bed, I can have Lily lend you some pajamas.”
“Is she coming here, too?” I ask, facing him.
He’s leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. “I’m pretty certain she is. Finn, too.”
I rub my lips together. “What about Noah?”
Reluctance masks his expression. “I don’t know, Mads. He still hasn’t fully explained what happened … Why didn’t he tell us about the affair? Or why he’s been dealing drugs? He told me there’s a good reason but said he couldn’t explain why.”
I step toward him. “Maybe it’s dangerous for you to know. Trust me; I’ve had to keep a lot of things to myself over the years. Plus, he has my phone, and I’d really like to have that back.”
His lips thin as he presses them together. “Fine, I’ll invite him.” He pauses. “You’re really hard to say no to.”
“That is definitely the first time I’ve heard that,” I inform him. “I’ve been told no a lot.”
He remains silent before threading his fingers through mine. Then he brings my knuckles to his lips. “Get some rest, okay?”
And there’s that stupid fluttering sensation again.
I nod quickly, mostly so he’ll leave before I do something stupid.
Like kiss him.
He shuts the door as he exits, leaving me alone. I feel weirdly safe in this place. I’m not sure why.
Then, the moment I lay my head down on the pillow, I’m out again.
And I sleep better than I have in a really, really long time.