Page 49 of The Lies We Believe

“Davis is compromised. He’s involved with Dahlia.” I shook my head, disbelief warring with that feeling of rightness in my gut. “He was the one who took River to her.”

“Fuck! That doesn’t surprise me.” She shuddered. “He’s always given me a bad feeling, you know?”

“Yeah.” I sighed and rolled my head back on my shoulders, trying to work the tension out of the muscles. “I thought he was just a homophobic racist, but apparently, it goes far beyond that.”

“You’ll have to speak to Bower at the station. There’s no way he’ll believe you if he doesn't see the truth in your eyes.”

She hit the nail on the head. The old guard all came up from the academy together, and it’s going to take evidence, hard evidence, for Bower to believe us. “Now give it to me.” I reached out for my coffee with a trembling hand and turned to River. “I don’t know about you, but I could do with a drink.” With a slight dip of his chin and a soft smile on his lips, he agreed.

“Ah, before I hand it over, raise the poor boy up so he can actually drink it, Benson.”

Confusion washed over me before my brain kicked into gear, and I grabbed the control for the bed and raised River up. His breath punched out of him as it manipulated him into a sitting position. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut as lines of pain carved their way onto his beautiful face. After a couple of deep breaths, he locked his emotions down and pulled a mask of indifference over his face. He tested out the range of motion in his right hand, slowly clenching and unclenching his fingers before gingerly reaching for the disposable cup Montoya held out for him.

“I added a dash of caramel creamer to it for you, too,” she said with a bright smile as River wrapped his hand around thecup. “Yours is just as bitter as you,” she snickered and handed me a cup.

The bitter taste of freshly ground coffee was a welcome distraction from the painful conversation I’d been trying to have with River. Every question was one step forward, three steps back with him, but I’d give him this small reprieve before I continued.

My phone lit up with a message before I could pick up where we’d left off.

I want to go home.

“We can as soon as you’ve eaten something.”

No. Now! I don’t like being here.

“I don’t like it either, angel,” I soothed, reaching for him. I laced my fingers through his. That simple contact settled a part of me I hadn’t realized was fracturing. It gave me hope we would come out of this on the other side.

I need my clothes.

“They probably trashed them, considering the state you were in.” My off-handed comment seemed to snap something in him, and he lurched forward, the cup slipping from his grasp. Luckily, Montoya caught it with her lightning-quick reflexes as I tried to hold him back from throwing himself off the bed. Color drained from his face, and his eyes became intensely focused on the bed.

“Oh, shit.” Montoya’s breathy gasp caught my attention, and I followed her line of sight to where River’s right leg was now exposed. An all-consuming rage boiled my blood, and a red haze settled over my vision.

The sight of River’s leg stole the air from my lungs as he scrambled to cover it and pushed me away. A sound like a wounded animal escaped his throat as his hand latched onto my face and pulled me so my eyes were on his. What I saw emanating from them was a sucker punch to my bleeding heart. His lips trembled as tears stained his bloodless cheeks.

“P-p…lease.” Fear and agony coated the single word. “D-don’t…l-leave…”

My breath whooshed out of my lungs like a collapsed dam. I scooped him up in my arms and buried my face in his neck, shaking with the force it took to hold my tears back. Images of his legs covered in stitches and bandages over still-oozing raw flesh flashed behind my closed eyes. Inhaling his sweet cinnamon and orange scent was a gift from the gods, one I’d never let go of.

“Never, River,” I breathed into his neck and peppered kisses on his fluttering pulse point. “Never.” I shook my head and sunk my hands into his wild hair, trying to imbed myself into him. “I’ll never leave y-you.” I hiccuped, fighting back a mournful cry trying to force its way up my throat.

“I’ll, uh, go speak to the doc and see if I can get his… ah, clothes and get us out of here.”

I didn’t hear Montoya go. My every thought and action was consumed by the broken boy convulsing in my arms. I held him tightly, hearing the frantic thud-thud-thud of his heart against my ear as a river of tears flowed from him, drowning me.

CHAPTER 21

RIVER

This wasn’t the first time Bane had held me, and the safety and security I’d always felt was undeniable. But something between us had shifted on a seismic scale. We’d always been pieces of the same puzzle, but our splintered edges never quite fit together. Now that our truths were being laid bare at our feet, our broken parts could heal, and it felt like we were slowly fusing together in a way I prayed was unbreakable.

When I left his house, I was happy to die. Instinctually, I knew it was the best outcome I could have hoped for, but today I had hope. Fresh oxygen filled my lungs rather than dissipating when I inhaled. The darkness that shrouded me was lighter. Shadows danced where once there was nothing, and my heart felt like a smoldering ember I might nurture back to life.

Bane offered me everything I’d thought was an impossible dream, but no matter how much I wanted his heart, his love, to be with him… one question remained. Was I worthy of him?

“Shh. I’ve got you, angel. I promise I’m not going anywhere. I meant what I said.” My breath hitched as his words wove themselves into the fibers of my being. “I love you, and I will spend every day proving to you that you’re worth everything Ihave to give.” I shook my head, refusing his words, my brain screaming at me to push him away before I ruined him. Lifting a trembling hand to his nape, my fingers sunk into his hot skin, hauling him closer to me.

“I-I…” I licked away the salty tears from my lips, exhaling heavily, unable to find the words for my tumultuous emotions.

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