Page 64 of A Deceitful Pact

“Hayden, Iknowthe Gendrys are behind this, and we need every inch of that wood searched, because there are more like her out there.” I sit down at my desk and feel my own hands tremble.

SAWYER

“You're still here?” Riley smiles as if she’s happy to see me when she steps through her front door and finds me lying on her couch.

“Figured I’d wait for you so you could check out my handiwork. Ya eaten?” I stand up and head toward her when I see she’s been crying.

“You don’t have to pretend that you don’t know I asked Jamie for a favor.” She sighs, moving past me, toward the couch, and flopping down into it.

“I wasn’t gonna pretend anythin’, I just wanted to make sure you’d eaten.” Jace called earlier and told me she’d asked Jamie for some help, I figured it was a good enough excuse for me to wait around for her.

“I’m not hungry.” She rests her head back against the edge of the couch and closes her eyes.

“Wanna talk about it?” I can see she’s not in the mood to be pushed.

“I think maybe we should.” Her answer surprises me, and when I move back to the couch to sit beside her, I carefully take her hand.

“When I was eighteen, me and my sister lost our parents,” she starts, speaking softly. “Overnight, I became a mother, father, and pretty much everything Sasha needed. It was tough.”

“Sounds it.” I stroke her delicate hand with my thumb.

“One night, about six months after they died, when Sasha was staying at a friend's house and I finally had the night to myself. There was a college party and I hadn’t been to one in months. I just wanted to be like a normal teenager. I wanted to let my hair down and have some fun.” I feel her grip on me getting tighter.

“As soon as I got there, I felt like an outsider. I was the girl whose parents were dead, no one really knew what to say to me. Kaleb Gendry was the only person to notice I was alone and come over to talk.”

Now it’s my turn to tense up.

“You knew Kaleb from when you were younger?”

“Not really, he wasn’t from my college, he was just there at the party. Doing what Gendrys do and acting all flashy. He brought me over a drink, and we talked. He wasn’t awkward, he didn’t ask any questions about my parents because he didn’t know who I was, and it felt nice.”

“Nice?” I frown, wondering where this is going.

“I had a few more drinks with him, and when I started to feel light-headed, he offered me a ride home.” She closes her eyes, and when a tear spills out from the corner, I wrap my arm around her shoulder. “I was in his car, and my head was spinning. I can’t remember anything about the journey home. I have flashbacks of him carrying me up my garden path and us getting through the door.” Her voice gets weaker. “Then he was on top of me. I was trying to push him away, but he wouldn’t let up. I was too weak to fight back, my muscles wouldn't work.” Suddenly, she breaks apart right in front of me, and all I can do is hold her. “I was a virgin, Sawyer. Back then, I had a stupid delusion about falling in love, and I wanted my first time to be something I could give that person when I found them,” she opens up and cries her heart out.

“I’m gonna kill him.” I feel my blood turn to fire.

“No, you’re not.” She quickly dries her eyes and looks up at me firmly. “You're gonna listen to me explain why we all need to do things my way.”

There’s a tremble in her voice, but a whole lot of determination behind her tears.

“Okay,” I tell her softly, preparing to hear more.

“The next morning, I called the police and they sent a nice lady officer out to the house to take my statement. She was kind and understanding, and when she asked me to go to the hospital for an examination so they could have evidence, I agreed. She took me there in her patrol car and waited with me in the waiting room.” Hearing Riley sound so weak is making me want to find Kaleb Gendry and rip his fuckin’ nutsack from his body.

“Then came the two guys in suits.” She starts to look angry. “They introduced themselves as chief investigators and told the lady officer that her job was done.” Riley curls around to face me. “After she left, one of them explained that the case was being dropped. Apparently, Kaleb Gendry had an alibi for the time of theallegedattack, and no examination would be needed.”

“What?” I rage.

“They told me to go home and forget what happened, then the other guy handed me an envelope with three thousand dollars inside.”

“Sons of bitches!” I have to release her hand before I crush it.

“ I left the hospital with a morning-after pill, a course of antibiotics, and three thousand dollars. I wanted to tell them where to stick the money, but I was behind on my college fees.” I hate how disappointed in herself she looks.

“Riley…” I don’t know what to say to her.

“Soon as I graduated, I joined the force.” She smiles proudly through her tears. “I wanted to make people feel the way that lady officer made me feel, and I wanted to restore my faith in justice. Shit…I’ve never told anyone that story before, not even Jack.” She looks surprised by her own revelation.

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