Page 108 of Make Them Cry
Silence.
A few scattered chuckles.
But mostly... silence.
Except in the corner.
Helena and Andrew.
Watching.
And Helena... is smiling.
Not in amusement.
Insatisfaction.
Like this is what she wanted all along.
Like shewantedme to lose it. To make a scene. To humiliate River.
Rage flares in me again, but I grab River’s hand and get us the hell out of there.
We don’t stop until we’re in the car and I’m peeling out of the parking lot, River’s hand still clutched in mine.
“Gage,” she says softly once we’re on the road, “I’m sorry.”
I glance over at her, shocked. “You’resorry? River, don’t. Those guys are assholes.”
“I just—being the center of that kind of attention, even good attention—it always feels like a trap. And now... Helena saw it.”
“I know. And I saw her face. She washappy. Which means she’s playing us.”
River goes quiet. “Why would she want to humiliate me like that?”
“I don’t know. But we’re going to find out.”
I reach over and brush my knuckles down her cheek. “I meant what I said back there. About you being smart. Fierce. Amazing.”
She leans into my touch. “You really think that?”
“Iknowit.”
She closes her eyes. “Then take me home. I just want to be with you right now.”
“You got it, sunshine.”
And as I drive us back to Riverside, one thing is crystal clear… I don’t just want to protect her anymore.
I want to burn the world down for her.
By the time we get back to Riverside, I’m gripping the steering wheel like it insulted River.
I can’t stop replaying what we just saw.
Helena. Andrew. Sneaking off like horny teenagers. Hands on each other. Lips locked.
Not just an affair. This was practiced. Comfortable. Like it’s been going on for a long, long time.
