Page 116 of Make Them Cry
RIVER
I’m still in yesterday’s clothes.
My hair’s a mess, my eyes burn from lack of sleep, and I’m cradling Gage’s hoodie like it might be the only thing holding me together. I can still smell him in it. Soap and heat and something that’s just… him.
I don’t know what time it is. The light filtering through the blinds looks like morning, but I haven’t slept. Not really.
Not since the cops showed up.
Not since they shoved Gage against the wall and handcuffed him right here in his apartment like he was some kind of monster.
Their words still echo in my skull.
“River,” he said, calm and careful, even with panic dancing in his eyes. “Stay strong, okay?”
Then he was gone.
Just like that.
Now I’m curled on the couch, arms wrapped around my knees, staring at the spot where he stood. I can still feel the heat of his body, still hear the way his voice dropped when he told me I was his. That we were real.
How can someone likehimbe accused of murder?
He waswith meall night. I know he didn’t do it.
But the police claim they have video evidence. That they saw him leaving the warehouse near the river where the bodies were found.
Another deep fake.
Obviously.
There’smotion at the front door. A key. Unlocking.
Arrow barrels in through the door, followed by Juno, Knight, and Lark. When Gage was arrested they went to the station to try to bail him out. To figure out what could be done. I stayed behind, they said it was safer. I still don’t agree.
“Anything?” I ask as soon as the door shuts. My voice sounds so small. “They said there’s footage—proof. But it’s fake. Ithasto be.”
Arrow kneels beside me, resting his hand on my arm. “We’re gonna fix this.”
Knight paces behind the couch, furious. “What’s the chain of custody? Who gave them the footage? Who leaked it?”
“That’s what we’re working on,” Arrow says.
“But we need something solid,” Juno adds. “We needyou, Riv.”
“I was with him all night,” I say again, the words tumbling out. “We didn’t leave Riverside. Not once.”
Knight looks at Arrow. “That’s not gonna be enough. The cops will say you’re covering for him. Alibi bias.”
I blink. “No. No, they can’t just ignore me. I’m not lying.”
Arrow’s expression softens. “We believe you. Weknowhe didn’t do it. But we need independent verification. Something they can’t refute.”
I straighten, a sudden burst of hope flooding my chest.
“The cameras,” I whisper.
Lark leans forward. “What cameras?”
