Page 118 of Make Them Cry
“Couldn’t let Saint Pierce’s Most Wanted walk home,” he says, pushing the coffee into my hand. “Besides, you missed all the fun. River practically shoved the surveillance feed down their throats.”
I pause, stunned. “Wait… she did?”
He nods. “Yeah, she’s a keeper.”
“Damn. She saved my ass,” I say, exhaling.
Arrow doesn’t answer immediately. He just opens the passenger door and waits for me to get in.
Once I’m seated, he glances over at me, something guarded in his eyes. “She’s worried about you, man.”
“She okay?”
“She was when I left. She and Lark were at your place. Juno said they were going back to River’s to grab some stuff.”
Something tightens in my chest. “You let her go back out there?”
Arrow bristles. “She wasn’t alone. Juno was with her.”
“That’s not the point, and you know it,” I snap, fingers white-knuckling the paper coffee cup. “After last night, you should’ve kept her locked down.”
“She’s not the locking-down type, Gage.”
I know that. God, I know it. But it doesn’t make it easier to sit still knowing she’s out there—after everything that’s happened.
We drive in silence for a few beats before Arrow mutters, “For what it’s worth, she cares about you.”
My throat tightens. “Good. Because I’m in love, man.”
Arrow chuckles dryly. “I know you are. Welcome to the club.”
I stare out the window as the city blurs past, my mind stuck on the way River looked last night—barefoot, sleepy, wrapped in nothing but one of my hoodies. She trusted me. She put her body and heart in my hands. And for a moment, the world didn’t feel so dangerous.
That illusion didn’t last.
We pull up to my place, and Arrow kills the engine. “She’s probably inside, curled up on your couch. Told Lark to keep an eye out.”
But the moment we step inside, the hair on the back of my neck stands up.
“River?” I call out.
No answer.
Lark steps into the room, her face pale. “She went to her place. With Juno. To grab some of her stuff?—”
The front door bursts open.
Juno stumbles in, blood on her temple, one heel missing. She’s gasping for breath.
“Oh my god. What happened?” I ask, already moving toward her. “Where’s River?”
“They took her,” Juno sobs.
“What?” Arrow’s beside her in an instant, helping her to the couch.
“She—she was locking her door, and I was heading back to the car to grab something. Two guys. Masks. They grabbed her and threw her into a van. I—I tried to stop them. One hit me.”
Arrow swears and pulls her closer, inspecting the wound. “You need a hospital.”
