Page 35 of Dangerous Love

“Tell me this doesn’t look amazing. I’m starving,” he said.

I ambled to the table and settled next to him. Then I grabbed a slice. “Mmmm. It’s good,” I crooned, as my taste buds danced to the flavours. “Avery would have a stroke if he knew we were eating Italian that’s not his.”

Riley laughed. “Maybe.” A huge chunk of crisp dough went to his mouth. “But who says he has to know.”

That’s not the only thing…If my brother or Jarryd got wind that Riley was planning some revenge plot against Hal Cooper, I was guessing all hell would break loose. There was just so much everyone had sacrificed to get to where we were today, and while I understood how gutted Riley and Trey must have been, nothing good would ever come from diving headfirst into Cooper’s den.

I closed my eyes as I chomped on my pizza, the tangy pepperoni teasing my palate. When a piece of onion fell off, I pinched it between my index finger and thumb and brought it to my mouth. “Yum.”

“It would be even yummier with mushrooms.” Riley raised both hands in the air in surrender. “Just sayin’.”

I narrowed my eyes, my lips curling into a grin. “You have no taste.”

He poured us lemonade into plastic cups, the fizzy liquid bubbling up to the brim. “One week ‘til the wedding. Are you ready?”

I shrugged. “As ready as can be, I suppose. I have my dress fitted, my shoes, and I know how I’m getting my hair and makeup. So that’s pretty spot on if I say so myself. What about you?”

“Tux was sorted a few weeks ago, and all I need to remember is the song I’m playing and that’s about it. Come to think of it, it’s much easier for guys.” He chuckled.

“You think?” I took a gulp of my drink, the sugar buzzing me happy and giving me enough courage to ask, “When are you coming home, Riley?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Tell Jarryd I’ll be home tomorrow. There’s just one thing I have to do tonight.”

Alarm bells rang. “Can you do whatever it is from your house?”

“No.” He bit into a new slice, avoiding my glare. “I’m catching up with Trey.”

“Right. Why?” I asked, my tone not too subtle. We both knew it wasn’t a social call. Maybe if I nagged him enough, he’d forget about his stupid plan.

His finger stroked my hand on the table. “Si? Can we just leave it? I’ll be home tomorrow. I promise everything will be all right. And after that, we can prepare for the biggest party of the year with everyone.”

My heart pounded in my chest, the frustration growing with every one of his avoidance techniques. For an open book, Riley was bloody hard to read.

“Fine,” I said. “But promise me you’ll be smart.”

He leaned over and kissed me on the mouth, his thumb swiping the pizza sauce at the corner of my lips. “I promise.”

I smiled at him, kissing him back, and wondered why there was no part of me that believed him.

CHAPTER18

Riley

Atinge of guilt floated in my gut as I sent Sienna home, promising I’d be back by the morning. She smiled as she drove off, but the sheen in her eyes wasn’t all post love-making bliss.She knew.

I shoved my clothes in my duffel bag, packing as quickly as I could, until the hotel room looked like nothing but an empty shell of the last few hours. The trash sat by the door, pizza boxes balancing on top of it. The sheets that hugged Sienna’s porcelain skin not that long ago lay crumpled in a ball on the mattress.

I glanced at my watch.Seven thirty. Darkness had invaded the sky, the full moon the only reason I could still vaguely make out Seth’s resting place across from the hotel. A sharp pain stabbed me in the chest, and I clenched my jaw, forcing my thoughts away from the memories of my brother lying in his open casket. Pale. Stiff.Dead.

A sharp knock distracted me from my self-destructive reminiscing.

Right on time.I yanked the door open. On the other side, Trey grinned at me before gripping me into a bear hug. “Are you ready, brother?”

Dressed in full blacks that accentuated the dark circles around his eyes, my sibling looked so much older than he had before the last month. If I struggled with Seth’s death, Trey was plagued—haunted—by the loss. He was combusting from the inside out, as if torturing himself granted him some sick sense of redemption.

Doubt crept up. “Trey, are you sure this is what you want? I can go alone.”

His face hardened, his eyes glistening. “Little brother, if anything, it’syouwho shouldn’t be coming withme. This is my fight with the old man. You’ve been out for some time now. I don’t want you back in his fucking hell.”

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