Page 25 of We Will Reign

“He was trying to get with Riley earlier,” I tell Maddox, in hopes he’ll understand and free me from his death grip. I turn my attention to Cade, whose bloody mouth is curled up in a smirk. “You stay the fuck away from her, or next time, you won’t be so lucky.”

Maddox lifts me up, leading me toward the door, but my eyes never leave Cade’s. “I mean it, fucker. Stay away from her or I’ll fucking kill you.”

“Out!” Maddox gnashes, tossing me out of the room.

He follows behind me, but before he closes the bedroom door, I hear Cade shout, “I’ve always craved what I’m told I can’t have, Ridge. Challenge accepted.”

Something violent snaps inside me. Hot blood flows through my veins, filling my face with insatiable heat. The urge to go back in that room to finish him off is damn near suffocating. As if my lungs have been depleted of air and I’m unable to fill them again until I’m certain he’ll never touch her.

Today is not that day. Not with my best friend here to witness the horrendous act. He doesn’t deserve a lifetime of that trauma. But Cade better heed my warning. If he goes near her again, I will be back.

“Jesus Christ, man. You could have killed him. Are you sure she’s worth all this?”

“This and more.”

This and more.

CHAPTER8

RILEY

“Holy shit.”I stop in the middle of the student center, surrounded by people, but my eyes are only on one person.

Scar follows my line of sight, finally finding it. “Who is that?”

“Is that Cade? The guy from the Kappa Rho House?” I ask her about the guy sitting at a round table with a splint on his nose and two yellow eyes.

She takes a few steps forward, getting a better look. “I can’t tell, but he’s with Melody and Hannah, so it could be. If it is, what the fuck happened to him?”

His mischievous eyes wander away from the conversation being had between the girls, and land on mine. I immediately snap my gaze away and grab Scar by the arm, pulling her in the opposite direction. “It’s him,” I tell her. “I’d know those evil eyes anywhere.”

“Well, someone got a hold of him, and it doesn’t look like they were too happy with him.”

Stealing a glance over my shoulder, I catch his stare again. Only this time, he’s not sitting on the table anymore, he’s coming toward us. “Not our problem,” I tell her, picking up my pace and dragging her along with me.

“Ry. Slow down.” Scar jerks back. “We still have twenty minutes before our first class.”

“He’s following us,” I grit between my teeth. “Just keep walking.”

Really don’t feel like starting my Monday off with drama from Cade. And if I know him like I think I’m starting to, he bathes in it. It’s just a vibe I get from him. My first conversation with Cade felt like a meet-cute, but the second encounter, I saw the depth of his arrogance. Had Scar not shown up when she did at his house, I have no idea what he would have done. Add that to what I heard about him drugging a girl and taking advantage of her, I have no interest in getting to know him.

“Yo, Riley.” His voice comes from behind me and the words reverberate through my chest like a drum. Or maybe that’s my heart. Either way, I don’t like it.

I walk faster, keeping my eyes in front of me, hoping he’ll think I don’t hear him and goes away.

Leave it to Scar to look over her shoulder, and when she does, she stops walking. “Go away, asshole,” she hisses.

I could continue to ignore his presence, or I could quit being a little bitch, who lets her best friend speak for her, and turn around to face him.

“What do you want?” I pivot on my heel and lock my arm tighter around Scar’s.

Seeing his face up close like this is so much worse than from afar. Someone definitely broke his nose. I cringe at the sight, imagining how painful that must have been.

His eyebrows pull together in a heavy scowl. “You can quit staring at it now. We’re all well aware that my nose is broken.” His fingers run down the length of his nose. “Had a run-in with a wall.”

I call bullshit, but I don’t say it out loud. He can tell whatever story he wants, but I’m certain it was either a guy he pissed off, or a girl he tried to get with who wanted nothing to do with him.

“If that’s your way of starting a conversation, it’s not a good one. Now say what you need to say so Scar and I can get to class.”

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