“I’m sorry,” I whispered against his chest. “You saved me. I’m sorry.”

“Never fucking apologize to me,” Beck growled, and wanting to see his face, I tilted my head back. “I don’t deserve it.”

That was true. To some extent. But on the other hand, I’d seen real evil today, and it wasn’t the guys from Delta. Needing something to do, I reached for my body wash and loofah, and for the next five minutes, I scrubbed at my skin like I could remove memories if I removed layers.

Beck remained in the shower with me, his eyes locked on my face, arms crossed and expression hard. Finally he reached out and stopped me. “I think that’s enough, Riles,” he said. “You’re starting to bleed.”

His gentle caress brushed over the top of my thighs, where I’d been scrubbing, and I finally felt the slight burn I’d left from almost rubbing my skin raw.

With another sob, I dropped everything, letting it clatter to the floor. Beck took over again, shutting off the shower, wrapping me up in a towel, and gently placing me on my bed. He disappeared for a beat, and I heard him throw his clothes into the dryer before he entered my bedroom with a towel around his waist as well.

My limbs were still shaking and I felt bone-deep cold as I slipped under the covers, pulling them tightly around myself, trying to hold my shit together. Beck crawled in next to me, but he stayed on top the covers, wrapping me up in his arms. For once, I didn’t fight my natural instinct. Lately I’d had to push Beck away out of anger, but my body had hated it every single time I did it. Today I could just let myself be with him. Feel his comfort. Today, I could have Beck back.

“Thank you for saving me,” I said, realizing I hadn’t told him that yet.

His lips pressed against my forehead, and I closed my eyes, pretending that everything was okay between us. “I should have gotten there sooner,” he said in a deathly cold voice. “The bastards had it well planned. Dylan and Jasper are with their parents this morning, and Evan’s front tires were slashed in the parking lot. I was helping him change them when it happened.”

Those fuckers had been planning this for a while. “How did you get to me in time then?”

He brushed a hand over my head, gently stroking back the long wet strands of my hair. “Not everyone in that crowd was okay with it,” he said. “Someone told us that we’d better get in there.”

“It was all setup by Katelyn,” I whispered. “It had to be. She’s the only one with the money and resources to know that Dylan and Jasper were out for the morning, and to pay enough people to make all of that happen. When I walked into the school, about twenty of them were waiting for me.”

Beck’s chest heaved as I told him the rest, but he didn’t interrupt me.

I didn’t leave any of it out, not even the part where those assholes mentioned being paid to rape me. To chase me from this school, or maybe even kill me. I had no idea what they planned to do when they were done with me.

“If I didn’t fucking kill them, I’m going to now,” Beck finally said, his body as hard as a rock. “Delta will not let this stand. I will not let this stand. Huntley is going to pay, I just have to figure out the best way to do it.”

Now that some of my pain and shock was fading, a fury more potent than anything I’d felt before, simmered in my chest. “Whatever you’re planning, I want in.”

Before he could reply, a phone rang, and Beck got up to retrieve it from the bathroom. “Talk to me, Evan,” he said, coming back to sit on the side of the bed. He started to brush my hair back again, and I let my eyes flutter closed at the soothing motion. I was exhausted.

“No,” Beck bit out, and I opened my eyes again, wondering what Evan was saying.

Beck grumbled. “Fuck. Fine. Okay. You need to come and sit with Riley while I’m gone, and bring me some clothes. Mine got wet.”

His face was expressionless, but it was always his stormy eyes that gave him away. “I have to go and give my report to Delta. They’re trying to clean the mess up, but it was very public this time, and I need to help them navigate it.”

I nodded, pulling myself up. “Do you want me to come as well?”

It was about the last thing I wanted to do, spill my pain to those old bastards, but I would do it if it meant Beck was not in trouble.

He shook his head. “No. Fuck no. I don’t want you to have to be around them anymore than necessary. They’ll use any weakness against you. But you do have to get dressed…”

Because Evan was coming, and he didn’t want me naked.

Beck helped me up, and I shuffled into my closet, grabbing out underwear and my comfiest pajamas. They were warm and fluffy, and left almost no skin showing. I couldn’t stand to look at my bare skin right now.

I didn’t get back into bed, instead choosing to wait for Evan on the couch. Beck sat beside me, and we didn’t speak, but he held my hand in his, and it was enough.

Beck

Leaving Riley with Evan after what I’d just witnessed, was about the hardest fucking thing I had ever done. My butterfly… They had come very close to breaking her. Just the fucked up memory of their faces. That gleam in their eyes as they held her down…

I slammed my fist into the wall outside her building. I wanted to do that over and over until some of the rage inside died down. Breaking a ton of bones, their bones, hadn’t even nearly sated my bloodlust. I wanted them dead. It was only the thought that I might end up in jail, unable to protect Riley, that stayed my hand. I’d always had a fucked up anger issue, and Riley brought out the worst … and the best in me.

I couldn’t face Delta like this though. Going in there with my emotions clearly on my face, was a good way to get us all screwed.

“Hey, Beck,” someone called as they passed me in the street.

I didn’t bother to respond, and the look on my face was enough for them to hurry the fuck along. Safest thing for anyone around me today.

You got there in time.

We had, but it was almost too fucking late. That wasn’t good enough. Not for Riley.

She didn’t know it yet, but whatever distance she’d tried to maintain between us was done. Fucking done.

12

“What’s happening, Evan?” I asked him. “He’s not going there alone, right?”