RILEY
“We’re going home?” Riley sat on the couch, ecstatic, but didn’t move from her seat. She had been watching TV alone for nearly an hour, wondering what all the guys were doing. “Seriously?”
“Yup, get some clothes on and let Troy pack your bags,” Brenton smiled at her, looking down at her on the couch and holding a bag.
She ran, laughing. She was so happy to get home. After nearly three weeks in Denver, she was so ready to have her room back. The crew had to do more cleaning and a few repairs that weren’t expected so it had taken longer than planned.
She threw on a quick pair of sweats, changed out of her lounge shirt into a tee, and grabbed a jacket. Troy was already packing and had left a few items out for her to be comfortable on the drive. She kissed his cheek, making him laugh at her excitement.
They would be able to go running again! She squealed, pulled on her shoes and was back down in the kitchen within minutes.
“I’m ready,” she ran in, grinning wildly. “When do we leave?”
“Ten minutes,” Brenton shrugged. “Troy just needs to finish packing your bag since your stuff got everywhere.” His tone was mild, but she knew he was happy to go. He just wanted to give her a hard time for being a little messier than the guys. She had a bad habit of just leaving clothes where they fell. And they fell in all the guys rooms. “And with Star at the vet for the night in Wild Junction for that appointment about her teeth, we can pick her up ourselves tomorrow morning.”
Once Troy was done, they were off. Zachary carried Riley piggyback to the SUV they would be in. Troy and Gabe were taking the other one with Andrew. She knew, now, why she never rode with them. They finally admitted they just didn’t want her in the same car as them, even if they were sober.
“In two hours, baby,” Zachary even sounded happy, letting her down. “We’ll be home and we’ll go on a run, even though it’s late.”
It was already dark, nearly nine pm, but if they wanted to run, they were going to run. They could all see fairly well in the dark, so it wasn’t much of an issue.
“I can’t wait!” Riley sat in the passenger’s seat, laughing as Brenton got into the driver’s seat. Zachary stretched out in the back seat, lounging much like a feline would.
Home! She was so ready. Her room, her stuff, the property to run on, and Wild Junction. They would finally be able to rebuild the diner; the plans had been halted while they were in Denver.
“We still need to be careful,” Brenton pointed over at her as they got on the road. “The hunters cut the deal, but only for their Chapter if we pressed no charges against the survivors. They would ignore us and cease hunting activity permanently if we didn’t send those five to prison for a long time. They also went on a watch list in case they joined other SHS Chapters and tried to resume their activities elsewhere.”
“But others could still come after us.” Riley was no longer incredibly excited.
“We think that breaking an entire Chapter will deter others from trying. Eight guys died in our place without a single casualty on our side. And the hunters learned that the law is on our side if they attack us. This shit isn’t just ignored like they thought,” Brenton pulled them out onto the highway, Gabe driving close behind them. They never let the two SUVs get far from each other.
It was half way through the drive when Riley remembered another night time car trip from years ago.
It was raining that night, the night her dad drove her to their new home, out of the town she’d grown up in and her mom had ‘died’ in. He was tired, but they did make it to the new house. It was in the middle of nowhere, tucked behind a lot of trees. Just like the mansion she lived in now.
Maybe that’s why she was thinking about it.
Since the zoo, she’d thought about her parents more, things they used to do together. She thought about how different her life would have been if either of them had stuck around. She wouldn’t have the guys or anything she had now. She knew she couldn’t live without the guys, now, which said something because she had the choice. She could have left with her mother and she chose her boys… Her boyfriends. The thought made her chuckle out loud.
“Something funny?” Brenton’s voice cut through the dark in the car. “You’ve been in your own head there for a little while.”
“No, it’s just… I have five boyfriends,” Riley grinned and bit her bottom lip, “and I like it.”
“Ahh,” Brenton let one hand leave the wheel, reached for her inner thigh and squeezed it. “We like it, too.”
If he could touch her like that for the entire drive, it would make her fucking horny. She always wanted them, always. Not matter what, they knew how to push her buttons and set her off in a spiral of desire.
She jumped, startled by her phone ringing. She fumbled around and saw Troy calling.
“Yeah, Troy?” she put it on speaker for Brenton to hear as well, Zachary leaning in between the seats.
“We’ve got multiple vehicles speeding up behind us, wanted to let you know,” he seemed worried. “Probably just a bunch of regular old joes trying to get somewhere, but didn’t want you to be spooked by them.”
“Thanks, Troy,” Brenton called out.
“Not a problem,” Troy disconnected on her and she shoved the phone back in her jacket pocket.
“I see them now,” Zachary growled from the back. She looked as well, through the front seats. Behind them, in the right-hand lane, was a vehicle speeding up. Two more followed. “Range Rovers like ours.”
Riley shrugged and turned back around to look at the road.
The first one merged into their lane in front of them.
The second pulled up to their right side, but the windows were too dark for Riley to see anything in the other vehicle’s window.
“What the fuck?” Brenton growled, braking to let the Range Rovers overtake them.
“Brenton! One got in behind us and separated us from the others!” Zachary snarled.
Riley turned to look back and then spun to the one who moved back to their side. She was flooded with confusion. What was happening?
“Guys what-”
“Fuck,” Brenton braked hard. “Get a fucking seatbelt on, Zachary!” He tried to get into the right lane, behind the other Range Rover. It braked hard as well, causing Brenton to jerk back into the left to stop an accident.
One problem with that. The one that had pulled in front of them had braked as well, nearly stopping.
Riley screamed as Brenton slammed down on the brakes again but they still went into the back of the other Range Rover. She jerked forward as glass shattered around her.
The airbags didn’t deploy, they weren’t moving fast enough on impact. Brenton undid his seatbelt and then hers. Zachary nearly got his door open when the second Range Rover pinned their side in.
“Go out the back,” Brenton roared.
She tried to climb into the back seat with Zachary when gunfire went off. More of the windows were broken and Zachary pulled her down under him.
A pop and hiss came from the truck.
The last Range Rover hit the back of theirs.
“We’ve been gassed.” She could hear Brenton’s voice but she couldn’t see him from underneath the large tiger.
“What’s happening?” She begged Zachary, who was pinning her underneath him on the back seat.
“Baby-”
“Tell me!”
She couldn’t breathe, she wanted to run. She struggled against Zachary, who wrapped his arms around her. Her vision of his face and all the desperation on it, grew blurry. A wet drop hit her cheek. It rolled to her lips and it tasted like salt. A tear.
“Riley, we’re being grabbed.”
It was the last thing she heard as her world went black.