Page 73 of Stolen Summer
“No,” Cole stated, walking in behind his brother, his eyes finding mine. “You’re not going anywhere, Arie. Brody is.”
Brody glanced between us, a glint of disappointment in his eyes at his brother’s choice. “You’re making a mistake.”
Cole pressed his lips together, his arms folding over his chest in a decisive gesture. “You’ve made your fair share. It’s mine to make.”
“Until you start messing with other people’s lives and those people get hurt. We’ve been down this road before, haven’t we?” I didn’t like the insinuation of Brody’s words, and neither did Cole.
Something dark fluttered over Cole’s features. “And what? You’ve been sent to keep an eye on me? Make sure I don’t fuck up again? How about I’m trying to make shit right for once.”
“Where’s Crew?” Brody demanded. “I assume he’s caught up in this.”
Cole’s fingers constricted against the back of a kitchen chair. “I don’t keep track of his whereabouts.”
Brody snorted. “Sure, you don’t. Clean this mess up. And don’t forget dinner on Sunday. I’ll drag you there myself if I have to.” Brody’s eyes, so similar to Cole’s but lacking the gold shimmer, flicked to me. I was the mess he wanted cleaned up. “If you knew what’s good for you, Arie, you’d leave. Keep the money. It’s the least we can do for the trouble Cole’s put you through.”
My chin firmed. I hated a bully, and that was what Brody reminded me of, pushing his brother to do his father’s will. “I gave him my word. That might not mean jack shit to you, but it means something to me. I’m seeing this through until Cole tells me otherwise.” I didn’t know if Cole told him about our arrangement or if Brody guessed what was going on between us. It didn’t matter. So what if the world found out I took money from Cole.
A heavy sigh left Brody’s lips, the sexy scar on his brow looking more menacing than attractive now as he scowled. “It’s your funeral. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As Brody turned to leave, something he said spurred me forward, my hand reaching out and grabbing onto one of his thick biceps. The muscle flexed under my fingers. “Wait,” I said quietly.
With an arched brow, Brody glanced over his shoulder.
“What do you mean funeral? Did you mean literally or metaphorically?” I asked, seeking clarity on whether my life was actually in danger, remembering the guy who’d broken in with a knife looking for Crew.
Brody narrowed his gaze to slits. “Stay and find out.” Then the eldest Riley stalked out of the house, leaving me gaping after him in a damp towel.
“Fucker,” I mumbled under my breath, staring at the space his form had occupied, and then I whirled on Cole. “What the fuck was that?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Nothing. Just some unsolicited advice.”
I shook my head, adjusting the towel clutched to my chest. “Don’t lie to me.”
Cole went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and twisted the top. “It doesn’t concern you.”
“Doesn’t it? Then I guess I don’t need to be here.”
He swallowed a gulp of beer, staring at me. “Arie, I don’t have the energy to battle with you.”
“Let me make this easy for you.”
I walked out of the house.
Chapter Twenty-Three
For the third time this summer, I dashed into my house half naked. This was becoming an annoying habit. The common element always circled back to Cole.
An eerie quietness greeted me, and my first thought went to Dad, but after I called his name, I remembered what day it was. He had therapy, and Sadie would have taken him.
I didn’t stay long. Just long enough to change and leave before my asshole neighbor came looking for me.
Heading to the boardwalk, I texted Frankie, asking her to meet me. I needed a break from spending days with so much testosterone. She never let me down.
Getting to the boardwalk took about fifteen minutes on foot, and I got stuck in my head the whole time, going over what I’d heard. I was so confused about the position I had willingly put myself in. Sure, it was Cole’s master plan, but I agreed without knowing the details. I’d seen dollar signs, my mounting debt, and continuing my education at a college I dreamed of.
I had no problem selling my soul to the devil to get what I wanted, so why did Cole’s secrets bother me? I didn’t care what his family thought of me. We weren’t in a real relationship, and I had no designs thinking this arrangement would lead to something. I didn’t want that.
Cash was all I desired.