Page 77 of Ready Or Not

“Manson!” Riley shouts, startling me. “Let mefuckingout of here!” She grips her hair, jumping up and pacing.

I’m frozen on the bed. I fucked up. I shouldn’t have woken her.

Riley targets the snacks on top of the dresser, shoving them off violently. They crash to the floor.

“I’m gonna kill you, Manson!” She rips her hair again, sucking in heavy breaths. Then, they turn to laughter. She laughs, turning in circles in the room. “Mansooon. I just need a lighter. Just one little lighter.”

I see the pain around her eyes despite her laughter. Then, Riley locks eyes with me.

She grins at me, frozen in her spot. Then, she takes a step forward. “No space. I’m stuck.”

It sounds like she’s pleading with me.

I inch back. “Uh…”

Riley’s smile widens.

“You can have the bed.” I try to scoot to the other side.

Riley stops, and suddenly, she’s staring at me, but she’s no longer there. She blinks, then reaches up to rip her hair again. “No bed,” she mutters absently. “No beds. Ever. I don’t do beds.”

Suddenly, her statement sinks into me with brutal clarity. That was little Riley who just talked to me, not adult Riley. And at this moment, my heart breaks for her.

Riley goes back to pacing.

“It’s okay,” I say softly, “I don’t do armchairs.”

Riley yanks her hair again, then looks at me. Something peeks through the blank look in her eyes.

I sink back onto the bed more. “Especially not green ones.”

Something flashes in Riley’s eyes. She seems to wrestle for a second, holding my gaze like a lifeline. I don’t know what she needs from me, but I hold her look. I feel like she’s staring deep into my soul, and fear rocks my core. She’ll see me deep down. She’ll see me and unravel me.

But her gaze is panicked. Like she…needs this.

So I hold it for agonizing seconds as Riley’s gaze wrestles in front of me.

Finally, her gaze sinks back to that expressionless one I usually see her wear, but it’s less pained. Her eyes have relaxed.

“Didn’t know you hated green.” She shrugs. “You hear that, Manson? She hates your eyes.”

I bark out a laugh.

Riley flashes me a tiny smile, and despite everything, it looks real.

42

HEATHEN - n9neful

I give the women a night. It takes me a whole night not to storm in there and manhandle the information out of them the way I want to.

But that would be impulsive. What’s the rush? Riley is mine now. Rachel too.

That fact doesn’t keep me from watching the live feeds like they’re my heroin and I’m dope sick. I fall asleep with the feed on.

When I wake up, I realize I’ve slept longer than I meant to. I curse, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, and I finally allow myself to go to Riley’s door.

When I open it, Riley is sitting on the bed…naked.