“That’s not my problem.”
Nash pounded his fist against the van. “I just made it your problem! What if I sent her father a letter and told him everything?”
“You wouldn’tdare.”
“How much is my silence worth to you?”
“Her seat belt’s off,” River said, his voice quiet.
With lightning speed, I threw open the door and fled. When I put enough distance between us, I turned around, the tire iron raised high and ready to strike. “Stay back, or I’ll knock your head off!”
Both men slowed their pace, River holding his hands up.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. “Your friend made a wrong turn, and I’m helping him take you back home.”
Was he delusional? Obviously he hadn’t a clue how much I’d heard, but the least he could do was fabricate a good lie.
“You’re a better liar than that, River. Remember?”
When he took a step forward, I angled my body, ready to strike.
“I never lied to you,” he said.
“You’re the one who convinced me that no alpha would want an inexperienced woman. I didn’t come up with that all on my own, but you made me believe it was my idea. Months and months of grooming me. You said I was special. You said no one would find out, and my father wouldn’t care.”
“Your stupidity isn’t my fault.”
“You were a seasoned wolf with years of experience living in a pack. My father trusted you, and so did I.”
His lip curled. “Do you think I care that your feelings are hurt?”
“Why are you doing this? Were you the one who stole my clothes and put them on my doorstep?”
“No, that washim,” he said, jerking a thumb at Nash.
Nash turned to face River. “You told me to do whatever it took to humiliate or scare her. Don’t act all innocent.”
I scowled at Nash. “I never would have expected this from you. We’ve always been good to you. Lakota tips double, and I could have gotten you an apartment in our building like you wanted.”
“I made that up so you’d trust me to use your bathroom. I needed to scope out the rooms and unlock a window.”
I furrowed my brow. “A window?”
He flapped his arms. “You have a double deadbolt, so it was easier to fly up. Brought my tools inside a bag. I had to ride naked down the elevator since the bag was too heavy with cash for my bird to haul out. Going out the way I came would have also meant leaving your window open, and that would’ve narrowed down suspects to avian Shifters or Superman. You should get a better safe. That’s a crap model you can open with a special magnet. Nothing personal, but a man’s gotta eat.” He jerked his thumb at River. “This guy paid me to do all those things. Am I sorry? Only that I didn’t put enough sedatives in your pizza slice earlier so you didn’t have to see this. I’ve incurred a lot of debt over the years paying off bounty hunters, and I’m trying to get ahead in life. You can’t blame me for making a living.”
“Hurting someone isn’t how you make a living,” I fired back.
“Not everyone has the luxury of joining a pack,” River said. “Some of us have to fend for ourselves.”
His words were weapons intended to inflict guilt and pain.
River branched to the right, closing in on me. “Put that down, and we’ll talk. I don’t want trouble any more than you do. Drugging you wasn’t my idea.”
“But threatening me and vandalizing the store was. Don’t pretend like you have a moral compass. Did you hire that grizzly to burn down my store?”
“I had nothing to do with the fire. It seems like you’re good at making enemies without my help. You see how dangerous it is for a little girl to own a business? Without a pack, you’re nothing but a walking target.”
“So you were just trying to show me the light?”
