“Nope,” Jake pops the P, “But she also knew you wouldn’t say no to a challenge.”
I hear River grumble under his breath before the crowd parts and he comes face to face with the three of them. I recognize both Ricky and Benji, and Rachel is right there between both of them.
She sneers at me like it’s me who threatened her and not River, but I don’t let it affect me.
“The fuck are you doing on my land?” River all but growls at them.
Ricky points the head of his half empty beer bottle at him, “You and I have a score to settle.”
“I believe it’s already settled,” River looks down his nose at them, his spine stiff with tension, “You both had your asses handed to you and everyone saw it, you back for it to happen again?”
Ricky suddenly throws his bottle of beer toward us but it’s a bad throw and barely gets halfway, smashing onto the floor andshattering, it’s so far away not even the beer still inside splashes our shoes.
River chuckles, “Is that your attempt at intimidation? I’m terrified.”
“You should have gone up in flames with your brother,” Ricky hisses, his tone edged in spite and venom, “Would have done us all a favor.”
I swear my heart stops beating and sinks into my stomach. I had guessed it correctly. River shakes beside me, his fingers curling so tightly around me, it hurts where he squeezes my knuckles together.
For a split second, I see Rachel widen her eyes, skin paling as Ricky’s words land, sizzling like acid on flames at River’s feet.
“Heard he screamed like a little bitch as those flames burned him to death, he probably pissed himself too. And poor little orphaned River Sinclair tried to be a hero and ended up with melted skin. How fucking tragic.”
River steps forward and the shock snaps away. I grab his arm, “Don’t. It’s what he wants.”
“I’m going to snap your fucking neck,” River hisses.
“How about this,” Ricky grins like he just won the lotto, “One on one, you and me on the track.”
“You honestly think you can beat him?” Jake scoffs, “He’s the champion for a reason, Ricky.”
Ricky dismisses him, “I win, you get on your knees and kiss my fucking feet, and I get a night with that pretty piece on your arm.”
I stumble as River shoves me behind him, sheltering me from the eyes that are hungrily devouring me.
“You’re not going anywhere fucking near her!” River’s voice has taken on this low, menacing tone, it vibrates through me, a warning and a promise.
Ricky smirks, “We’ll see. You win, you get my car.”
“I don’t want that piece of shit tin box,” River snaps.
Ricky curls his lip, “Take it or leave it, Sinclair.”
“I’m not betting on my fucking girl,” River doesn’t let me out from behind him and his whole body is tense with anger, I feel it rolling through him, his muscles shaking violently. Ricky will only keep coming, he won’t give this up. He wants to knock River to the dirt unless River puts him in his place.
I trust River.
“Do it,” I whisper, my hand squeezing his upper arm, “Race him.”
River subtly turns to me, searching my face, “I am not risking you.”
“Will you lose?” I raise my brows, a challenge. We both know, River never loses.
River scoffs, “What do you think?”
“Exactly,” I try to give him a smile but to be honest, this whole thing has me nervous. My palms are clammy because while I have the confidence in River, there is that small chance he will lose. But that’s going to have to be a bridge we can cross if we get to it. “Take the race, River.”
There’s a pregnant pause and I see the war on his face, the anxiety but then he dips his chin in a small nod.
