“I know you’re out there,” he called softly.
Nothing.
When Riley didn’t answer his taunt, Seth stopped, stepping to the side of the trail to catch his breath while he waited for whatever kind of game this was to reveal itself. He took out his phone from his pocket to pause his music.
Seth frowned down at the screen. That was odd. There was a text from Riley, one he’d missed while jogging.
Delayed. I’ll be over in the morning. Promise.
Seth hadn’t realized Riley was such a stoic texter. He’d expected more exclamation marks, maybe a few emojis thrown in here and there. Definitely multiple hearts per text, at the very least. But then, Riley hadn’t had a lot of practice communicating with anyone, had he?
But that wasn’t the odd part. Seth’s frown deepened as he reread Riley’s message.
Because if Riley was stuck with his moms, who or what had Seth just called out to?
Seth peered through the trees around him, not sure what he was even looking for. Were there mountain lions here? Bears? Should he have looked up wild animal safety before going off on his own in the woods?
But he didn’t find any clues from looking. Every now and again, a shadow in the dense foliage had his heart skipping a beat, but in the end, there was nothing. No one.
Maybe Seth was imagining things. Maybe he’d gotten so used to being watched by Riley that he was making up the sensation in Riley’s absence.
Still, if Seth turned around right now, that would be a good, twenty-minute run right there. He could call it a day without being too ashamed of his athleticism. Maybe once he got back to his street, he’d head down the road a little bit, get some steps in while civilization still surrounded him.
Maybe it was silly to be so spooked by nothing, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious, right?
Seth didn’t restart his music. Instead, he popped his headphones out of his ears and put them in his pocket, leaving him free to catch the sounds of the forest. He wanted all his senses on alert, just in case. He turned and started back the way he’d come.
The lack of music meant Seth caught the sound immediately when a twig snapped behind him.
Seth whirled around, but before he could see what had made the noise, there was thick fabric covering his face, blocking his mouth and nose.
He panicked, trying to thrash out and dislodge the cloth—he couldn’tbreathe—but strong arms had already wrapped around him, trapping his arms by his side.
Seth was aware of harsh breathing coming from somewhere. A chemical scent that burned his throat and his eyes as he hyperventilated into whatever was covering his face. His stomach roiled. His hands went numb.
And then, nothing at all.
23
RILEY
“Istill don’t understand why this couldn’t be a phone call,” Riley said. “Or why I have to be here for it.”
Wolfe cocked a brow at Riley over his pretentious glass of wine. Wolfe always brought his own bottles every time he visited, as if Riley’s moms didn’t have an amazing wine cellar of their own.
Snob. Rude-ass snob.
“Are you always this childish?”
Riley scowled back at him. “Yes.”
Eric cleared his throat, giving Riley a placating smile while Wolfe toyed with Eric’s fingers with his free hand. “Your moms are concerned about your new neighbors. And Wolfe has always been…”
“Uber paranoid?” Riley supplied helpfully.
“Cautious,” Wolfe countered. He set his glass down, tapping neat, blunt fingernails on the dining room table. “I knew you’dbe trouble.”
“Careful, Wolfe, darling,” Sybil drawled. To the untrained ear, she might have sounded unconcerned and uncaring, but Riley recognized the dangerous note in her voice. “That’s my son you’re speaking to.”
