In Death I Live by Lindsay Becs
CRUZ
I hate him.
I loathe him.
I wish he wasn’t here. In fact, I wish he’d just go to hell, where he belongs.
I stay anchored where I am because I know if I move, I’ll wrap my hand around his throat and squeeze until he’s not breathing anymore. He deserves that for the way he’s looking at Zora. He shouldn’t be looking at her like he is, like she’s filthy. He shouldn’t look at her at all. Period. He hasn’t earned that right. He never will.
“We need to talk,” he says, still looking Zora up and down with a curled lip of disgust on his ugly face. “Without her.”
“We’ll be there in a minute,” River says, answering for both of us. I already forgot he was still in the room with us.
“Get your asses downstairs now,” he orders through clenched teeth. “Or she can sleep in my room tonight,” he sneers, turning his scowl to a wicked grin.
Grinding my jaw so tight I think I crack a molar, I shift my body to cover Zora’s more. “We’ll be down in a fucking minute,” I seethe.
I hear Zora audibly swallow. She’s never seen this side of me. Hell, probably not of River either.
“You have two minutes,” he gives, turning around and leaving.
River slams the door closed after him, making Zora jump. “Hey.” I place my hand softly on her cheek. “It’s okay.”
“Who was that?” She looks nervous and about ready to bolt with her eyes shifting all over the place.
“Swan,” River answers, coming up behind me with a hand on my back to try to calm me down. “We’ll be back up soon. You don’t leave this room unless it’s with one of us boys, Dom and Grey included. We’re going to lock you in, but you can unlock it from the inside; you aren’t trapped. Okay?”
She nods her head in a jerky motion. She’s terrified, and I hate that he’s put that fear in her already.
River kisses her temple. “Relax, angel. We got you, remember?” She lets out a long breath, looking up at him. He grins and kisses her lips. Then, he takes my hand to pull me away because he knows I won’t move on my own accord.
“Wait,” I stop him. Then, cupping her face again, I press my lips to hers too. “Unpack and get comfortable for the fire tonight. If we aren’t back up in an hour, call me.” I peck her lips one more time before turning back to River. He gives her a wink and then closes and locks the door with her inside.
“You have to calm the fuck down,” he tells me as soon as the door closes.
My hands are visibly trembling with anger. “I know. I know. I will.” I inhale deeply and exhale, shaking my hands out as we walk down the stairs.
“You need another kiss to calm your ass?” River jokes.
I shove his face away from mine when he comes at me with kissy lips. “Shut up.”
Turning the corner, we see Greyson, Domonic and Swan there waiting. The hard look on Dom’s face mixed with his tensed posture tells me he’s feeling about the same as me over this impromptu meeting, while Grey is leaning back, looking sluggish on the couch, gulping a beer, no doubt already on his way to being drunk. It’s how he always gets through these weekends.
River thumps me on the back in a half reassuring way and half of a command to sit down when Swan lifts a brow at me, directing me to obey him. I open my mouth to snap at him, but he speaks before I can get the snark out. “Sit the fuck down and shut up.”
My eyes focus on my fingers laced in front of me, hanging between my knees as I lean forward on my arms. My jaw clenches tight, and my knuckles turn white from keeping them there and not around his fucking neck.
“How many are coming tonight? This weekend?” Swan asks after a beat of silence.
“Roughly twenty tonight. Maybe twice that by the end of the weekend,” Grey says lazily. Awesome. He’s already drunk. Shaking my head in frustration, River bumps his leg against mine, another attempt to get me to settle down.
“That’s a low number,” Swan muses. I can hear the scratch of his hand sliding over his facial hair without looking at him.
“With what’s about to go down this weekend, we thought that best,” Dom tells him, sounding a little condescending, and I slightly smirk. Only he can get away with that tone with Swan.
Swan grunts, then asks, “Any idea when Shadows will show?”
“Nope,” Grey says, popping the word like a child. “Chatter is quiet.”
Rolling my eyes at Greyson’s immature ass, I speak up. “We had everyone who was invited register their vehicles so we know who’s expected and who isn’t. Should help let us know when he’s here, regardless of whether or not we get word on movement.”
Chancing a glance up at Swan, he nods his head. “Smart.”
“That it?” Dom asks, sounding angrier than me. “I got shit to do before more people arrive.”
“This girl,” Swan starts, and in my peripheral, I see each of us boys tense. “Is she going to be a distraction from what we’re all really here for?”
“No,” River says sternly, speaking for the first time since we came down. “The job will get done,” he adds through clenched teeth.
“Good,” Swan replies, sounding pacified for now. “I’ll be in the den until later. I expect all of you on alert and ready,” he says, looking pointedly at Greyson.
“Yeah, yeah. Got it,” he mumbles before defiantly chugging the rest of his beer. He stands, stumbling slightly as he walks up the stairs.
“We end this before the weekend is finished. Understood?” Swan asks, scanning each of us. “No fucking screwups. I’m already being quite generous and understanding about the girl, am I not? No mistakes.” He turns and leaves, heading to the den, where he’s probably about to drink more Scotch than he should. Fucking hypocrite.
“Where’s Zora?” Dom asks once Swan’s out of earshot.
“In my room,” I answer shortly.
River continues on, “I’m sleeping in there too. We told her not to leave unless it’s one of us boys, only we have keys and to keep the door locked at all times. I don’t think she’ll try to wander. Any calm she had was blown to shit when Swan came up to the room.”
“Fucking asshole,” Dom grunts. He stands, taking in a deep breath. “You watch her tonight. Do not take your eyes off of her for a second.”
River scoffs. “Don’t worry. We got her. Go do your princely things.”
Domonic doesn’t respond to River’s jab; instead, he just leaves the room. “That was low,” I tell him.
He shrugs. “Don’t really care right now.”
I give his shoulder a squeeze. “Let’s go check on our girl.”
River unlocks the door but stops short when he opens it. Nervous that something’s wrong, I press into his back to look into the room. I quickly soften when I see Zora curled up on the bed, sound asleep.
Closing the door, I lock it behind me. Stripping down to my boxers, I walk to the king-size bed and climb in behind Zora. Looking up at River, who hasn’t moved, his eyes still focused on the sleeping girl in the bed, I smile. “Come sleep with us for a little bit. I think we could all use a nap before this long-ass night begins.”
Slowly, he strips down too, climbing in on the other side of Zora. His front presses to hers while I spoon her back, all our legs tangling together. River’s hand slides under her pillow, and I meet his fingers, lacing them with mine.
If I would have known the clusterfuck that was going to happen once we woke up, I would have taken more time to memorize this moment, to appreciate it.