Page 28 of Riot Act

I take the apple from him, shove it into my own mouth, and take a bite. Sugar explodes across my tongue, making my mouth ache. “You know—” I swallow. “It’s creepy to watch people while they’re sleeping.”

He laughs, one dark eyebrow arching suggestively. “Oh, I’ve done way,wayworse.”

“I don’t even wanna know.” Groaning, I slump back into the couch, throwing my arm over my face, covering my eyes. Wren grabs the apple back and continues to eat. Neither of us says anything for a second, but then I’m speaking; I don’t even know that I’m going to until my mouth is opening and the words are coming out. “I’m sorry. Y’know. About the boat.”

“It’s fine.”

I raise my elbow and peek at him out of the corner of my eye. “What do you mean, it’s fine?”

“You really think you’d have been allowed anywhere near that thing if it wasn’t insured for twice it’s fucking value? You probably did my old man a favor. And when have I ever resented an opportunity to piss him off, anyway? You should have seen his fucking face.”

“So what you’re really trying to say is that you’re sorry for punching me on the steps yesterday.”

“No,” he says dryly. “I’mnotsaying that. You deserved that fair and square. Where were you this morning?”

I whip around to look at him. “Huh?”

“I heard you get up and burn out of here at three or something. Where the hell d’you have to be in such a hurry?”

I haven’t breathed a word about my mother’s cancer diagnosis. I don’t know why, I just haven’t. I’m not ready to talk about it now either. For some reason, talking about what happened last night, especially what happened with Presley…I have zero interest in rehashing any of it. I don’t lie to my boys, though. So I’m rude as fuck instead. “None of your goddamn business.”

“Nice.” He isn’t fazed; the sarcasm’s only for show. “I’m gonna grab some sushi. You want some?”

I don’t think Wren’s eaten as much sushi in Japan as I have. “Get the fuck out of here with your disgusting Hicksville New Hampshire sushi. I’d rather starve.”

He gets up and drops something onto my chest. “Suit yourself.” It’s his apple core. The fucker’s just dumped his gnawed on apple core right on top of me. Asshole. I grab it by the stalk, ready to hurl it back at him, but he’s already countering—by holding his ginormous book out at arm’s length. Right over my junk.

“Don’t you fucking dare, Jacobi.” I bare my teeth, just to let him know I mean it, but he doesn’t appear to be taking the threat seriously. He arches that suggestive eyebrow again.

“Tell me where you went last night.”

“No.”

He shrugs. “All right.” The book falls. I have just enough time to deflect it with my knee, sending it crashing to the floor, before it can land directly on my balls.

I snarl, launching myself up off the sofa. “Good job I have the reflexes of a cat.” The fucker vaults over the coffee table before I can grab him, though. I swear to God, when I get my hands on the bastard—

“Let it go, Davis. You sank a one-point-three-million-dollar yacht and I forgave you. We’re nowhere near even.”

“Oh, we’re fucking even!” I let him go, though. I don’t have time to start a fight with him right now. I have a very pressing prior engagement to attend to. A way more important fight that’s been brewing for fucking years.

11

PRES

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The heart monitor chimes with regularity even though my pulse feels like it’s dancing all over the place. I’m swimming in sedatives and pain meds but I can still feel my anxiety, crawling over my skin. When I woke up five hours ago, I already knew where I was. The knowledge was a heavy weight pressing down on top of my chest, and I couldn’t get out from underneath it.

Jonah, standing by the closet door, wreathed in night, waiting for me to wake up…

“Hey, Red. Did you miss me?”

I swallow down the rolling wave of nausea that rises from the pit of my stomach. I’m not in any pain. Not now. That will change when the meds wear off. I keep willing that to happen—for the miasma clouding my mind to lift. I’d give anything to be able to think straight right now, but whenever I try, my thoughts slip away from me like smoke.