Page 30 of River of Deceit

I kiss him, right there in the dark classroom, with my own knife pressing up against my throat.

6

RIVER

The last thing I’d expected from Pandora Pavone was a kiss, but here we are with her lips on mine even as I hold a knife to her throat.

I’ve always known she’s crazy — though I’d learned my lesson in calling her that to her face last year.

My left hand throbs in phantom pain where my left pinky finger had been, and I yank away. I realize the knife has left a thin trail of blood along her throat, and I have the strangest urge to lick it away.

But no.

I’m not here to kiss her or indulge in my darker fantasies.

I’m not here to watch her with another man — with two other men — and do nothing.

I’m here for revenge.

Her knife is warm in my hand, urging me to use it.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Pandora says, setting her hands on my sides. One of them goes under my shirt to press against my stomach. “Yeah, those abs are exactly like I remember. Maybe even better.”

I laugh, and it’s an ugly sound. “Yeah, well, I haven’t had much else to do but train. It’s not like you left me with anything else last year.”

She’d taken everything away from me.Everything.

I’ll never forgive her for it.

She might pretend she missed me, but we both know how we parted ways. There’s no coming back from what she had her family do to me, all because of a few ill-advised words spoken on a day when we should’ve leaned on each other.

Pandora reaches for my hand, and her thumb rubs against the nub that was once my pinky.

I jerk back like it’s still an open wound. “Don’ttouchthat,” I hiss. “Don’t touchme.”

I don’t know what I want her to do, though. I don’t know what I expected to do when I finally caught up with her. I had been fine with watching her, planning, but seeing her with those two frat assholes trying to manhandle her had been more than I could handle.

If anyone’s going to fuck with her, to hurt her, it’s going to be me.

“Why not?” Pandora asks, still smiling. “This is mine. You gave it up for me.”

“Gave it—” I start, only to shake my head. “I didn’t give up anything for you. Your family took it away from me.”

I’m still bitter, and familiar anger rises up within me at the knowledge that she doesn’t get it. She either doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to. Knowing Pandora as well as I once did, I’m willing to bet on the latter.

She’s always been self-centered, and if she thinks I willingly gave up my finger to atone for uttering a few words, she’s every bit as crazy as I’d said she was.

Pandora wraps her arms around my chest and mouths along my jaw. “Did you get taller? You’re so hot, River. I think about you when I’m masturbating.”

My mouth drops open, and I pull away from her again. I hold up her knife again. “Stop it,” I tell her in a low growl. “Stop trying to come on to me like you think I’d want your sloppy cunt ever again.”

Pandora purses her lips, and it’s a familiar expression, one that almost makes me soften.

“Don’t be like that, River. You want revenge, right? You might as well get laid before you get to the murder bits.”

“I don’t have any problems getting laid,” I say, my voice harsh.

Not since I’d stopped idolizing her.