“Fuck yeah. We can get out some wine, gossip about the Donovans, and I’ll even paint your nails.” He winked my way, relaxing me slightly. He was flirty as fuck, but I had the feeling he had a really soft side. I’d almost bet money on him being serious about painting her fucking nails.
“Sold,” she said with a laugh before reaching for me to pull me closer as she turned serious again. “Don’t hurt him too badly. He really wasn’t himself.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I murmured, leaning down to drop a kiss on her lips. “Call me if you need me.”
She nodded, not seeming happy to let me go, but she didn’t stop me when I walked out the door with Maddox. I heard her laughter a moment later, so I knew Cruz was doing a good job of distracting her.
We took my car, and Maddox didn’t seem too worried until we parked and I grabbed my bat from the trunk. “Uh, Riley?”
“What? You thought I was just going to slap him and swear a little?” I scoffed, slamming the trunk and dropping my bat over my shoulder. “I’m going to break all of his fucking fingers and carve his damn eyes out.”
He cursed as he followed me, and I knew I wouldn’t have long to handle shit before one of our parents stepped in. It seemed most of them were home from the chatter I could hear in the living room, but Ryder stood in the kitchen by the fridge, talking to Jett whose muscles were tense.
It looked like he was going to punch him.
Ryder’s gaze lifted to me as I approached, and he swallowed nervously. “Riley, listen to me. I…” I wasn’t going to let him worm his way out of it. I swung the bat hard, smashing him in the ribs and causing him to stumble as he grunted, his voice sharp. “Riley! Stop!”
I swung the bat again, slamming it into his back and legs like a crazy woman, but I was jerked back before my aim for his head could connect.
“What the fuck is going on?!” Caden barked as he snatched my bat away from me and tossed it behind him to let it roll across the floor. Hunter pulled Ryder to his feet, lifting the back of his shirt to check the damage, but he paused when I tried to lunge at Ryder with my fists. Caden grabbed my hood, almost choking me as he hauled me back again. “Riley! That’s enough!”
“He fucking deserves it!” I shouted, trying to twist from his grip but failing. “He’s lucky I don’t gut him!”
“Calm down and tell us what happened,” Caden asked patiently. Jett stood beside me, crossing his arms and giving Ryder a dirty look.
“She’s not lying. He does fucking deserve it.”
“Would someone tell me what’s going on?” Hunter demanded, his gaze bouncing between the three of us, but he went completely still as I motioned towards Ryder.
“This piece of shit got so drunk and high last night that he sexually assaulted Luna. He scared the hell out of her.”
“Ryder?” Caden said slowly, loosening his hold on me. “What the fuck is she talking about?”
Ryder nursed his ribs, wincing as he pressed his hand against them, his voice hoarse. “I didn’t mean to scare her. I…”
“You don’t just accidentally assault someone, asshole!” I growled, my knuckles cracking as I clenched my fists. “What’s next? Will you accidentally rape her?”
“I’d never do that to her,” he choked out, his voice breaking. “I love Luna. She’s family to me.”
“Yeah?” I spat, not giving a shit that I was hurting him. “I never thought you’d touch someone without their permission either. She told you no, Ryder. It doesn’t get much easier to understand than that. Did you fucking touch her at Angel’s that night? When she was passed out?” The thought made me sick. I’d left her alone with him, completely vulnerable, and he could’ve done anything to her.
His eyes widened, and he took a step towards me. “No! I swear, I didn’t touch her! Riley, please. I need to apologize to her.”
Caden cursed as I slipped from his hold, slamming my fist into Ryder’s face as hard as I could. My chest was heaving with anger, and I wasn’t surprised when Beckett materialized beside me, dropping an arm around my shoulders to pull me back a step. She didn’t say anything, but a muscle ticked in Hunter’s jaw as he turned to Ryder, disappointment on his face.
“What did you do to her?”
He sighed, his face pinching with pain. “It’s a bit blurry. I was being a dick, and…”
“He kept groping her ass and trying to convince her to fuck him while mauling her neck,” I supplied, crossing my arms tightly to keep control of my fists. “Ask Beckett how terrified Luna was. She was the one who found her last night while she was trying to get away from him.”
Marco appeared out of nowhere, his voice firm. “Beck? Is this true?”
She nodded, her voice cold. “She slapped him and it seemed to snap him out of it, but he can’t take back what he’s done. She was a fucking mess, and he’s lucky I didn’t stab him. Maddox, Cruz, and Jett got him home last night before Riley found out. I didn’t want us airing our shit at the track for people’s entertainment.”
Marco had apparently heard enough, his face void of emotion as he pointed a finger at Ryder. “You’re done.”
“You’re kicking me out?” Ryder forced out, panic filling his face. If they kicked him out, he had no one to blame but himself.