When Daisy's Fall

Chapter 19

Leo

I was laying my head on Rivers lap while she was stroking my hair like someone would do with a cat. Her skin smelt like vanilla and felt warm. It was soothing. She was trying to ease my pain through physical contact. And even though my heart was still aching I tell her do it. I was in her room, laying length way, we didn't utter a word after I told her Raine was gone; dead. That her body was buried in the backyard of her own home, rotting while we were searching aimlessly for her. That her stepfather murdered her for millions. Money her mother stashed away specifically for her....it was suspicious. Something was bothering me. Something didn't add up at least to me.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" River asked as her face hovered over mine. "That's your thinking face isn't it." my nose was scrunched up and eyes narrowed to slits.

I rose up raking my fingers into my golden hair pushing it back.

"Raine is dead."

"Leo, you keep saying it as if it hasn't registered in your brain yet." She poked me in the side.

It had

"Raine isn't just dead Riv, she was murdered." I got up, off the bed and I could see River had a worried look upon her cute, rounded face. It almost looked like she was pouting "She was strangled, tossed in a hole and no one knew where she was, but... that we needed to find her."

"Where are you going?" she rolled her eyes, sounding annoyed

"I'm going over to her house."

"Why?"

"Because her sisters there, alone. Her stepfather was just arrested for murdering her little sister. Her mom's gone, stepbrothers in another state. She's all alone. She's a difficult person but I wanna be there for her. You can stay-"

"No way. I'm coming with you." she jumped off the bed then started undressing. I turned around immediately to give her some privacy. Glancing around so I don't feel embarrassed by her sudden action.

"You don't have to come if you don't want to." I said

"Wherever you go, I go."

I started to smirk "What if I were to jump off a bridge."

"That more sounds like something I would do. And doesn't suicide send you to hell, Saint." she laughed "Is Zack gonna come? How did he take the news?"

I was avoiding telling her about Zacks' stupidity tonight. I had only hoped he was alright. Even if he was paralyzed from the waist down and eating out of a tube I would be happy he was alive. Suffering but alive.

"He's in the hospital.....he tried to kill himself."

"What!" she rushed over to see my expression. I rubbed the back off my neck avoiding her eyes.

"He's okay now, he's just unconscious."

"So that was the other reason you showed up on my doorstep pouring tears on my head."

I nodded, there was an unsettling silence afterwards and it made my insides quake.

"Well, do you want to sulk like a toddler or do you want to go see Raines sister." She squared her shoulders placing her hands on each hip.

"Let's go."

**********

I was more expecting a teary eyed Hope to answer the door when River and I showed up. To our surprise, the door was ajar.