Intimate

Part 7

“Riley?” A soft voice crept towards me. I don’t know how long I stayed alone in the hallways until someone had come help. “Are you okay?” I managed to lift my head to figure out it was Jack from Science. I was so embarrassed. My eyes hurt from crying so much, and I over all felt like shit.

“No.” I finally managed to say, my lips trembling. The boy knelt down and started to stroke my back, I hardly knew him but he knew exactly what to do, probably since his girlfriend was a total drama queen and probably cried 25/8.

“You should go home.” Hearing that word was like a stab to the heart. He reached down his hand, I grabbed it and he helped me up. “Do you need a drive? Class is pretty much over and I have a free next, it’d be no trouble.” I nodded slowly, the charming boy wrapped his arm around my waist in attempt to help me walk. He pushed the doors open and allowed me to walk in front of him. “My cars just over there.” Jack pointed to a black Volkswagen; I acknowledged his voice silently and kept walking.

I entered the house after Jack dropped me off and slid my backpack off my shoulder to the floor. I tried my hardest to slip off my boots but there was no energy left to accomplish it, instead I just headed for my room, using all my strength to go upstairs. “Jace…?” I asked, once I noticed the tall boy sitting on my bed reading the book that used to be on my bedside table.

“You really should lock the doors; anyone could have gotten in here.” Jace kept his focus on the book in his hands; it was a thriller, the most phenomenal book I had ever read.

“Clearly.” I bit, collapsing onto my bed, the farthest I could from the boy. I examined his knuckles, every sing one was swollen and puffy. He must have tried fairly hard to get the dried blood off, even though he missed a couple spots on the back of his hand.

“I never knew you were a reader.” Jace pointed out, no matter how hard he tried, the awkwardness still floated in the air.

“I could say the same thing to you.” I now lay on my stomach, playing with the pillow’s seams that were in front of my face. There was a long thread sticking out and I was trying to decide if I should pull it or leave it. I could feel Jace’s green eyes on me, but I dared not to make eye contact. “May I have my phone?”

I heard him let out a sigh and reach into his pocket, retrieving my phone. I played with it in my hands, falling into the hole of awkward. “Class isn’t over yet.” Jace finally said through the heart wrenching moment of silence.

“I had to leave, you made quite a scene back there.” My voice was flat, my eyes struggling to stay open.

“Oh.” Was all Jace said. When I was sure he was back into the book I turned my head to look at him, which I haven’t had the chance to do. His eyes were also red, they looked so sore, I couldn’t help but cringe. His jaw was kept tense, everything about him was tense. I turned on my side and reached for Jace’s free hand that wasn’t holding the book and held it in my hand, a smile crept onto his face, trying not to lose his focus on his book. I brought the hand to my face and kissed the sore knuckles, he winced a little at each touch. “You saw?” He asked, placing the book down.

“Yes. Too be honest, I don’t believe beating up a brick wall will help your problems.” I joked; I slipped my grip to just holding his four fingers.

“Better than a person.”

“So the rumors are true? You do fight?”

“Yes.” I held my breath, “Only if someone pisses me off though.”

“Oh.” I don’t know why I was shocked; I knew he did it, just deep down I wish it wasn’t true. Kat’s words rung in my head, ‘He’s Dangerous.’  I gulped as I let go of his hand.

“Riley,” He stopped my hand from leaving his, “I’d never hurt you.” His grip tightened on my hand.

“You’re hurting me right now.” I whined, he quickly let go of my hand as I tried to rub the pain away.

“Okay from now on.” He joked, moving to a more comfortable position on his side facing me.

“I don’t like seeing you like that.” I whispered, stroking my hand through his soft brown hair.

“I’m sorry beautiful. I’m sorry if I scared you. I’m sorry if I ever scared you.” I softly closed my eyes.

*Jace POV*

I wanted to tell her, I wanted to tell her so bad, but she had finally gotten her mind off of what was happening I could bring myself to break her down. Riley had fallen asleep gripping my hand tightly; her mouth slightly open. I pulled out my phone careful not to wake up the sleeping beauty. I had screen shotted the text that Riley had received earlier, and also the text she didn’t know about. I examined the picture that was sent to her.

It was her mother like the previous one, but this time it was closer up, terror clear in her eyes. Red striped were apparent on her neck, the cuts were deep and painful to look at. I couldn’t figure out the surroundings, everything else was completely black. Riley’s grip loosened on my hand and I slowly slipped my hand out of its captivity and quietly slid off the bed.

“Hello, may I speak to an officer in charge of the Mrs. Fray case?” I asked as I approached the counter in the police department.

“There is no case.” The slightly older woman went through the files in her computer.

“Oh… okay, well she’s a missing person, and I now have proof it’s a kidnap.” Her eyes widened,

“Last door on the left, say you need to speak to Detective Reynolds.” She guided me with her hand, immediately picking up the phone as I left. The building was perfectly silent and cold, the complete opposite of what I remembered from the other night. I slowly pulled the door open, a man sat at a desk his face buried in his computer.

“I was told to speak to Detective Reynolds.” I softly spoke standing in the doorway.

“Come sit Jace.”

“You know my name?” I questioned before sitting in my chair.

“Who doesn’t?” The man was an older one, but still totally capable of taking a criminal down, his size would intimidate anyone… including me. “What do you need?”

“I’m here about the Fray missing persons case, I have evidence it is a kidnap.”

“This better be good Winter.” The man snapped. I pulled out my phone, and tapped open the two screenshots. The man’s eyes squinted once I turned the phone screen to face him. “These are just pictures? Not the real text?” I nodded, “This definitely can turn things around, but I need the phone that received the texts to try and track down the number.” He explained, zooming in on my phone.

“It’s a blocked number sir.”

“We can track those.” I nodded slightly, “Who received this?”

“Her oldest daughter sir.”

“How many daughters does Ms. Fray have?”

“Two, one seventeen year old and one in grade eight.” I explained.

“Where are they staying?”

“It’s only been one night, the oldest, Riley, stayed with me last night, I don’t know where her sister is.”

The man huffed, “The two cannot stay home alone, and I’ll call up their next to kin.” He lifted his eyes from my phone to meet mine, “In the meantime, I need you to get me that phone, okay?” I nodded, “Okay, you can leave.”

“Thank you sir.”

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