I was so dumb. I shouldn’t have come out here. I knew what kind of guy Seth was, and yet I thought I could control him. Thought I could use him and get what I wanted out of him. Thought I could save the day and do the right thing or even help some other women out. Maybe understand Xavier better.
I closed my eyes against the oncoming tears. That was the part I hadn’t let myself face. It was sad, really, but I half believed that if I found this list, I’d find another part of Xavier. A missing part. And maybe that would be the link I needed, and I would finally understand him. I would get why a man as passionate and deep as him could do such a thing as share his women.
It didn’t even make sense, but there it was. I knew I had to let go of Xavier, but I was unwilling to fully do it. I wasn’t finished with him yet. I needed more.
“Riley!” Seth banged on the closed door, and I flinched. “Let me in!”
I forced myself to breathe. Everything would be all right. I just needed to make a phone call. I’d call the police and let them know where we were and what was going on. I’d tell them Seth had consumed too much to drink, and he was trying to hurt me. They’d send the Coast Guard, or whoever was in charge of patrolling the Hudson River.
I turned and looked for my purse… and realized I hadn’t brought it down with me. I’d left it upstairs on the deck — with my phone.
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Xavier
I called Julian on the way to the pier, holding my breath as his phone rang. If he wasn’t available, I’d have to find someone else with a boat to take me to the river. For all the money I’d made and all the interests I’d dabbled in, boating had never piqued my interest.
If he doesn’t answer, I’ll call the police and report a kidnapping. It wasn’t that far-fetched of an idea to assume Riley was in trouble. Seth was worked up right now. He was probably looking to exact revenge on both me and Riley. Though he hadn’t specifically said it, I could be certain Riley would turn down any move he made on her. Seth was akin to a toddler when it came to his mental programming. Tell him no, and a shit storm would surely follow.
“Hello?”
“Thank God,” I breathed. “Julian, it’s Xavier. I need you to meet me at your boat.”
“What’s going on? I’m in the middle of something at work.”
“Seth is losing it. He took this girl… this girl I’ve been seeing out on his fucking yacht. He also told her all about the list and my fights.”
“The little bastard,” Julian hissed.
“She’s in danger. I know it. I need to get out there right now.”
“Xavier, just calm down. I’m sure she’s fine. We’ll deal with Seth this afternoon, after I get—”
“No,” I cut in. “This can’t wait. Riley is important to me, Julian. Very important. And I know something is going on.” I clenched my teeth and tried again. “I know.”
Only Julian’s breathing permeated the air. I was reaching for my next argument by the time he finally answered. “All right. I can be there in twenty.”
We got to the pier within a minute of each other. Julian kept his boat not far from where Seth’s docked. We clambered on board, and he brought it to life. I shaded my eyes and scanned the water. There were a few small vessels within eyesight, but I couldn’t decipher which one of them was Seth’s.
“Try over there first,” I said, pointing to the left.
Julian guided us out into the water. “You don’t have to tell me everything, and you obviously won’t… but is this all because of this girl?”
“Seth is trying to get back at me.” I curled my hand into a fist and pressed it against the console. “He knows that Riley’s mine.”
Julian looked at me in surprise. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?”
“Since never.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “This sounds pretty complicated.”
“Unfortunately.”
“Maybe you can fill me in some time. Right now, let’s focus on finding them.”
The first few yachts we passed were unfamiliar ones. With each vessel that glided by, my stomach dropped another few inches. What if they weren’t here? What if Seth took them out of the river? He could be anywhere with Riley, doing anything to her…
I ground my teeth together to keep back the howl of fury that wanted to fly out of me. Seth would pay for everything he’d already done. If he dared to touch Riley, I would fucking kill him.
“There!” Julian shouted.
He pointed to a familiar yacht. It sat adrift in the water, its sails down with no one on board I could see. Fear seized my heart. “Get over there. Quick.”
“I’m working on it.”
Julian navigated his boat until it was side by side with Seth’s yacht. The whole deck was visible now. Seth sat on the front deck, slumped over and drinking beer. There was no Riley.
I hurried to the side and hauled myself over. The whole while, Seth watched like he’d been expecting me.
“Where is she?” I demanded.
Seth took another drink of beer. I reached down and knocked the bottle out of his hand. It hit the deck, sending froth and liquid spewing everywhere.
Seth grimaced. “Hey, I need that. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m injured.” He pushed his hair back to reveal a swelling bruise on his forehead.
“Where is she?” I repeated, working to keep my voice level—for my own purposes rather than Seth’s. If I really lost control, there was no telling what I’d do. I’d had few moments where I worried about really hurting someone, but this was one of those.
“Oh, she left,” he answered with a lift of his shoulder.
Something snapped in me. I grabbed Seth’s shirt, hauled him up, and brought his face to mine. Since he was shorter than me, his feet dangled in the air. He stared back at me, his face red and his eyes full of fear.
“Xavier!” Julian shouted from the other boat. “Put him down!”
“Yeah, Xavier,” Seth sputtered. “Put me down.”
Even with my hands around him, he was still cocky as fuck. The kid must’ve had a death wish.
“Xavier,” a softer voice said.
The one word allowed me to breathe again, and I instantly dropped Seth. He fell to his feet and stumbled back a little bit. Turning, I saw Riley standing by the entrance to the cabin. Her cheeks were sun-kissed, and her eyes red and puffy underneath. She’d been crying.
“Riley,” I croaked. She was alive. Fine. Mostly. If her face was any indication, something awful had happened to her. For the second time in one minute, I broke. My hand went into a tight ball. Turning around, I pulled my shoulder back and let my fist fly.
My knuckles connected with Seth’s jaw, making a satisfying popping noise. His head snapped back, and he went down.
“Christ!” Julian said from behind me. The yacht moved as he climbed on board. I stood where I was, thick ropes of fury still holding me in place.
Julian kneeled next to Seth and rolled him over. “He passed out. That, or you knocked him out.”
I rubbed my sore fist. “I didn’t hit him hard enough to make him black out. He did it to himself. Too much drinking in the sun.”