Chapter 17

Knox

I hiss when I feel her teeth scrape the underside of my cock. The hazy look in her eyes has me cursing before I rip my cock out of her mouth just as her hold on me loosens. Releasing her hands, I catch her just as she passes out.

What the fuck?

Worry churns inside me at the sight of her passed out in my arms but my balls are aching now with the need to come worse than ever before. I wonder if she would care if I finished myself off in her mouth? I shake away the thought quickly, scolding myself, I'll have to take care of myself clearly. This whole passing out thing is getting fucking old real fucking quick. I lift her and shuffle over to the side of the bed, not able to take large steps thanks to my fucking pants around my ankles. I place her down and snag the key from the pocket of my jeans and uncuff myself. I look down at my cock, the fucker is hard as rock and clearly not getting any action anytime soon. I tuck him back in my boxers and fasten my jeans before I lean over and cuff her other wrist.

"Knox," she mumbles in her sleep. I turn my head to find her eyes open but I can see her eyes are still unfocused and the pain she feels is etched into her features. "I think I did know you," she says barely above a whisper before her eyes close and her head drops to the side. Dropping down onto the edge of the bed, I clasp my head between my hands, this whole thing is fucked up. I remember that night as clearly as if it was yesterday.

Six years ago…

Taylan, River and I all sit around my living room waiting for Xander to get back with the food and for my girl to finally get her ass here. I roll my eyes, we're all idiots for thinking those two would get here on time, my sister never arrives anywhere on time. Even with this fucking storm raging outside, Wave refused to stay in for the night. She says our birthday is something to celebrate and we are not sitting at home being boring assholes, her words not mine.

"You kids sure you want to go out in this?" Mom asks as she enters the living room.

"I'd rather stay here and make Alexander notice I have boobs now but hey." Tay and I both scrunch our faces at River in disgust, which makes her laugh. "I was joking, you idiots, calm down." That girl is just as bad as my sister. I'm so fucking grateful Wave hasn't tried to date yet, I don't think I would ever be okay with my sister dating a guy, no one is good enough for her.

"Knox and I noticed you had titties ages ago," Taylan snarks. I glare at the fucker.

"I didn't notice shit, plus it isn't her titties I want to be looking at or trying to motor boat." Mom fake gags and leaves, practically rushing from the room. She loves River and Lake and is always telling me to be respectful and mindful of Lake's feelings and never overwhelm her with my feelings.

"You're fucking disgusting, that's my little sister you"re talking about," Riverland scolds. I waggle my brows at her and smirk. Taylan starts to laugh as she launches across the sofa and begins punching me, leaving me no choice but to laugh at her antics. "Say mercy and it will all stop!"

"Mercy, Mercy!" I shout through my laughter. She pushes off me smiling, River is the fourth and final piece Tay, Xan and I didn"t know we were missing. The girl keeps us grounded and more times than I care to admit she has fronted me some cash to help Mom pay the bills, raising four teenagers isn't cheap and even though me and the guys work it barely covers all our expenses. Mom told me our deadbeat uncle has helped her a few times but I refuse to take anything from that piece of shit. He called last year saying that our sperm donor wanted to meet me. I told him to suck my dick and hung up. After what that cunt wanted to do to my sister I will never have anything to do with him, he only wants me because I have a cock.

The three of us hang out and watch TV while we wait for the girls and Xander. I keep checking my phone and begin to worry that I haven't heard from Lake. I've tried to call her five times and it just rings out, I have even called Wave twice with no answer. Tay has been blowing up Xander's phone for the past hour but he isn't answering either. I jump to my feet ready to go in search of the girls and Xan not giving a fuck that Lake's dad hates me. In Percy's eyes I'm no good for his daughter. He's tried to force her to break up with me and has forbidden her from seeing me, which is why she has no choice but to sneak out and see me.

"Let's go find them." River and Tay follow me out the front door, rain pelts down and lightning streaks the sky but it isn't the sound of the thunder or the rain that has me freezing on the doorstep, it's the sight of blue and red flashing lights. Xander walks toward us with his head down, soaking wet, four officers following after him. My heart races inside my chest as dread begins to take hold of me. If Xander was in trouble it would only be two cops and he would be smirking. When he lifts his head and I see his red puffy eyes, he looks broken and I just know something bad happened. I race down the stairs and ignore the officers as I grip his shoulders and shake him. He chokes out a sob.

"What happened?" I feel Tay and River at my back. Two of the officers continue past us to go to my mom. He opens his mouth only for another gut wrenching sob to tear out of him. "Fucking answer me!" I roar.

He shakes his head. "I tried to save her, I jumped in after her but I couldn't find her." He drops to his knees sobbing and ripping at his hair. River kneels beside him, trying to comfort him but I can't. I can feel it in the pit of my gut that something terrible has happened, call me crazy but I feel this immense pain in my chest like my heart has been ripped out.

"Son?" I look to the officer on my left, his eyes filled with pity. The sound of my mom's screams from behind confirm everything I'm feeling but I need to hear the words, I need someone to make it real, to confirm my greatest fear.

"Tell me," I snap.

"There was an accident, a car went over the bridge with one of the passengers trapped inside—" His mouth continues to move but I hear nothing over the sound of my blood pumping in my ears. When he reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder it pulls me back and I blink a couple times, trying to focus. "We are doing everything we can but we can't send out a recovery team until the storm passes."

"A recovery team is for when someone is dead," I snarl, yanking free of his hold. He nods sadly.

"I'm sorry, son, there is no chance anyone could have survived that fall–"

Cutting him off I ask, "You said one of the passengers?"

"Yes, one was trapped in the car and the driver is being rushed to hospital now."

"That bitch killed her!" Xander snarls. I look down at my best friend to find him staring at me with hatred in his gaze.

"Who?" I demand.

"Lakeland fucking killed Waverly, that bitch left her in the car to go over the bridge." I stagger backward, shaking my head denying what he is saying. Lake would never do that, she loved Waverly, they are best friends and closer than her and River are. She would never hurt my sister.

"We have reason to believe the driver was heavily intoxicated–" I snap my gaze back to the officer.

"Do you know that for a fucking fact?" I roar.

"Paramedics are running a tox screen but the smell of alcohol was hard to miss when loading her into the ambulance."

I want to deny it all, Lake would never do that. She's responsible and would never risk herself or Wave. She would have called me to come get them if she was drinking. They're wrong, she would never do this.

"I have to go, I need to go to my sister. I'll call you from the hospital," I hear River say as she rushes off to her car but I can't move. Mom continues to scream behind me. My chest feels like it's caving in, my heart is beating but I don't understand how it could possibly continue to beat if what these fuckers say is true. The girl I wanted to ask to marry me and runaway from here, where we didn't have to worry about her father trying to break us up, she couldn't have done this.

"I saw Lakeland, Knox. She was there. She did this. Wave is dead and it's all her fucking fault!" Xander screams. His words slam into me, my legs give out. I feel numb as I stare at Xander breaking before me. Waverly's gone, my baby sister is gone.

She's gone.

Lake killed her.

My girlfriend killed my sister.

The sound of ringing pulls me from my thoughts. I look around in confusion, I don't remember moving into the house or sitting on the sofa. The sound of ringing cuts out only for it to start up again. I realize it's my phone. I pull it from my pocket, looking around to see Xander sitting in the corner with his face buried in his hand., Taylan is sitting in the tiny kitchen with my mom as she sobs. I answer the call.

"Hello?" My voice sounds hollow and devoid of emotion.

"Knox." The sound of River's voice has me sitting up straighter, I need her to tell me that Lake is innocent. I can't lose them both, it would fucking destroy me. I can't even comprehend the fact that Waverly is not going to walk through the front door any minute now and shout at me to get off my lazy ass.

"Tell me."

"Understand that we come from two different worlds. I would give mine up in a heartbeat to live in yours."

"What the fuck does that mean?" I snap, my patience is non-existent at this point.

"It means I need you to remember that because one day I will make this right."

"You aren't fucking making sense!"

"Lakeland won't ever know the truth, he won't allow her to. Lake was drunk and lost control, Knox, I'm sorry."