The Confession

“Hold up,” River gritted out as he and Pike struggled to get the mattress through the portal, interrupting whatever Liam might have said. “I’m losing my grip.”

“Lift it. Or do you need to work out more?” Pike groused.

Maybe the storm Liam was predicting had something to do with these two pricks vying for the same girl’s attention? Maybe they were about to settle things the old-fashioned way—with a bloody fistfight.

While River repositioned his hands, Pike’s muscles strained beneath the bulk of the mattress.

“Here, let me help.” Zach dumped the box in his arms on the porch.

“I got it,” Pike growled over his shoulder.

“I got it,” River snarled.

“Whatever.” Zach plucked the box up again before breezing past the pair and heading down the hallway.

He and River dumped the mattress just inside the door, the junior PI panting.

“While you catch your breath, cupcake, I’m going to hit the head,” Pike announced.

“I’ll alert the media,” River shot back with a smirk.

Pike flipped him the middle finger as he ambled down the hallway.

“I hate that fucking douche nozzle,” River muttered.

“Tell us how you really feel,” Seth drawled.

While the two PIs exchanged barbs, Beck caught sight of a willowy redhead carrying a stack of pizza boxes who paused just inside the front door.

“Here we go…” Liam whispered.

Raine looked up, then let loose a squeal of surprise. “Jasmine?”

Beck pivoted. Jasmine? The Jasmine?

“What are you doing here?” Heavenly flashed the redhead a welcoming smile as she helped Raine from her chair. “It’s good to see you.”

Beside him, Seth and Hammer stared at the woman in slack-jawed surprise.

Mere feet from her, River whirled around like an F-5 tornado, locking his stunned stare on her. “Jasmine?” Before the girl could say a word, he ate up what little distance there was between them. “You’re really fucking here.”

She looked equally stunned. “Why are you here?”

“What do you mean? I live here.” As white-hot rage overcame his initial surprise, River ripped the pizza boxes from her arms and tossed them onto the couch. Then he cinched her slender wrists in his big hand, dragged her arms over her head, and pinned her to the wall. “You want to tell me where the fuck you’ve been?”

“I-I…” she stammered.

“You what?”

Electricity charged the air. The flicker of panic in Jasmine’s eyes had Beck’s protective instincts pegging red. He crossed the room, Seth at his side, who stood shoulder to shoulder with Hammer and Liam. Zach moved in next, Jericho right beside him, silently vowing, like the others, to intervene if River took things too far.

Heavenly and Raine raced from the kitchen to reach Jasmine. In tandem, he and Seth snagged an arm around their girl, tucking her between them, while Liam and Hammer did the same with Raine.

“Let me go. I don’t owe you an answer.” The redhead glared at River, looking angrier by the moment.

“I saved your fucking life. And how did you repay me? By walking out in the middle of the night. You just disappeared.”

Jasmine shook her head. “The night was over. I got out of your hair. I didn’t—”