Huge thank you for the support on last chapter! I hope that the frequency of my "thank you" doesn't make it seem any less sincere because I truly do mean it.
In the spirit of not keeping you long/not rambling, enjoy!
"You know I love you, right, Grey?"
River's words from the previous night were the first thing in Greyson's mind as he woke the next day. Even as she, seemingly wanting to ignore the dire situation that she'd found herself in, nuzzled into his chest upon waking and offered to blow him. He couldn't get her damn words out of his head.
I love you.
Luckily, a single glance at his cell told him to take the day off. A message from his father. It told him in no uncertain terms that his only job today was to look after his friend.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, having not accepted her offer for oral when they'd both woken earlier. Since then, River had smiled and nodded, then drifted back off before waking once more.
Groaning, she shrugged in his arms. She then turned to face him, somewhat strategically keeping her now closed up eye against the pillow.
He'd seen her hurt before, this wasn't anything especially new, but it sure as hell had been a while.
Weirdly, it made him feel like a kid again. He almost felt as though they should have been in the summer house together eating snacks and guzzling sodas.
I love you.
Looking up at his stern features, River leaned in and softly caught his lips with her own. Just like that, any anger or malice that he was feeling was gone. "I'm fine." She told him as she pulled back. "Breathe, Grey." She then chuckled a second later.
Smiling softly, he let out a light laugh through his nose. "Breathing." He confirmed. Without her lips to calm him though, the darkness was back.
Whether she sensed it or not, River soon brought her lips right back up to his, this time with more urgency.
She let her hands roam the planes of his strong chest, slipping silently under his sleep shirt. She raked her nails down his chest and onto his abs as their kissing deepened. When her tongue finally came knocking, he was no man to say no. Though neither of them had brushed their teeth yet, their combined morning breaths were hardly an issue.
Every touch was divine. Every kiss was perfection. With River's body pressed up against him, it wasn't long before the physical effect that she had on him became obvious.
Their lips eventually parted, though only long enough to allow her to begin leaving a barrage of kisses on his neck, paying special attention to the desperate pulse point that drew a breathy noise from him. He couldn't help but grip her right back, holding her close as desire began to cloud whatever thoughts he'd previously been swallowed up by.
He didn't even think about it as he rocked them heavily onto her back. He brought his hands up to frame her body, holding himself above her as they resumed their kiss.
His shirt was lost before long, as was River's, leaving them to make out with a pair of sweats and a pair of boxers as all that stood between them.
River's chest beneath one of his hands was reason enough to hold himself up with a single arm and he sure wasn't complaining, least of all when she moaned her enthusiasm softly into his mouth.
It wasn't until she reached down and fished him out of his pants, however, that he stopped things.
In that single moment, he'd seen her. He'd gotten a look at her face for the first proper time in the morning's honest light, stilling him in his tracks. A chill ran through his body, freezing him above her.
To give her credit, she stopped immediately, looking up at him, checking in.
Her eye was completely swollen shut now. It was bruised and angry looking, undoubtedly painful and impossibly tight under the surface. Her nose had a bump to it right in the middle, setting her face so very slightly off center where it had harshly met the ground. Two heavy, black bags sat beneath each of her eyes. A single cut sat atop her nose's new bump, red and furious as it glared up at him.
Under all of it, he could see something akin to fear as she looked up at him.
He felt sick.
Quickly, startling her, he bolted up off of her and stood. "Grey-"
"I want to stop." He told her quickly, hearing the disgust in his own voice.
Lying there, half exposed, River jumpily sat up and nodded. She grabbed her shirt quickly and dragged it on. "Okay." Her voice was stiff as she stood up. "So this is done? I was right, I finally brought too much shit to your doorstep." There was something cruel and sinister to her voice as she spoke. Even as she shook her head, seemingly trying to shave the venom from herself.
"What?" He blinked dumbly. "What are you saying?"
Scoffing, she shook her head and made for the door.
Confused, he blocked her path loosely with his body. She could get around him and leave, but she didn't, she just stopped in front of him. "You want to stop sleeping together, that's fine. I knew something would happen eventually. I guess I just thought you've give it more than two days after nutting literally inside me." Her voice, shocking him, turned to a growl toward the end.
Immediately, he felt stupid. "Wh- No, hey, I don't want to stop sleeping together!" He barked out, praying that no one was the other side of the door. "Jesus, I just don't want to have sex right now. Your face is all-"
"Fucked up?" She snapped. "You think I can't feel that? You think that even waking up this morning didn't hurt? I don't need you to tell me that I look like some gross fucking balloon, Greyson."
Raking in a deep breath as she made to pass him again, he finally blocked her off more firmly. He backed himself into the door, ignoring how cold the wood felt on his bare back. "Your face is bruised and I'm struggling with it, okay? I feel like a helpless kid again who can't fucking do anything to help you." He looked down into her one good eye as he spoke, seeing that tears had already started welling there. "You're my best friend, River. Seeing you in pain hurts me and it makes me want to find that cop and fucking flatten him."
She didn't speak when he was done, though she also didn't turn away or carry on trying to leave. She simply stood there, sniffling and wincing slightly each time.
"I find you insanely attractive." He added to his previous statements. "Do I like seeing you like this? No, but it doesn't change who you are. You're hot as hell and you know it. I think it's just, like, triggering, or something? You know? Like, I thought we wouldn't have to go through all this again and I thought you were safe at work. I just... this came out of nowhere and I was right back to being fifteen again with you showing up on our doorstep, only time time you wouldn't let me come near- oof!"
Greyson was abruptly cut off as River's body collided with his. She wrapped her arms around him as the breath was knocked out of his chest.
As she hugged him hard, he threw his arms quickly around her and drew her close.
Her body shook lightly as she cried. He hoped he'd said the right things, but he had a sneaking suspicion that this wasn't really about him.
After a long second, she pulled away just long enough to look up at him. "I know it's stupid, but I thought I was going to die for a second." As she admitted that, his heart broke. "He didn't even pull his gun but I just... God, I just kept thinking how mad he seemed, you know? He went in there looking to hurt someone, Grey."
His heart ached as he looked down at her. He didn't just want that cop to admit that he was wrong. Fuck, he wanted him behind bars. Deeper than that, darker than that, part of him wanted the asshole dead.
As River cried, Greyson shuffled them back to the bed. There, in his old, childhood bedroom, they lay back in the bed together. They lay on their sides, facing one another, with River wrapped tightly in Grey's arms. "You're okay." He whispered into her hair, trying to blink away the tears in his own eyes.
She had been scared for her fucking life. He was going to ruin that cop one way or another.
"Everything's okay." He continued to whisper comforts into her hair, letting her cry for as long as she needed.
It took some time, but eventually there were no tears left and she was gently dabbing at her eyes with the collar of her shirt. Watching her light winces of pain, Grey took over, using the corner of the duvet. He dabbed so very softly and carefully, barely touching skin. Silently, he was proud of himself when she sighed contently, thanked him and laid her head down on his chest.
"It's been so long since I've felt weak." She finally admitted once her tears had long since dried. He wanted to open his mouth, to tell her that she was anything but weak, but she continued. "I've always been able to take a beating. Wrestling in school, my mom, fighting... all that crap was just part of my life. Yesterday, though... I couldn't fight back. It didn't matter that I was strong or fit or that I knew how to wrestle, Grey. All that mattered was that he and his buddies had guns. I wasn't even that scared of my father's belt. She'd tear my back up and I'd run away and that was just life, you know? But that..."
She trailed off weakly, sighing and shaking her head.
He understood, oddly. Well, it wasn't something that he could ever understand, not having been through it, but he understood as much as she explained.
He pressed a kiss to her swollen eye so softly that she didn't so much as flinch. "We'll nail that bastard." He assured her. He got no noise in response, but that was okay.
The house was both quiet and empty by the time they both left the bedroom. Ana had been the last to leave, having knocked briefly on the door just to shout through that everyone else was gone and that they'd have the place to themselves.
Oddly, it felt like being kids again. Alone in the house, they both felt young and free. In a sick way, River being in some kind of pain actually added to that.
Downstairs, once they'd made their way down to the kitchen, they were greeted with a sight to make anyone's day a little brighter.
Camille, the young woman who had taken over from Gale in cooking for the Greys, had left a freaking feast. Pancakes. Waffles. Cereal. Fruits. Eggs. Meats. Cheeses. Pastries. Juices. Smoothies. Coffees. Teas, both hot and cold.
"Jeez, maybe I should get beat up more often." River muttered at the mere sight of it all.
Rolling his eyes, Greyson shoved her shoulder lightly. "Don't say that, asshole." He grumbled.
Beside him, she chuckled. She'd always been like that, even as kids when she'd been sitting on a bunkbed with wads of toilet paper stuffed up her busted nose. She'd always laughed and joked about her pain. Honestly, it felt a little more natural to Greyson than seeing her crying. He almost never saw her cry. He was glad that she knew she could around him, he just needed to get better at knowing how to actually help her.
Snorting painfully beside him, River shoved him right back. "Oh, come on, look at all this!" She exclaimed. Her mood was improving, that was for sure, but Grey wasn't sure if that was actually the case or if she was just trying to distract herself. "Seriously, are we eating all this with some kind of royalty? This is an insane amount of food."
Okay, he had to admit, it was excessive. Only, excess was all the rest of his family had ever known.
"Hey, you want to take some out to the summer house? We can sit on the porch, the rocking chair or something?" He asked her a second later as they each found a plate to begin loading.
River smiled across the kitchen island at him. "I'd love to." She told him, but he sensed it. "But," Fuck. "I have to head to work. I'm scheduled for a late today and I think it's probably worse the longer I stay away."
Oh. Huh. "You're... Wait, Riv, you're going back?" He asked, unable to keep the confusion from his tone.
She stilled, a piece of cheese half way to her lips. "Well, it's my job." She told him simply, shrugging. "The cops let me go and I've got bills to pay. I can't just sit here looking pretty."
The unlike you was silent but he heard it all the same.
He cleared his throat. He didn't want to upset her over this but work really didn't seem wise. "Right." He stated into the air, mulling over his next words. "I mean, do you not think you should take a day? I mean, you could be concussed or something."
For a moment, she simply watched him. Under the fiery burn of his gaze, he squirmed. "Grey," Her voice held a note of warning. "I have to go to work. I'm not concussed and I'm not stupid, I know why you don't want me to go. The press is going to be hell but I can't just sit here and lose my job." She was firm as she spoke to him, like she was putting him in his place.
Sighing, he nodded. "Let me come with you at least?" He asked, watching shock pass over her. She opened her mouth but he beat her to it. "Just... I've got the day off and I'd feel better knowing that I was there, you know? If I stay here or go home, I'll just be stressing. I won't get in your way, I swear. Hell, I'll work out."
Whether she was content to let him come along or she simply didn't have the energy to fight him, she eventually nodded with a sigh.
They ate together in relative silence, during which time River announced that she needed to get clothes from her apartment. All it took was a single message to Mason to confirm that her building was still surrounded. So, feeling resourceful, Grey sent one of the security cars to grab some clothes for both him and River. She was mortified by the idea, but he assured her that it was okay.
A half hour later, clothes were at the door for them both.
River voiced her amazement at how quickly they'd managed to not only buy clothes for them both, but also deliver them.
So, they both took quick showers before dressing. One of the security guys, Miroslav, had hung back with a car. He announced that he was there to drive them wherever they needed to go, so he drove them both to the gym.
Sitting in the back of the car with River, a sadness washed over Greyson. He hoped beyond all hope that his dad had been wrong. He didn't want her to lose her job, nor did he want for her to push him away. He'd seen earlier though just how quickly fear could send her running. She didn't feel comfortable in the grander parts of his life, not when she was feeling any kind of unworthy. He'd always so proudly been a bridge between worlds for her, but she seemed terrified to step across now.
"Hey, it's Miroslav, right?" River asked as they drove.
Miroslav, a young guy with a wide smile and the bluest eyes known to man, looked at her in the mirror. Naturally, he was grinning. "Yes, Ma'am." He assured her with a nod.
"Great." River nodded back. "Look, can you ask Mason if there's any word on Matt? He was taken to the station just after me yesterday. Mr. Grey sent a lawyer to him."
Greyson, if nothing else, was curious. After all, Matt had been arrested for throwing a weight at a cop car. He hadn't heard anything from his dad, so he listened as Miroslav began to talk.
"Uh, it sounds like he's still at the station, Ma'am." He admitted, seemingly somewhat sad as River just hummed curiously. Not what she wanted to hear, it seemed. "The lawyer said a few hours ago that they seem intent on holding him for the full twenty-four hours." He added a moment later, earning no newly excited response from River.
"Could you let one of us know when that changes?" She asked him hopefully.
Of course, he nodded and assured her that he would keep her in the loop and tell her as soon as Matt was released. Grey wasn't sure why, but part of him actually felt a little threatened. That was stupid, he knew it, but it also kind of made sense. After all, River and Matt had dated as teens, he'd seen as much of her as Grey now had, he'd told her that he loved her and all of those other things. Hell, he'd witnessed that much himself. The memory of River saying those words back to Matt, albeit as kids, felt like a stab in his chest.
God, that really wasn't what he should have been thinking about in that moment and he knew it, yet there he was, torturing himself.
Worse than that, there was a dark voice whispering in the back of his mind. Matt, for what little Greyson knew about him, could have been behind all of this. Anyone at the gym could have.
He looked across at River as she gazed out of the window. If anyone knew the guy, it was her. "Hey, Riv?"
"Hm?" She looked across at him, curious.
Okay, it was now or never. "How well do you know Matt?" He asked. Immediately, he regretted the wording.
She cocked the brow over her good eye. Shit. "Well enough to tell you about the mole between his ass cheeks, why?" She shot back. Okay, he wanted to die. God, he hoped she was joking about that mole. "Wait, stop. You don't... God, Grey, are you serious?" In the back seat of the car, she smacked his arm. It wasn't hard and it didn't hurt. It was the same way she would have done it to either of his older siblings or even Elliot.
Paling, his mouth flapped uselessly for a second. "No, hey, I just-"
"You think he threw a dumbbell at a cop car... why? So they wouldn't think he was stealing files?" He could hear that she was serious as she spoke. Was he an ass for this? He hoped not, but he had to protect her, dammit.
So, he shrugged. "Don't you think it's worth thinking about?" He asked her carefully.
Looking at him, there was a certain pain on her face. He couldn't quite read it. "Isn't it worth considering me, then?" He felt like a dick as she asked him that. Of course he hadn't ever considered that it was her, nor would he. "You'd never believe that I'd steal, because you know me. I know Matt. Grey, I've known him my entire life, so if you don't trust him, then trust me." In her voice, he heard longing. She so desperately needed him to believe her, to have the same faith in her that she clearly had in Mattie freaking Thorne.
The rest of the ride to the gym was silent, almost uncomfortably so. As bad as Grey felt for having upset River about the whole Matt situation, he'd have felt a million times worse if he'd said nothing at all and ended up being right in silence. But hey, if River trusted the guy, he'd try to do the same. He just, you know, wouldn't struggle all that hard if things didn't go their way. Specifically, he'd beat the life out of the guy if he was responsible for so much as a second of the pain and suffering that River had endured.
When they finally arrived, the parking lot was absolutely packed. There were a bunch of individual people with cameras taking videos for social media, plenty of people simply there to use the gym and even a steady host of passersby who took the opportunity to point and to mutter things to one another.
"You ready for this?" Greyson asked, taking River's hand in a moment of comfort, safe behind the tinted glass windows.
With a deep breath, she tore her gaze from outside, fixing it instead on him for a moment. "Are you?" She asked back. He knew what that meant. She wasn't ready, not even slightly, but she didn't feel as though she had a choice.
With a smile of encouragement, he nodded. "Yeah, let's go." For her sake, he put on a brave voice.
They hopped out of the same side of the car, using it as a natural shield for a moment as River raked in a deep breath. Grey could see that it hurt her, physically hurt her, to breathe in so much air through her nose, but she barely winced.
With Miroslav doing his best to shield them himself, they set about walking toward the doors.
Somewhat ironically, their attire seemed to be helping them initially. Save for Miroslav, they were wearing the same clothes as everyone else trying to get into the gym for a workout. They might have made it in without detection if he hadn't been there, or at least if he'd not been wearing a suit and an earpiece, but all it took was one moron with a cell to notice him, then they all seemed to.
They seemed to recognize Grey before they recognized River. He had half a mind, in that second, to try to urge her on alone as the whispers began.
All too quickly though, cameras were pointed their way.
"That's her!" Someone whispered harshly, nudging their friend.
That was it. Like a plague, they descended. As Grey and River walked as quickly as they reasonably could, the crowd grew around them, blocking their path to the doors.
People were shouting mostly at River. Some of them yelled that she could use their followers to set the story straight, to tell her truth and to call out the cop that had hurt her. Others yelled that she deserved to rot in prison for what they believed she'd done. Mostly though? Well, mostly they just yelled her name in some attempt to get her to look at their camera and grant them the fifteen minutes of fame that they so desperately wanted.
With a hand on River's side, Greyson was the one to push them forward. When River began to panic in the crowd, stilling and glancing around, seeming lost and unsure which way to go, he guided them. He got close to her, reaching his spare hand out to block cameras as they got close enough for him to literally touch. He considered grabbing and throwing some of them to make a point, but him being there for her would do no good at all if the cops later had to come and drag him off for smashing peoples' cells.
Miroslav, in that moment, was worth his weight in gold.
He was frantically moving around them, shielding them both to the best of his ability. He used his body to hide River from the majority of cameras, allowing Grey to take the other side.
Between the two of them, they managed to get her safely to the doors. Naturally, there was a small crowd inside with equal intentions, but plenty of folks in there were more interested in working out than partaking in this circus.
As soon as they were inside, in spite of the small crowd barely totally more than ten people, things were better. The music in the background was pleasant enough, the sounds of weights moving didn't falter for so much as a second, and the blonde? Well, she was fast.
"River!" She had her arms thrown around River before Miroslav had even had time to react to any perceived threat.
Just as quickly as both he and Grey made to grab her, River's arms were thrown around her in turn. "Hey, beautiful." River chuckled wryly.
To give them a second, both Greyson and Miroslav took just a single step back. They'd got the blonde and River trapped sort of between them and the front desk, so it was as safe as they could make it.
"God, are you okay? Have you hear from Matt?" The blonde, as she hugged River, shot words out at a mile a minute. "You want some painkillers? God, come on, let's go and talk in the studio. I'm so sorry about your bike. Jesus, your eye..." It carried on, but Greyson managed to block her out a little.
Who the hell was she? Greyson had seen her hanging off of Matt in that video, apparently moments before disaster had struck in the form of a dumbbell and the back end of a cop car, but who the hell was she? Stupidly, he hadn't thought to ask Mason or any of the others to find out who she was. That was a decision that he was regretting now as he watched her with River.
When the two parted from their hug, they didn't stop touching. The woman's hands were on River's waist as River's own rested on the woman's arms. They were holding one another up it seemed.
Still, at the mystery woman's insistence, they headed into the studio, away from prying eyes.
In there, Miroslav was quick to shut all the blinds, hiding them all further from onlookers.
"Oh, god, I'm sorry, I should have..." River trailed off as she reached out and grabbed Grey by the shirt, pulling him toward where she and the blonde still managed to be close enough to almost be on top of one another. "Grey, this is Skylar. Sky, Greyson." Skylar? Not a name he'd heard before.
Quickly, the blonde smiled somewhat sadly at him. As he was expecting an outreached hand, she threw her arms just as quickly around him. "Greyson!" She chimed in his ear. "My god, it's so good to meet you, River's told me so much about you over the years!" Over the years?
"She has?" He asked unsurely, waving a suddenly panicked Miroslav off as he looked ready to tear the woman off of him.
She pulled back as quickly as she'd hugged him, laughing. "Let me guess, she's never so much as said my name around you?" As she spoke, she reached out and lightly batted River's shoulder. It was a familiar gesture, one that made him realize just how little he knew about River's actual adult life. "Don't worry, she and Matt didn't even tell me they were to school together for almost the first year I worked here." She laughed as she spoke, oddly infections in spite of Greyson's suspicions.
As she chattered away, Grey glanced at River. She, looking between the blonde and him, rolled her eyes playfully, letting Skylar yap away happily.
Over the course of the next half hour, it was explained that Skylar was the friend that River would have been staying with if she'd not been with him. The young woman, as well as being beautiful and so clearly passionate about fitness, was apparently a really fucking decent human being. She was a couple of years older than they were at twenty-three, living with two cats and seemed to just hang on every word out of River's mouth.
Watching her, he knew that look. Hell, he'd worn that same freaking look on his own face as he'd looked at River, he knew he had. Whatever he was feeling for River, so too was Skylar.
"So, you don't have any idea of who it could be?" Grey finally caved and asked what he desperately wanted to know. "The thief." He then specified.
Sadly, Skylar shook her head. "The cops came for River's gear this morning, saying something about it possibly having traces of DNA on it from the other night, but that's all I could get out of them." She admitted, seeming truly saddened by this all. "Matt was with me, so I managed to clear him for that night, but I seriously don't know."
"He was with you?" River asked somewhat pointedly.
Oh god. Greyson's chest grew tight. Did River still have lingering feelings for Matt? Worse, did Matt still have them for her?
Only, one look at River and he could see something on her face. Something light and... teasing? It was hard to tell under the swelling, but she looked pleased by this news.
Rolling her eyes, Skylar shrugged. "Just because you don't hang out with us anymore doesn't mean that we stopped getting together." The blonde shot back, earning a light laugh from River.
Weirdly, he felt like he was missing something.
River beat him to his next question though. "The video, you've seen it?" A nod from Skylar. "Who the hell was recording? Can you pull my class list up? The cops said my login's been frozen."
As quickly as River had asked, Skylar's cell was out of her pocket. She typed furiously for a second before handing it off to River. "That should be everyone. Everyone who signed up, at least." She said, shrugging. "You have anyone show up on the day?" She then asked, but River said nothing, scrolling through the list, looking through her one good eye.
Finally, she scoffed aloud. "You've gotta be shitting me."
Intrigued, the blonde stilled and grew closer to her. "What?" She asked, looking ready to dive in front of a freaking bullet for her friend.
Greyson, equally concerned, reached out and laid a hand softly on River's back. "River?" He said her name softly, watching how her swollen brow furrowed angrily at the screen.
He wanted immediately to know what was wrong so he could make it better, but she was moving away from his quickly. She walked over to a specific spot in the studio, looking directly to the stop on the floor that still had her blood on it.
"Grey, come here." She demanded, reaching out a hand expectantly, not even looking at him. He looked between her and Skylar unsurely, getting a confused shrug from the other woman. "Just- Please, just come on."
Clearing his throat lightly, he nodded. "Yeah, okay." Obediently, he went over to stand where she was trying to put him, letting her move him until he was exactly... where exactly It seemed no different to anywhere else in the room. "What's going on?"
Whether Skylar had some other way of approaching the situation or not, Grey didn't know, but she seemed equally confused. "What're you doing? River, talk to us." Her voice was soft and melodic as she spoke, clearly trying to calm her friend.
River looked between them both and huffed lightly. "Just wait a second." She held her hands out in some gesture, silently begging them to trust her. Then, leaving Greyson, she took herself to the front of the room. Shocking them both, she lowered herself onto her hands and knees exactly over the blood stain. From there, she lay herself flat on top of it, lining it up perfectly with her nose. Just as Grey and Skylar shared a concerned look, she spoke. "Son of a bitch."
Her voice shocked them both. It had been a growl, barely even coherent words.
"What?" Greyson asked, stepping away from his mark. In that moment, he realised where he'd been. He was standing in the same spot as whoever had filmed everything. The person that Taylor's guys had yet to find.
River, instead of answering him, simply shot up off the floor and stormed over to a small caddy that was pinned to the wall beside the doors. She rifled furiously through the sheets of paper that were in there before angrily stuffing them all back in. "Fuck! Sky, where the hell are yesterday's sign-in sheets?"
Shocked, Skylar hurriedly walked over to her, brow furrowed. "They're not there? Are you sure? I had a yoga group in here this morning." She took the very same sheets that River had just been look at, taking her own time to glance through them. With each second, her face grew more and more confused.
"Look, there's everything but yesterday! It's fucking gone. Fuck!" River barked, snatching the sheets only to throw them at the ground. They flew apart and all over the floor, not that the angry brunette seemed to care even as Skylar jumped.
In spite of her fear, the blonde was quick to lay a comforting hand on River as Greyson and Miroslav made their way over to them both. "What about the office?" She asked softly, nodding past the double doors to where an office sat behind the reception desk. "Jerry was in there earlier to let the cops in for your gear. Maybe they needed the list, too?" Even as she spoke, she sounded skeptical of her own words.
Scoffing, River shook her head in disbelief. "Where the fuck is Jerry?" She snapped, swinging the doors open and storming out. She looked like she was hunting someone down.
Jerry? Greyson had heard that name before, he thought. River's boss, if he had to guess from the contextual clues.
The three of them still in the studio rushed out to follow River. As expected, she was rattling the door handle of the office, knocking insistently on the frosted glass panel.
Skylar reached her first as Greyson and Miroslav used their broader frames as cover when gym-goers began to glance over. "Riv-"
"Where is he, Sky?" River snapped loudly.
Stressed, Skylar produced keys quickly from a lanyard around her neck, unlocking the room and letting River storm in. "I don't know! Fuck, I-"
"Think!" River yelled finally, thankfully as the door was closing behind the four of them.
As they stood there, alone in the office, Greyson realised he didn't think he'd ever seen River this mad before. He had no idea how to help her and he fucking hated it.
In some weak effort to ease some tension, he reached out and laid a hand on River's shoulder. "Okay, let's take a breath-"
"Take a breath?" She scoffed loudly, shrugging him off with a harsh shake of her shoulder. "My boss is framing me, Greyson, and you want me to take a breath?"
At this, Skylar did a literal double take. "What? Jerry?" The disbelief was clear in her voice.
River fixed her friend with a look, one that clearly begged for her to simply have faith in her. Greyson needed no such look, but it wasn't a competition. "It was his fucking wife recording me. He had access to my gear. What's the bet that the security footage from that night goes dead just before they saw my gear walking in here? My bet is that Karen, aptly named bitch that she is, was wearing it for long enough to move some files."
There was a long moment of silence, one in which River looked ready to bolt for the door if no one believed her and what she'd pieced together.
"Are you sure? That it's him?" Grey asked after another second. He could see it in her eyes though. She was certain.
Skylar, while not not believing, seemed to be having a hard time with the idea. "Jerry wouldn't do that. I mean, you've been here for longer than I have... I just..." She trailed off uselessly, looking over at River with nothing but heartache on her beautiful face.
River looked back at her with a similar expression. She wasn't saying any of this lightly. Hell, Jerry had been a mentor to her since she'd first started as just a part time cleaner for him. "My bike was here, my gear was here." She started, clenching her jaw for a second before taking a breath and continuing. "He turns off the cameras, sends Karen in. She gets my gear on, takes enough files to be suspicious, they turn the footage over to the cops. They didn't count on me having a fucking alibi."
"Matt, too." Skylar offered up almost silently. It was sinking in now.
"They'd have pinned it on him." Grey realized. His grandad had been right, they'd be looking to pin the other night on Matt and make it look like he and River were working together, thereby rendering her alibi somewhat useless. "Wait, what about all the other times? Can you check the cameras?"
Skylar was quick over to the computer, her blue eyes immediately focused on the screen. River fed her a few dates from memory, ones that the cops had mentioned to her and asked for her whereabouts on. "There's a bunch of missing time, some's just a few minutes but a couple of these days are missing hours." As Skylar spoke, it solidified. It wasn't just a theory now, it was concrete, but they needed more.
Quickly, Greyson shot into action. Now was his time to put his family's resources to use. "Miroslav, get a hold of Jen and my grandfather. We should pass this to them as quickly as possible. The cops, too."
Miroslav was quick to nod. "Yes, sir." He made to step out of the office, presumably to have a second of privacy as he made calls, but stopped short. Then, quickly, he stepped close to Greyson, so close he could feel the other man's breath, then whispered in his ear. "Would you like for me to have them both found and tailed? Mason could have someone... discreet lift her cell and check for the video file and anything else."
Mulling over the words as he saw the curiosity on River's face, Grey thought. She couldn't hear, so she didn't have to know what was being said. Plausible deniability, right? Only, he couldn't keep anything from her, not when all of this seemingly centered around her.
He nodded. "Nothing illegal, we can't afford to screw this up." Just as quickly, Miroslav was gone, making calls just outside the door, keeping it guarded with his back. He spoke in Russian to whoever was on the other end in quick, quiet tones. That was the first call, over with in under a minute.
"What did he say?" River demanded, brow furrowed. God, how he wished she'd stop doing that. He didn't want her to hurt her already sore, injured features.
Grey was right. He couldn't not tell her. She deserved to know every aspect of all of this. "Is there a camera in this office?" He asked pointedly first, glad to get the shake of River's head and confirmation from Skylar. Apparently there had been one but it had been ripped out and never replaced, presumably so that Jerry was never caught with women that weren't his wife. It was also one fewer camera to delete the footage from of Karen getting River's gear. "Some of our guys are going to start tailing your boss and his wife. They won't make it obvious, they'll just keep us in the loop with their whereabouts."
Finally, River's furious features relaxed a little.
"Wait, you're that kind of rich?" Skylar asked after a moment, whistling lowly and appreciatively. "Sorry, that was... I'm going to shut up now."
.
.
.
.
.
Sitting around the dinner table, while the circumstances may have been dire on account of River's arrest and face, Greyson decided that he loved having her there.
There was a sense of domesticity in it all. Waking up in his parents' place, eating together, going about their days and having dinner with his folks. Sure, it was only the end of the first day, but it was nice nonetheless.
Matt Thorne, River's alleged partner in crime and ex, had been released not long after she, Grey and Skylar had come to their rather damning conclusions about Jerry and his wife Karen. Just like River had, he asked to not see anybody as he was taken home. While he wasn't physically hurt as River had been, his pride seemed a little bruised.
River's attention had initially been consumed with thoughts of Matt, something that Greyson tried not to feel any kind of way about, but she settled some after a brief call with him. She agreed that she'd see him when he was ready and not a moment sooner, though that seemed to be the next day at work. While on the phone, they both got the same message from Jerry, their boss, "inviting" them to a morning meeting with him before either of their shifts to talk about their recent behavior.
Neither of them were stupid, they knew not to expect to keep their jobs. Still, they agreed that they'd go together and take whatever happened on the chin. River also told him that they needed to talk seriously about what they'd found that day with him, though Greyson was silently pleased when she opted not to do that before they both met with Jerry. It wouldn't serve their cases well if she and Matt beat the fool in his office.
Once the calls were done with and the rest of the family was home, including not only Teddy but Phoebe and Jen as well, the Greys sat around the dining table to eat together. Naturally, River was included in "the Greys", as any of them there would have agreed.
At one point in the evening, as Greyson was coming back from the bathroom, he found himself somewhat cornered by Jen in the hallway.
Out of earshot of the rest of the family, she stopped him. "Hey, can I have just a second?" She asked, so very freaking nicely.
Stopping immediately, he was curious. "Yeah, sure. You okay?" Hell, who was he to deny her anything when she was working so tirelessly to help River out? She wanted a kidney? Hell, he'd give her one.
She looked somewhat anxiously back toward the dining room and around their general area before clearing her throat lightly. She clearly didn't want to say whatever this was. "I just thought that you should be aware," She started, unusually uncomfortable around him. "River and I have already spoken about this, but Carrick and I are treating her case just the same as any other. We agreed that the two of your should know that whatever we're told, whatever we're aware of having happened, neither of us will tell anyone."
Oh. He knew what she was saying. Of course they were aware of what he and River had been doing the night that someone had worn her gear into the gym, she'd probably had to tell the cops right in front of his freaking grandad.
Smiling softly, trying to ignore the light blush that he could feel at the mere mention of Jen knowing, feeling some kind of caught, he nodded. "Thank you, Jen." He said simply.
With a sweet smile of her own, she gathered him into a quick hug. "I just wanted to make it clear that you didn't have to worry." She said, releasing him. "Your sister and I don't have secrets, but that doesn't apply to my work. Everything that's told to me in confidence remains as such."
Shocking himself, Greyson pulled Jen in for yet another hug. He truly just felt so thankful in that moment. While he himself wasn't all that bothered by the idea of his family knowing about him and River, that wasn't something that they'd spoken about, so he was glad that she specifically wasn't about to have yet another bomb dropped on her. "I really appreciate that, thank you. I know River does, too."
They released one another again. Jen nodded her agreement, smiling. "Can I say something you?" She then asked. "On an entirely non-professional note." She clarified.
Okay, he was curious.
Crossing his arms lightly over his chest, he nodded, even leaning in a little. "Yeah, of course."
With an almost devilish smile, Jen clapped his shoulder affectionately. "Well done." She said simply. "Whatever you two are doing, whether it's serious or not... well done, Greyson. River's beautiful inside and out. You sure as hell could have done a lot worse."
Ah shit, the blush was back.
She wasn't wrong, of course, River was stunning. He could have done so much freaking worse. "Shut up." He grumbled, unbothered when Jen chuckled, patted his shoulder one last time before heading back to the rest of the family.
He hadn't ever been congratulated by a third party before on something so intimate. Weirdly, it felt kind of nice. Not so nice that he wanted to run around bragging, but nice to be told by someone he loved that he'd found a good one, so to speak.
Back at the table, having taken a minute or so to let his fiery skin calm, Greyson was glad to hear River's voice as he sat. The topic though was anything but happy.
"Yeah, we saw my poor bike on the way out." She answered whatever his mom's question had been.
Across the table, his mom nodded, letting out a light, sad noise. "And it's completely written off?" She asked.
For as much as Grey knew that his mom didn't like River riding that thing, he knew that she wouldn't have ever wished it destroyed. More than anything, they all knew how much River loved it. He was pretty sure that it had been her dad's many years ago, or maybe that was some of her gear. He wasn't one hundred percent sure, but he knew there was a link there to her deceased father.
Scoffing lightly, River nodded heavily. "Oh, it's definitely fuc- uh, it's done for." She cleared her throat softly, looking apologetically at his parents for a second. "Tires were practically cut off of it, seat's all slashed up, forks are bent, pretty sure the clutch and brake cables were cut. Hell, I think some jerk even emptied out my fuel somehow." The sadness was evident in her voice, breaking the hearts of the Greys.
"Hey, we'll get you a new one." Teddy offered, sat the other side of her. He bumped her shoulder playfully as he spoke.
Smiling sadly, River shook her head. "That's a real sweet offer, Theodosa." She said back. They all understood. It was a sweet offer, but not one she would take them up on. She couldn't push aside her pride, not for something so large. It was already eating her up to so much as be staying at their place and eating their food, using their hot water, even using their damn electricity.
"I'm sure that Elliot has one that you can borrow." Their father spoke up. His voice was kind but firm, almost as if he thought he could guide River toward agreeing with him for so long as he spoke just firmly enough. "I'll talk with him later. Only long enough that you can either fix yours or find your next one, of course. Think of it as a rental."
There was a moment where no one spoke, clearly waiting to see what River would say.
"That would be great." She said to the shock of them all. "Thank you." She added, sounding a little awkward but as though she knew it was for the best.
Later on that evening, once Grey's siblings were either gone or tucked into spare beds, he readied himself to head up to his old room with River.
Only, as he was about to check if she was ready, she shocked him another time.
"Hey, I don't suppose you guys would mind if I crashed in the summer house tonight, right?" She asked his parents.
They both stilled on the stairs, having been heading up themselves. "Of course not." Ana supplied easily. "Keep an eye out for any bugs though, won't you, sweetheart?"
Smiling, River nodded. "Thank you. I will." She assured Grey's mom.
Greyson waited for his parents to bid them both goodnight and head upstairs before he cocked a brow at River. "You okay?" He asked, curious.
She shrugged, finally letting the smile down off of her face. She'd been acting as fine as she could all evening and it was clearly taking its toll. Still, she nodded. "I'm fine, Grey. You should go up to bed." She told him, heading in the direction of the back door.
He followed her, brow furrowed. "You don't want me to come with you?" He asked, trying so very desperately to keep the hurt out of his voice.
Reaching the door, River stilled, her hand on the handle. She sighed once before turning to face him. "I just want some time alone." She told him honestly. "We're having a lot of fun, Grey, there's no doubt. I just... we're not dating, you know? We're spending a lot of time together and it's great, but I need a minute to myself."
Fuck.
Why had that felt like a kick to his fucking chest?
Worse than the feeling, River's face. She looked so damn tired and as though she didn't want to be doing this right now. She was putting more effort than she had in her into protecting his feelings.
Quickly, he cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, of course." The pain seeped into his tone, he knew it. He heard it and watched something behind her single good eye. Annoyance, maybe? She didn't let it show on her face, but he'd seen it in that single moment. She was in pain and she was tired of having to baby him, he figured. "Look, sleep well, okay? I'll see you in the morning." He needed for her to know that she could count on him, that she didn't have to mind his feelings.
She opened the door, slipping through it. "Right. See you in the morning." She offered back.
"Hey, Riv?" He called out, already feeling a fool for what he was going to say.
"Hm?" She looked up at him. Her face was tired but curious.
His heart stilled. "I love you, okay?" He told her firmly. He wasn't all that sure how he meant it.
One look at her face, he found himself worried. He watched her for what felt like a lifetime before she raked in a breath. "Yeah." She said tiredly. "Love you, too."
As she said the words that should have meant the world to him, he heard something akin to distain in her voice.
Was this, as his father had predicted, the beginning of her pushing him away? Fuck he hoped not, least of all when Matt freaking Thorne was suddenly back in the equation. Or, possibly, he'd never been out of it.
Watching River walk off into the night, his chest ached. It had barely been a day since she'd told him that she loved him, even fewer since she'd tried to jump him, only for her to now seem so distant. Had he fucked up, or was this all just the fallout of her job situation and all the legal stuff?
Whatever it was, he figured he owed her more. Sure, his heart was aching, but so very every part of her. He'd pushed her away in the past and they'd found their ways back to one another, so he figured she was more than owed his understanding in however she needed to treat him right now. Whatever she had to do, however cold it felt, however it made his heart feel, he needed to be there for her. He needed to understand her and to help. Hell, he needed to love her.
The thing was, if what she needed was space from him, he knew he needed to give her that.
God, how he fucking hoped she didn't need space from him.
Apologies if the dialogue was a little iffy in this chapter. It might not have been, but if it was then I apologize. When I'm writing scenes with more dialogue than (for example) this last scene, I tend to write all the dialogue out first to make sure it flows, but then filling in all the "he said/she said" and adding movement, I sometimes find I don't do the best job of. My point being: sorry if it sucked, hopefully it didn't!
As always, please feel free to review, follow, PM, anything at all! I love knowing who anyone thinks of my work and hopefully I'll get the next chapter written before too long. Either way, have a great day and I'll hopefully have you back next time!