Noah came through the crowd, a huge grin on his face as he pushed past bystanders who were milling around or heading towards the exit now that the fight was over with.
Riley saw him first and waved him over as he approached, stepping down from the platform where she was seated. "That was amazing, Noah. I didn't know you were that good."
"Neither did I," replied Jason, following up behind Riley and landing a congratulatory slap to Noah's back with a sideways hug, the way they usually did. "When did you get so good?"
"I've been practising," shrugged Noah as he tugged his shirt over his head, wiping the sweat from his forehead in the process.
"A little bit too much, so Liam tells me," Tyrus said, taking up his position next to Jason as he affectionately placed an arm over Jason's shoulder. He used him for support as he hunched over slightly in a manner that seemed to alleviate the pain in his side.
Both Tyrus and Noah looked beaten up, sporting some cuts and bruising that were already forming in various places across their faces and body. Riley noticed some women not far off to the sideline, waiting for their chance to pounce on the men, but neither seemed to have an interest, with Noah more excited about winning and Tyrus directing all his attention on Jason.
"So, how about we all grab some dinner?" said Jason. "We can hit up Laguna. I hear they make some pretty good burgers."
"Sounds good to me," said Noah. "I'm starving."
"You're always hungry," smiled Jason.
"What can I say? I worked up an appetite kicking your boyfriend's butt in the ring."
At the word boyfriend, both Jason and Tyrus did an uncomfortable shuffle, which made Riley giggle under her breath. She guessed they hadn't broached that subject yet.
The entire group started shuffling towards the exit with the other patrons as Liam made a nod to an employee, eagerly passing on the responsibility of cleaning and closing up to someone else. Just one of the perks of being the boss.
As she shuffled her way past the crowd, Riley felt an unusual feeling course over her body. It was one she hadn't felt in a long time and it caused her to pause in the middle of the crowd as passers-by nudged past her to the exit. But for some reason, she couldn't seem to move and the hairs on her arms stood up straight as a chill coursed through her body.
She glanced left, then right, looking for the cause of this feeling. She hated this feeling. This feeling of pure and utter dread.
And as the feeling settled into the pit of her stomach, she saw him. Standing in the corner of the room, sporting the same piercing, devious eyes that she remembered. And he was staring straight back at her.
Vincent.
Riley stumbled backwards as panic struck and a cold sweat covered her forehead. She spun around, looking for Jason, who seemed miles ahead and was already out of the front door. In her haste, she looked back to the corner that Vincent was standing in.
He was gone.
Her eyes shifted wildly around the room, scanning in every direction as she tried to figure out if Vincent had cut in front of her to block her exit, or if he was coming in from behind her.
In her frantic state, she bumped into Kain, almost knocking him off his feet. But she didn't care who it was. All she knew was that it was someone familiar and with that, she grabbed hold of the front of his shirt, clinging on for dear life.
"It was... I thought I...." Riley mumbled in her panicked state.
She looked up into a pair of shocked eyes as Kain looked back at her. It only took a moment for her to come back to her senses and realise what she was doing before she let go of his shirt and jumped back, creating a suitable amount of distance between them.
"I'm sorry, I just..." Riley pointed back into the crowd, which was now thinning out.
Realising what she had just done, a blush formed across her cheeks, dissipating the ghostly complexion she had only a moment ago.
The events repeated back in her mind and a sudden sense of calm washed over her. How stupid could she be? Vincent was in prison. For the next 23 years. Of course, he wasn't hanging out in Montana. Her mind had run away with her. Again. And in its place was a deep-set embarrassment over what just happened.
"Are you okay?" asked Kain, eyeing her over. The shock on his face had long since disappeared and had been replaced with a sort of curiosity, or more like concern.
"I'm sorry," started Riley, trying to think up a good excuse for her behaviour when luckily she was interrupted.
"Are you two coming?" shouted Jason over the crowd.
"Yeah sorry," said Riley, taking a step in Jason's direction before Kain's hand stopped her by gently grabbing hold of her wrist.
"Are you okay?" he asked again.
"Yes, I'm okay," said Riley nervously at the feeling of Kain's hand touching her skin. "We should catch up." She shrugged her hand out of his grasp as she continued walking out of the building. Kain was right beside her as they finally caught up to the rest of the group in the carpark.
"We'll take two cars," said Tyrus. "Kain and I will ride with Jason and Riley. Liam, why don't you take my car with Noah," he said, throwing the keys to his Porsche over to Liam, who caught it in one hand.
"Sick, man," said Liam as he dangled the keys in front of him with a glimmer of childlike delight dancing across his eyes.
"Scratch it and you're dead."
Liam gulped at Tyrus's harsh glare and turned away fast, along with Noah, as they headed in the opposite direction. Kain, Tyrus, Jason and Riley walked over to Jason's car.
Riley was confident that Tyrus organised the car split for the mere purpose of being close to Jason, which she found cute. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Jason so happy and she really hoped it worked out for them.
Jason got in the driver's seat with Tyrus taking up the passenger side. This left Riley and Kain to hop into the backseat.
She still wasn't sure about Kain. After the party, it appeared his iciness had worn away, at least a little, and she found herself taking a bit more notice of him than she usually did.
Trying not to stare, she glanced at him in her peripheral vision. He was staring out of the window as his right leg propped sideways, nearer to the centre console as his long legs battled for the extra space in the cramped backseat of the car.
He was wearing black jeans that were loose on him but not baggy or long enough to hide his dark grey, pristine, looking sneakers. His casual dark green t-shirt hung tightly against his muscular body and she couldn't help but be in awe of how he always seemed so confident in himself. She wished she could be more like that.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kain's voice echoed in the back seat, surprising her out of her dazed stupor. "You looked pretty shaken up back there."
Riley glanced at Jason in the front seat, glad that he was occupied in a conversation about something with Tyrus. The last thing she needed was Jason on her case again about her mental state. He already suspected she was slipping again. The last thing he needed to hear was that she was hallucinating. Vincent was not only invading her dreams, now he was invading her waking moments.
But what she didn't quite grasp was Kain's newfound concern for her. Normally, he wouldn't give two shits about her.
"This is new," said Riley cockily, trying to direct the conversation away from the freak out session she just had. "Do I hear a hint of concern in your voice, Kain? It's so unlike you."
"Much to your belief, I'm not a heartless monster, Riley. We may not get along, but you were scared back there. You were shit scared of something."
Riley couldn't be having this conversation here. Not with Jason sitting so close, and definitely not with Kain. She could have sworn she saw Jason shift his eyes into the rear-view mirror onto the backseat. The last thing she wanted was Jason finding out she was hallucinating. That was a sure-fire trip straight back to therapy and a zero percentage chance of any privacy ever again.
"I told you, Kain, I'm fine," she said, shooting him down quickly when he tried to open his mouth again.
That was when she saw it again. The flicker of Jason's eyes into the backseat, boring straight into her. He definitely heard Kain the first time, and she knew she was a moment away from having a very awkward conversation with her brother.
Shit.