Rivals

Chapter 33

"Trust Me"

     The evening sunlight is warm upon my face, it's beam bountiful and consuming. With my eyes rested shut, I have my feet propped up on the dashboard of Rio's Camero - after permission of course.

After the promise of not going anywhere - the promise I didn't know I needed to hear - Rio decided to call it a day and drive me home.

And ever since we claimed our seats in the car just minutes ago, I've been thinking over everything that I watched, heard, and learned of Head Quarters. It's all a lot to actually process.

I suppose for a moment there, earlier, I felt a wave of shock at the thought of the Guard actually wiping out the gang's tracks. The thought of Rio going away for good feels... odd.

Maybe it's because I've grown quite use to him being around so much.

And that's something I would've never imagined to be possible since the very beginning. Since I first saw him outside the gang's old hideout, watching me as I looked at him. Since he showed up on my doorstep.

But things have changed.

Everything has changed.

Resting my head back against the passenger seat, I let the warmth of the sunset ahead drift me into a slumber - pushing aside my inner thoughts.

"Detectiveeeee..." Rio's tone is low yet enthusiastic; causing for my eyes to flutter open.

I force back my smile.

"You did not just wake me up," I start lowly but sassily, lazily turning my head to face him. He's focused on the road ahead while he drives, but I catch the sight of the corner of his lips curve upward.

"Oh, were you sleeping?" he asks, plastering a remote frown.

In return I playfully roll my eyes as I sit myself upright, averting my attention to the highway ahead of us, too. "No, but if I was you definitely would've woken me up..."

"But were you sleeping...?" Rio adds smartly, seeming to be in quite the playful mood. I scoff, running a hand through my curled blonde hair before failing to hold back laughter in amusement.

I momentarily glance over again to see Rio showcase his bright smile, clearly amusing himself.

"Nah, I just didn't want so much of a silent ride is all." Rio remarks huskily, focused ahead as he licks his lips - his full lips still curved.

My grin doesn't wither when I follow his gaze. And gathering our surroundings as we pass by skyscrapers of all sizes, I'm only taken back to the thought of everything that I was taught today.

Rio's factions were each hand crafted by him - the Armory, Terminus, the Gaurd, and the Greenies - each for a certain purpose. And in my eyes, not only for protection and manufacturing.

I like to think of it as this: his dad taught him just about everything he knows, before he passed. Rio formed the factions above the roots of everything his father taught him. And because of that, I know now just how important his gang is to him.

I think he feels as though the gang is all he has, in the matter of family.

He even told me himself that he has lost himself in the mix of it all - until I came along, he said. I'm not too sure what he means by that exactly.

I still can't believe his dad was a gang leader, too.

The corner of my red lips tug upward a second, as a thought occurs. My gaze doesn't tear from the endless blur of trees we pass by as we near the city.