Riot Hearts: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Saints of Crow Book 1)

by Livy North

  RIOT HEARTS

  Copyright © 2021 by Livy North

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  * * *

  If you downloaded this eBook from a pirating site, you have committed copyright infringement, which the maximum penalty for is a fine of up to $250,000 and a jail sentence of up to five years, in the US alone.

  * * *

  ISBN:

  978-82-692333-0-8 (eBook, ePUB)

  978-82-692333-2-2 (Paperback)

  * * *

  Editing by Katie KenyHercz/Silvia Curry

  Cover design © Arijiana Karčić, Coverit! Designs

  Formatting: Books and Moods

  * * *

  Livy North

  www.livynorth.com

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. Emory

  2. River

  3. Emory

  4. River

  5. River

  6. Emory

  7. Emory

  8. Emory

  9. Emory

  10. Emory

  11. Emory

  12. River

  13. Emory

  14. River

  15. River

  16. Emory

  17. Emory

  18. Emory

  19. River

  20. Emory

  21. Emory

  22. River

  23. River

  24. Emory

  25. River

  26. Emory

  27. River

  28. Emory

  29. River

  Thank You

  Acknowledgments

  Playlist

  About the Author

  For my brother.

  Thanks for not dying on me (yet).

  She’s a badass with a good heart, soft but strong. Unapologetic and honest. She’s the type of woman you go to war beside.

  R. H. Sin

  The headlines surrounding my family’s tragic deaths were burned into my retinas forever. The Lauder name was slammed onto every newspaper front and article all over the city of St. Crow. Of course, life was like that when you were part of the wealthier elite.

  It had been three days since the police showed up at my door with the news. ‘Your parents and brother Gabriel are dead. Their plane went down somewhere in the Atlantic. Their bodies have not been found, but no one could survive a crash like that.’

  But I didn’t have time to mourn them, because in St. Crow, there were more important things surrounding a person’s death.

  Like who was the beneficiary.

  In this case, the unfortunate person was most likely me, considering my older brother Gabriel was dead and there were no other family members in the picture. The only family I had now was my Labrador, Archer. And my parents’ assistant Carla and our housekeeper Daphne, if they counted. Though, I rarely saw them except for in passing.

  A bitter taste filled my mouth.

  “Emory.” A nudge in my shoulder dragged me back to the bitter reality.

  “Huh?”

  “It’s your turn.” My best friend Evie inclined her head at the rose I held in my hand.

  I had almost managed to forget I was down at the pier in a memorial for Gabriel—a small ritual in the middle of the funeral reception. It was put together by his friends who now surrounded me. They were my friends too, of course. Gabriel and I had grown up with them all the same.

  Like me and Gabriel, they were also heirs of the town—children from the founding families, descendants of the people who ran the city and who’d take over in the future. Our families were entwined in ways I could never understand.

  Still, it was the only life I knew. Except, now I didn’t know where I stood in this town.

  Twirling the stem of the rose I was holding, I pushed away the stinging feeling in my chest and tossed it into the ocean below. Waves swallowed it immediately, gulping it up in its never-ending darkness. I crossed my arms over my chest and pushed away the burning sensation in my eyes. I wasn’t sad. I didn’t want to be sad. Sad gave me nothing.

  Tired was more like it. I was tired of this city and the people. I was tired of not being in the loop and treated like a child. I got it, I was young, but still capable. I felt in my bones they were downplaying the situation with my family, but maybe I was being delusional because I missed them.

  As I let out the breath I’d been holding without meaning to, the others came over and enveloped me in hugs.

  “You good, Em?” Elijah Colby, one of Gabriel’s closest friends, asked as he wrapped his big arms around me. He was tall, at least two heads taller than me.

  Hugging him back, I inhaled his cologne. He reminded me of Gabriel in so many ways. “Fine,” I lied.

  Actually, I didn’t know if it was a lie. I didn’t feel sad, I felt… nothing. Nothing but a heaviness weighing on my chest.

  Sean Adley came over, biting his lower lip to hide his grin as his blonde eyebrows twitched. “You think I can hit on Emory since her big brother isn’t here to beat me up?”

  An echo of groans broke out around us and Elijah rolled his eyes.

  I snickered, shooting him down immediately. “You can try, but it won’t get you anywhere.”

  I refrained from going into some kind of flirt battle with him. Sean was a notorious jerk, but popular nonetheless. I guess when you’re the oldest of four brothers, you grow cocky.

  Besides, no one needed to know Gabriel was not only my brother; he was my protector and best friend. I didn’t want to seem like the clingy, codependent little sister. I loved my parents, but they were away a lot. Gabriel was the one who always stood up for me.

  All of us moved to sit on the edge of the pier, watching the roses and the little fleet we’d launched float away in the moonlight. It carried notes but into a little bottle and candles.

  A joint was passed around. Elijah, who sat next to me on one side, took a deep inhale and then passed it to me. I took a short inhale before giving it over to Evie.

  She took it elegantly between her slim fingers, blowing out a smooth cloud of smoke in my face with a chortle. Rolling my eyes, I smiled at her. She tried to cheer me up, but she didn’t push.

  After a while, we went farther up the pier where the old elite were gathered at the reception venue. It was mainly outside but had two open doors leading to the inside area where the food and beverages were.

  We’d gone inside and poured ourselves drinks when I heard a familiar voice behind me, and I spun around.

  “Are we late?” His British accent, courtesy of the British boarding school he went to, was evident. I could pick his voice out from millions.

  River Sinclair.

  My eyes went to his two brothers who stood behind him. Their presence thickened the air, filling it with their authority. For a split second, everyone’s eyes were on them. With their dark hair, bright eyes, and tall builds, they stole the attention.

  They all carried themselves with pride, setting them apart from the rest of the heirs and the elite in general, even if they weren’
t that different at all. The same thing could be said about their father, Thomas.

  “Didn’t think you Sinclairs would show.” Sean Adley went over to greet them.

  River and his brothers exchanged polite nods with the rest of the young elite, but even as they looked away, people’s gazes still lingered.

  River’s eyes sought mine out and his defined eyebrow twitched.

  My eyes hardened as I looked at him. Every time he looked at me, I took it as a challenge, and I didn’t want to be the one coming out losing. It had always been a game of push and pull between us, but over these past few weeks, he looked like he was plotting how to kill me twice.

  The youngest Sinclair brother shouldered past him, coming over to me with a boyish smile. “Em, gorgeous.” Sebastian leaned to hug me. “Sorry for your loss.”

  I smiled. “Thanks.”

  “My condolences,” Nico, the broody brother, said with a polite nod. I gave him the same greeting back. He was a year older than me and a year younger than River. He rarely spoke unnecessarily, but you could feel his gaze on you like stinging rays of heat.

  My eyes searched out River again, who stared back with a smug smile. It was almost invisible to the naked eye, but I saw the mischief sparkling in the depths of his intense blue eyes. As always, his dark hair was a mess styled into perfection and a few strands hung in front of his eyes, bringing out the blueness in them.

  No one had hair as black as he, or eyes as blue.

  I lifted my eyebrow in challenge, waiting for him to speak. It looked like he wasn’t going to, but then his dad came over, cleared his throat, and leveled him with a glance I couldn’t decipher. Although from the way River’s jaw ticked, I could tell he wasn’t happy.

  “At least we still have you,” River said eventually, the British accent managing to make the snide comment sound polite.

  Sebastian bit back a smile while Nico looked less impressed. His father shared the same look—throwing icy stares over at his son. I fought back an amused look when River glanced down.

  River was his own boss for the most part, yet whenever his dad was around, he wasn’t the arrogant, antagonizing guy I knew. For as long as I had known him, he and his two brothers had idolized their father, and River was always happy enough to do his dirty work. Still, the dynamic between the two seemed strained. It was the first time I’d noticed it.

  “Emory, love, you look stunning. Let me know if you ever need anything,” Thomas said, leaning in to hug me. He smelled of strong mahogany. “I’m sure this must be overwhelming for you, so if you ever need help, my doors are always open.” His arms tightened around me and I tensed.

  Giving a short nod, I pulled away. “Thanks. I’ll remember.” I raised my glass in a quick gesture. “Enjoy the food. I think there’s still plenty left.”

  Turning around, I left and joined Evie, who had gathered with three of the founding family girls over by the big staircase. It was Eleonora O’Malley, only child with ties to the Sinclair family and the Darlington sisters, Isabella and Martina.

  They threw me pitiful glances except for Evie, who smiled. She knew I hated the pity. I didn’t want anyone to believe I was a child who couldn’t control my emotions and would be too grief-stricken to make rational decisions.

  “Emory,” Isabella chirped, and I looked at her even though I mostly wanted to shut her out. She wasn’t that bad, but she was a bit too much at times. “You look pretty considering the circumstances.” She smiled sweetly.

  I smiled stiffly. “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, and if you ever need anything, we’re here for you,” her older sister Martina added.

  For the next few hours, I mostly watched from a safe distance how my peers of St. Crow conversed like their fifty-year-old parents. It was funny to see them so civilized and elegant when these were the same people who threw elaborate parties at family beach houses or yachts and did drugs like they were trying to fly.

  Everything looked like a badly staged play.

  The reason Evie and I got along so well was because she was real and gave it to me straight. You couldn’t take such a trait for granted here. Maybe it had something to do with her not being an heir. Evie came from a good family that everyone respected, and she was a natural people-person. People liked her, and she was my best friend, and that’s why no one was surprised when she hung out with the heirs. But she didn’t have that kind of pressure on her that came with being from a founding family.

  After observing for a while, I noticed the old elite acted off. Half of them didn’t have many nice thoughts about my parents and still, they were in mourning. But to an extent, that seemed unrealistic. They could almost be described as cheery as they clucked around like confused hens.

  “I’m going to the ladies’ room,” I excused myself from the group of adults I was with.

  Walking down a corridor and away from the party, I managed to take a deep breath.

  The scent of lavender hit me when I opened the door to the restroom. I did my business and washed my hands before lingering at the mirror. With my brown hair in a fancy updo and a black dress hugging my figure elegantly, I looked stellar, but behind the layers of makeup, I was a tired mess.

  I needed this day to be over.

  Heading for the door, I mentally prepared myself to face the world again, but the second I reached for the knob, the door flew toward me and hit me in the face. Stunned, I stumbled backward and pinched my throbbing nose. Water welled in my eyes despite the pain not being bad.

  Glancing up, my eyes met a familiar muscular build, followed by familiar black hair and chiseled face.

  River.

  Seeing his stupid pretty face again only added to my foul mood.

  “I always knew you were a pussy, but I didn’t know you had one,” I mocked dryly. “This is the ladies’ room.”

  When he snickered and his mouth pulled up into a wider smirk, I knew he had intentionally sought me out.

  “Too bad. Knocking some sense into you clearly didn’t work.”

  “But it did. I was beginning to think you could actually be a decent human being, but now I definitely don’t like you. Thanks for reminding me.”

  As much as I’d like to hate him in the moment, talking to him was almost relieving. At least he didn’t pity me or suck up to me like everyone else. He knew where we stood, and he didn’t pretend otherwise.

  River licked his lower lip in a seductive manner. I cocked an impatient eyebrow at him.

  “Are you saying you were starting to like me, Emory?” he cooed huskily.

  “You’re delusional.”

  “And you’re lying. My cock is very much intact. Do you want proof?” he said, changing the subject.

  With a stifled groan, I shouldered past him with an eye-roll. “I’ll not-so-politely tell you to go fuck off instead.”

  “Did you know my father asked me to be nice to you since your parents died?” he called after me.

  A laugh escaped and the need to have the last word made me turn around. “Can’t say I have seen much of that. Which is weird since you’re like an eager little puppy trying to please his master when it comes to your dad.”

  River’s eyes turned dark as they zeroed in on me. “Watch your mouth, Nightmare. I don’t play by no rules but my own.”

  I narrowed my eyes at the nickname he’d bestowed upon me when he came back from boarding school for reasons I didn’t know. He’d used it more frequently over the past weeks, and I figured it was because he knew I perpetually hated it.

  “Whatever you say. We both know you worship your dad. And I can’t blame you, you’re just like him. A smaller Thomas Sinclair, if you will.”

  There was a tick in his jaw. Two seconds passed before his tense shoulders sagged and he shrugged. His chin tilted up in a superior stance. “Why should I be nice anyway? Your family died, not you. Shouldn’t you be happy you’re alive?”

  I squinted in disbelief and shook my head. It was rare of him to be so distasteful. “You’re s
uch a gentleman,” I deadpanned. Sourness gathered in the back of my throat and I swallowed.

  “No, I’m way more fun.”

  Turning my back to him to leave, I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on with him.

  The River I knew had always been cold—maybe even mean at times—but never this… deranged. He had more class than that and didn’t have to resort to petty comments.

  Normally, he’d heed his father’s every word and not dare say or do anything that would even maybe tarnish his name. But today he almost seemed desperate to prove something.

  Something about him had changed. But maybe like me, he was just tired of being the filtered, drowned-out version of himself the city expected.

  After all, the past few weeks had changed everything.

  No one spoke about how my parents’ deaths had rocked the entire ground this city was built on, but everyone knew.

  This changed everything.

  One thing was for certain—St. Crow did not need River Sinclair at his full potential, because River at his full potential would probably ruin everything.

  St. Crow was a shitshow of a town, but at least I had the advantage of being amongst the top of the social hierarchy.

  I’d have to admit it was entertaining to watch people try to please me because of my last name, especially the girls, who ran around like confused mice trying to please me.

  But Emory had never been one of those girls and even less now. There was a slight change in her like the rest of the town. It wasn’t visible, but I felt it in my bones, in the air surrounding her.