Chapter 31
Violet
It felt like some weight was crushing my lungs, the edges of my vision tightening as I stared at the photographs. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Excuse me,” I managed to choke out before bolting for the door. The moment I hit the hall, the air turned heavy with laughter, moans, and music pressing in from every direction until it was all too much.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Violet…”
I kept running.
“Violet, for fuck’s sake, stop!”
A hand clamped down on my shoulder. I almost screamed before Ryder spun me around to face him.
“I don’t understand,” I gasped, my voice cracking, growing louder and drawing glances from the people nearby. “Sold to the highest bidder? What kind of bullshit is that?”
Ryder shifted, glancing over his shoulder.
“I need—” I broke off, chest tightening again. “I can’t—” I shoved at him, stumbling past. “I just need air,” I choked out, barely managing the words. “Just… give me a minute.”
Ryder didn’t follow me this time, and I entered the main room in search of the exit. Before I knew it, I was outside where the sun touched my skin, then came a drizzle. I tipped my head back, anchoring myself with the spit of rain.
Sold. The word wouldn’t leave my head.
It stuck in my throat like something half-swallowed and sharp.
I tried to picture mum’s face, the way she’d laugh or scold when I said something stupid, the way she’d hum when she cooked… or the crack of glass when she smashed the mirrors because the voices wouldn’t stop.
I couldn’t imagine her young, vulnerable like those girls.
I couldn’t imagine her as a ‘doll’.
Closing my eyes, I exhaled, rubbing a hand down my face. I couldn’t connect her to the world Aeris described, not when half the time she barely existed in this one.
A faint rustle sounded behind me. My eyes snapped open, scanning for the source, but the street was empty, nothing but the soft pitter-patter of rain on pavement.
God, I was losing it. Clearly the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
Pushing the wet strands away from my face, I went to wait inside—
A sharp yank wrenched my head back, followed by a hand clamping tightly over my mouth. Instinct and panic took over. I twisted, kicked, and scratched, but the pain in my scalp only sharpened as I was dragged into a narrow alley drowned in shadow.
“Get off—” The word broke into a gasp as I was thrown to the ground, my knees and palms scraping raw against the wet concrete as pain wracked through my body.
“Scream, and I’ll break your jaw,” a man growled as I tried to push up, only for a boot to slam between my shoulder blades.
“Found her,” another man grunted.
Looking up through the curtain of my hair, I saw him holding a phone to his ear.
“Fucking idiot didn’t see us trailing them,” he muttered.
The pressure on my back increased until my arms buckled, my chest and face forced against the ground as his friend continued on the phone.
“Yeah, I’ll take her to the drop—” The words died in a choked sound as Ryder’s fist connected with his jaw.
The weight lifted from my back so suddenly I gasped, dragged upright just in time to see Ryder drive his fist again and again into the first man’s face.The sound was sickening, bone meeting bone, followed by a dull crack before the body hit the ground.
Blood splattered the pavement, a dark streak glinting off the tip of Ryder’s knife.
Holy shit.
Ryder turned to us with a smirk, taking a lazy step forward. “You wanna split it?”
I tensed, my chest aching with how fast my heart raced. He wouldn’t… would he?
“Fuck you,” the man at my back grunted.
“No?” he said, so calm it took me a moment to recognise his amusement. “Well, I wasn’t planning on sharing anyway.”
“Back off,” he snarled, tightening his grip on my arm until pain flared up to my shoulder. “Or I’ll hurt her.”
“How did you find her, anyway?” Ryder took a step forward, his voice light, almost conversational. “Never mind, doesn’t matter.” He clicked his tongue. “What matters is you think you can take her without a weapon. Bold choice.”
“Stop right there,” he barked. “I swear to God—”
“God?” Ryder chuckled, the sound entirely unhinged, especially when paired with those dimples. “God isn’t here, mate.”
The man hesitated, his weight shifting just slightly behind me.
“But I am.” With a wink Ryder launched forward, colliding with us like a bull.
The impact knocked the breath clean out of me, but it loosened the grip on my arm just enough to tear free. Scrambling out from between them, I staggered backward until my shoulders hit the wall, the rough bricks biting through my damp dress.
The metallic tang of blood was thick in the air, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from the men fighting.
There was nothing graceful about it.
The other man swung, wild and desperate, but Ryder evaded the hit easily, turning his body just enough that the punch cut through empty air. Then his fist connected, a dull, heavy sound that made my stomach twist.
Blood spattered. The man stumbled, but Ryder didn’t give him the chance to react. He followed, relentless, each hit landing harder than the last.
The man hit the floor by my feet, Ryder’s shadow looming over him.
“Told you I wasn’t planning on sharing.” His voice was rough, all gravel and fury as his eyes collided with mine. “You okay?”
I tried to nod, but my body wasn’t listening. My breath came in jagged bursts, palms raw and stinging as I pushed myself away from the wall.
The man groaned, rolling, but Ryder was on him before he could run. He grabbed the guy by the collar and lifted, slamming his back against the brick. “Who sent you?” Ryder’s tone was calm, which somehow made it worse.
“I… I—”
Ryder hit him again, and the man’s head snapped to the side, blood smearing the wall before he pressed the knife to his throat.
“Stop!” The word ripped out of me before I even thought about it. “Ryder, stop, please!”
He froze, his shoulders tight before he shoved the man to the ground and stepped back.
“Are you hurt?” Ryder asked finally, voice low and shaking with restraint. “Violet, are you hurt?” He moved toward me, rough fingers catching my jaw, turning my face to get a better look.
“I’m fine,” I whispered, pulling myself from his grip. “You’re the one who’s bleeding.”
Ryder frowned, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand. His knife glinted as it caught the light, drawing my eyes. Without a word, he crouched, dragging the blade clean across the man’s shirt before snapping it shut and slipping it into his pocket.
“How… what… Oh my God, you tackled us?” I exclaimed.
“Would you rather I just let them take you?” Snorting, he reached for the guy’s phone that had fallen on the floor. “Good thing I didn’t give you a minute, huh?”
I just looked at him, my skin numb.
He glanced at the screen. “Double if you deliver her today,” he read, followed by a low whistle. “Fucking hell, blondie. You really are popular. Almost makes me want to hand you over myself.”
I swallowed, but he only shot me a wink.
“Relax. It’s a joke.” Dropping the phone, he smashed it with his heel. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”