Chapter 15
Ryker
The way was still blocked. He’d spoken to the same cop, and he mentioned that they were strapped for help.
Power needed to be restored for many, and the bridge needed a few repairs before it was deemed safe to cross.
Xan had been pissed once he got him on the phone.
Charlie had bolted again, and now his go-tos were stuck in a remote mountain town.
Ryker’s stomach twisted at the thought of whatever shitty task they’d get assigned as punishment. Last time they had to yank a guy’s gold teeth out, and he almost puked.
He hurried to get back to the cabin, not sure of what he would find. He didn’t think Ezra would do something way out of line, but being here was making him edgier.
When he swung the door open, he found Willow at the sink, cheeks pink and wearing men’s clothes—Ezra’s clothes. A possessive wave crashed through his system. Ryker wanted her in his clothes or nothing at all.
The tattoos coiling around her legs only made him want that more.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, then looked toward the bathroom door where the shower was running.
“He isn’t watching you like a hawk?” he asked, thoroughly confused. The previous day, he hadn’t been willing to let her sleep alone; now he was letting her go unsupervised?
She refocused on scrubbing a plate. “He hopped in as he saw you pulling up.”
Ryker stepped closer until he was almost pressed against her back. He inhaled deeply, regretting the barrier created by the mask. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Was he an asshole?”
Willow leaned into him. “It was fine… Don’t worry about it.”
“You know I’m not done with you, right?” He traced her spine with his thumbs.
The way she eased into his touch stirred something inside him that was beyond lust. “I can’t let you get me off like that and not do anything for you.
” He nestled his masked face into her damp hair.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about it all night. ”
She sighed and pressed against his growing erection. “Please do, just not now. I think he’ll be out any minute.”
His hand slid up the back of her baggy sweater. “It’s kind of driving me nuts seeing you in his clothes.” The tips of his fingers trailed across her stomach and up to her perfect little tits. He cupped them and yanked her back, making her gasp. “Maybe I should take them off you.”
Willow turned off the sink and dried her hands, still anchored to him. “Then he would definitely know we’re fooling around,” she replied.
Ryker thought that over. “What do you want to happen? Do you want us to drop you without a clue who we are?” The idea of never seeing her again left a hollow feeling in his chest.
“Isn’t the other option you kill me?” She wriggled out of his grasp and turned to face him. Her bright eyes caught his. “Isn’t that why you’re still hiding your faces?”
“I can talk to him… make him see reason.”
“What do you want?” she asked, her brows coming together. “I assume you have no issues getting laid, so why are you talking like this is more than fun?”
“Uh, maybe,” he started, then inched forward to back her into the edge of the counter, “I like you.” He bent down and lifted the bottom of his mask to give her a kiss. “I want to know everything about you.”
Her eyes widened.
“Why are you scared now?”
Willow had nerves of steel up to this point, yet this conversation was making her look ready to bolt.
“I don’t know,” she muttered, her gaze falling to the ground, then at the door for a brief second.
He tipped her chin up and tentatively pressed his lips to hers. Something was making her hold back, but beneath the restraint, he could sense she wanted more.
She broke it off, still pinned against the counter. “Why?”
“I told you. You’re interesting to me, pretty girl.”
“Well,” she said, “maybe I don’t want to get involved with whatever you’re up to.”
Of course. The thing that was always keeping him from finding someone long-term.
“It isn’t forever,” he reasoned, “I’m only stuck doing this for a few more years.”
Willow scoffed. “What exactly is it that you do?”
The shower switched off, sending his pulse hammering even harder.
He didn’t want to end this bit of real conversation with her.
Ezra would lose his mind if he knew he’d told her at least part of his name.
If he knew Willow had some knowledge of their illegal shit, then he might decide to put the bullet in her head after all.
“It’s… complicated.” He sighed. “We don’t do this for fun. We’re stuck.”
Her eyes softened, like she felt sorry for them. “I know the feeling,” she replied.
They didn’t have much time. Ezra was going to be out any minute, and he wanted to get more from her. “Will you tell us what you do?”
She grimaced. “Fine. Since you told me a tiny bit of something, I’ll tell you what I told him… I take money from assholes.”
The bathroom door flew open, and out came Ezra, his skin red under the mask from the heat of the shower.
“What’s up? Our girl looks like she’s seen a ghost.” he asked, walking casually toward them.
Our girl.
There was some kind of exchange between them, but he couldn’t help going back to what she had just admitted to. “Who are you taking money from? How do you do that?”
Her eyes darted between them. “It’s on the computer.”
“Like a hacker?” Ezra asked.
“Yeah. That’s why I told you I needed my laptop.”
Ryker snorted. “You are full of surprises.”
The trace of fear in her expression faded slightly until she looked back at his friend. “Now tell me what you do.”
“I’m a mechanic.”
Willow rolled her eyes. “Is he always a smart ass?”
“Yep,” Ryker replied, stepping away to take a seat at the table. He gestured for her to join him.
Willow eyed the chair for a moment before accepting the invitation. Ezra followed, yanking out the chair next to him and leveling her with a dark look.
“Why are you still bullshitting?” she asked. “I’m not going to the cops, and you know about me too.”
Ezra answered, “Maybe we don’t want to get you deeper into our situation.”
“And what is that situation?”
Ryker bounced his knee, desperate for a smoke. He reached into his pocket and fidgeted with his lighter. “We’re heavies for a loan shark.”
Ezra’s head whipped around. “Really? You’re going to tell her?”
“Well, why the fuck not?” he countered. “It’s not like our little hacker girl is going to rat us out. We know where she lives and could turn her in just as easy.”
Ezra looked back at her. “How do you make money from hacking?”
Her brows rose. “Why?”
“Just curious.” He tilted his head.
“Usually, I send out infected emails. I use some social engineering to maximize my chances that someone will take the bait. If I’m targeting a specific place, I’ll do more research on who works in which departments so it looks more legitimate.”
Ryker grinned. “Oh, that’s cool. How much you make?”
Willow shifted in her seat. “It doesn’t matter. I don’t take much for myself anymore. I pay it forward.”
Ezra chimed in, “Why?”
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Because someone helped me.”
“Who?”
“That’s definitely none of your business.”
His mind wandered to the scars on her body, wondering how deep they actually went. An idea wormed its way into him. “Who are you taking it from? You said it was companies earlier.”
Her jaw clenched, and her eyes darted between them, probably assessing if she should divulge any more. “Why should I tell some guys who are hiding their faces from me and would kill me if I saw them?”
He exchanged a look with Ezra.
“We won’t kill you,” Ezra murmured. “But it’s for your safety anyway.”
Maybe it was a mistake to tell her what they did at all, but there was a part of him that wanted to test her reaction. He’d never been able to tell someone he liked about it.
This won’t go anywhere, dipshit.
Ryker clenched his teeth. It didn’t hurt to imagine, though.