Chapter 31
Ryker
The ride back into Lakeview was an indescribable combination of relaxed yet tense.
It was like they had gone to Henderson and come back completely different people.
Well, they were still them, and still trapped.
It wasn’t the same, though. You don’t just come back from almost killing the wrong girl and then fucking her in the woods with your best friend.
Ryker caught the spark of happiness in her eyes as he drove.
Fuck. She was too good for him. Too good for both of them, honestly.
Willow was a professional, working a white-collar job and typing away at a computer.
She might have that shady side gig, but it was nothing compared to their double lives.
He and Ezra were just grunt workers. They didn’t deserve her.
Especially with all the shit she’d been through with that dead boyfriend.
I wish I could strangle him with his own guts.
That was the kind of fantasy that made him further recognize that they were too different.
But she steals…
No. They couldn’t let her get more hurt.
She looked at him again. All slouched back in the front passenger seat, she looked like a princess, though a little disheveled. Dressed in a heavy coat and navy blue pajama pants, she probably didn’t look much like a princess to anyone but them.
“What’s got you all worked up?” she asked, poking his thigh.
The sudden sound of her voice stirred Ezra, who was dozing in the back seat. They had switched driving duty, but Willow sat shotgun the whole time.
“What do you mean?” he replied, keeping his focus on the road ahead.
“You keep looking at me weird.”
“Just can’t stop staring at you, pretty girl,” he said with a grin. It wasn’t untrue. He could look at her all fucking day.
I want to.
“We almost there?” Ezra mumbled, resituating himself with his arms crossed as his eyes drooped again.
“Yeah.” It was almost too bad that they were. Willow needed to get home—back to normal. A world without them and the danger that lurked. But he was going to miss her.
Maybe it didn’t need to be goodbye. Maybe they could make it work.
No, he couldn’t be selfish like that. Exposing her to more danger would be an asshole thing to do. The things she’d gone through already were more than enough.
They pulled up on the corner where they had originally parked when they had taken her off the street. His throat burned over the memory, but it had led to an incredible few days.
But he had been supposed to kill someone. Samantha. A woman who lived in the same building.
Willow eagerly jumped out, but not in a way like she was trying to get away from them. She even waited. “You guys coming up?”
Half-stunned, they climbed out. He hadn’t expected to be invited in, and from Ezra’s expression, he hadn’t either.
They followed her through the main door and up a set of stairs until they reached her floor. He wondered what her apartment would look like. Would she keep a lot of sentimental things? Was she messy?
Willow turned the key in her door, and within a millisecond, a series of outraged meows filled the quiet.
“Yes…” she said, but being cut off by more rapid-fire meows. “I know, sweetie. I know! I’m sorry, but I’m home now.”
The fluffy white cat was suddenly perched on her shoulder, continuing a chorus of complaints at her human’s absence.
He glanced at Ezra, and they both let out a soft chuckle.
After a few more seconds of riding on Willow’s shoulder and giving her an absolute earful, the furball hopped down to inspect the newcomers.
Ryker froze on the spot, too preoccupied with being sized up by a tiny ball of fluff to take in the surroundings he’d initially been interested in.
“Um, hi.” He liked animals a lot, but he’d never had a cat.
Well. Not a cat that was his for real. He grew up next to a hoarder who had a fuckton of cats that got out and roamed the whole neighborhood.
Ryker would feed and pet the nice ones that came around.
His mom wouldn’t let him take any inside, though.
Ezra was instantly smitten with the cat. He made a little sound, then rubbed his fingers together, and the cat immediately rushed him. “Oh, hello, Stahma.” He met the affectionate face nudges and responded to all the little sounds. It was like they were talking.
“The fuck,” Ryker said with a laugh, “I didn’t know you were the cat whisperer.”
His friend shrugged, lifting the small creature momentarily. “Aunt Patty loved cats. She had one that looked like this, named Pearl.”
Ry snorted as he scratched behind the feline’s ear, prompting her to arch dramatically. It really was a sweet thing. Just like her owner.
Once he’d dropped his hand to let Ezra give Stahma more attention, he took in the surroundings.
Willow’s apartment wasn’t decorated with much.
There was a large cat tree, cat toys and a nice sectional couch in front of a flat screen TV.
A few shelves lined the walls with animal skulls and fancy rocks.
The most expensive thing in the room was definitely her computer, which was sitting on a sleek, dark wooden desk with multiple monitors.
The entire area was spotless. He definitely wasn’t a computer nerd—he preferred gaming on a console.
Willow emerged from checking something in the back of the apartment and gave him the hint of a smile. “You guys want anything? I need to go shopping but—”
Ryker pulled her close, cutting off her words, and planted a sweet kiss on her full lips. “We’re fine, Willow.”
Cheeks flushed, she turned to Ezra, who was sitting on the couch with the cat sprawled out on his lap with her legs outstretched. “Stahma really likes you, apparently.”
He stroked up and down the cat’s back as she rolled around. The purrs could probably be heard from miles away. “She seems very trusting.”
Willow let out a snort. “Stahma doesn’t have much exposure to other people since she’s my cat, but there’s definitely something about the two of you she likes.” As if sensing a change in his demeanor, she continued, “So what now?”
“I’m not sure,” Ryker paused. “But, we need to lay low for a little bit.” Her face fell, and he continued, “We aren’t ditching you. We just can’t risk Xan finding out. If he knew, then he might try to hold it over you.”
Her look changed from hurt to thoughtful, like she was processing.
“What’s on your mind, baby girl?” Ezra asked as he stood, prompting the ball of fur to hop down to the floor. He took her hand and pulled her into a firm embrace. It was weird not to feel overly possessive. Well, he did. Just not in a “wanting to kill his friend for touching his girl” way.
“You said he cares more about time than money?” she asked.
Ezra answered, “Yeah, it’s about actions, I think.”
“Do you know much about him? Personally?”
He shrugged and swayed with her a little bit, still keeping his arms locked around her.
“He isn’t really an open book. I don’t think a guy could get in that position if everyone knew his secrets.”
Ryker snorted and held out his hands for the cat to jump up. She promptly went lax in his arms, rumbling away and stretching dramatically as he stroked her fur.
Okay, I like this cat.
“I suppose that makes sense,” she muttered, still clearly trying to piece something together. “Well, we have each other’s numbers. How long do you think you’ll be ghosting me?”
He hated the hurt in her voice. With Ezra still wrapped around her, he gently pinched her chin to make her look up at him. “We aren’t ghosting you. We just want you to be safe.” Ez pressed a kiss against her lips, and she opened immediately to the first subtle prod of his tongue.
His friend’s grip shifted on her and he had to pull back before they all got carried away. They’d already fucked her twice the day before, they couldn’t be greedy. Though, the way she was responding made him doubt his worries about her getting too worn out.
No, they needed to leave and get their shit together. And most importantly, create that distance so no one could see them with her.
Ryker gave her a final kiss as well, their predicament weighing heavily in the air.
They left her apartment in silence, the only sound being their boots against the stairs as they descended and found their way back to the van.
Ezra took the driver’s seat this time, but once he started the engine, he paused. “You don’t think we can see her again…”
He let out a sigh. It wasn’t quite a question, but he answered, “No.”