Chapter 33
Willow
Days of scouring police records and city records.
So far, everything they had admitted to her was true. Though there were the extras. Ezra had a past with juvie and a few tickets as an adult, but nothing major. Ryker was clean as a whistle, surprisingly.
Then it was on to their personal stories.
Ezra had inherited the large twenty-five-acre property from his late uncle Richard Kowalski and his aunt Patricia relinquished any claims to it.
Ezra’s father was a frequent inhabitant of the local prison for numerous offenses.
The latest information she could find was a ten-year sentence for carjacking and drug trafficking.
Ryker’s father, Marco, was behind on payments for loans, but they had resumed around the time Ryker claimed he had started working with Xan. His mother, Celeste, had a clean record and worked for a local hotel.
So far, nothing about what she had found would turn her completely away from them. They hadn’t lied to her about anything at this point.
Her gut told her they were safe, but a small voice in the back of her mind told her she was a fucking idiot for entertaining it at all.
Xander Coughlin was an interesting figure to dig into, as was his apparent rival Anton Davidiuk. Of course, so much of their dealings were underground, so it wasn’t exactly easy to find information. From what she had found though, the hatred ran much deeper than a simple turf war.
Davidiuk had murdered Xan’s father and sent him the mutilated pieces over the course of three weeks.
It occurred long before Willow moved to Lakeview, so she hadn’t been around when the news was fresh.
The police hadn’t been able to find any conclusive evidence that Davidiuk was behind the grisly killing.
With a sigh, she leaned back in her comfy computer chair, prompting Stahma to hop up into her lap. Her fluffy cat kneaded her thighs and rubbed her face against Willow’s hands as she stroked her soft fur.
“You’re such a mushball, you know?”
The purrs rose to a higher volume as she let out a few small chattering meows.
“Do you miss them?”
Stahma flopped into her lap, belly up. Oh, she knew that was a trap. An adorable one at that.
“Yeah, I know what you’re up to. You want to wreck my hand with those little kicks.”
As if she understood her ruse was foiled, Stahma let out another soft meow.
“You do miss them. You only knew them for ten minutes.”
Stahma rolled and settled into her arms, which seemed like a move to comfort her. She wasn’t like most other cats she had met—aloof and making you beg for their attention. Her sweet bundle of purr was more like a stereotypical dog. She wanted affection, and to converse.
“Well,” Willow continued, blowing out a long breath, “I need to corner one of them and have a real chat. I don’t want to let them go.”
***
Ezra was waiting in the park, hands shoved in his pockets as he paced around. Whether it was to stay warm in the spring chill or nerves, she couldn’t tell.
What was she doing? She should just let them drop her—that would be the safe choice.
But they gave you their numbers. And obviously, it was real since he had responded.
Ez was the better option for this. For some reason, she felt like he was more likely to be honest.
Willow took a deep breath and emerged from her spot behind a large tree at the far end of the park. He spotted her almost immediately, and a warm, but subtle smile crossed his handsome face. Damn it, they shouldn’t be so fucking attractive. It wasn’t fair.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said. He reached out carefully, and she all but rushed into his embrace. It was ridiculous—she shouldn’t miss him so much.
“Hey,” she replied. His scent and heat surrounded her like a comforting blanket. It would be too easy to get lost in him.
“Wanna sit down?” He gestured at a bench near one of the large maple trees.
With a stiff nod, she took a seat and scooted close to remain in his aura of warmth and safety. Ezra stretched out an arm across the back of the seat, and she took it as further invitation to get closer.
“I can guess what you want to talk about,” he started, “but why don’t you just go ahead, Willow.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder. “Is this really about the danger? I don’t know why, but I feel like Ryker might lie to save my feelings… but I don’t think you would.” She shook her head. “Actually. I don’t know. I just hate how all this went down.”
His chest shook with a subtle laugh. “Yeah, it’s a weird fuckin’ setup.” He let out a long breath. “It is about your safety, baby girl. We could never forgive ourselves if you got sucked into it.”
“What if I’m not scared?”
“You should be. You shouldn’t be anywhere near us.”
She pulled away to level him with a stare. “But here you are. You met with me now.”
Ezra’s hazel eyes met hers before he pulled her in for a soft kiss. His smooth, warm lips were everything she was missing. It was so hard not to deepen it, drag him down onto the bench.
“That’s why,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You drive me fuckin’ wild. I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Me too. Both of you.”
The corner of his mouth curved up. “I know. Though that kind of drives me insane.”
She wrapped her arms around him. “What if Xan wasn’t a factor?”
He jerked back. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. If he wasn’t part of this equation anymore, would you two be with me?”
It was the first time she’d insinuated at them both having a relationship with her. She hoped they would go for it because there was no way she could pick between them.
Ezra pulled away more to get a better look at her face. “Willow. Don’t do anything crazy. I mean it.” Panic took over his features as he pleaded with her. “Tell me you won’t try to do something.”
She bit her lip, not sure how much she should say. “I don’t want to let you go. I don’t want to let either of you go, and I hate that you’re trapped.”
His eyes darted around the park as a cool breeze whipped through the air. “And you think we do? You think we were happy to just drop you at home and say goodbye?”
“Honestly, I still don’t quite know what to believe.”
He groaned. “Believe this, Willow: you would be better off without fuck-ups like us.”
“I don’t think that.”
Ez captured her face in a swift move and slanted his mouth against hers.
His tongue swept through, tasting every inch of her mouth that he could reach.
Heat bloomed through every nerve in her body as she felt herself surrender to his presence.
They both had this indescribable ability to make her lose all sense of herself until there was only them.
Too quickly, he released her and clenched his teeth. “I could kiss you all fuckin’ day, and I want to rip your clothes off right now, but you really need to stay away.”
Willow grimaced. “I’m not giving up.”