Chapter 25
Violet
I forced myself to stay still, every muscle locked tight with the effort. My fingers laced together in my lap, knuckles whitening as if I could pin them there by sheer will.
I’ve never had to concentrate so hard not to move before. I grew up being told I was difficult, a distraction in class because I had a low attention span. But even then, I’ve never been so conscious of my body.
“Yeah, it’s definitely her,” Cedric said as he cut at the neckline of my T-shirt until it revealed the skin of my shoulder. “I want a bonus if she’s to remain unharmed.”
A chill coiled in my gut, sharp and merciless, spreading with every word spoken.
“I’m dealing with the other problem as we speak,” he continued, his gaze harsh on my face. “I’ll call once it’s done.” He clicked a button on his phone before putting it back in his pocket.
It must be a new one considering the phone Ryder had stolen was still in his office.
“How long until Ryder returns?” he asked with a touch of impatience, my eyes darting to the knife in his hand.
I swallowed, my reply barely a whisper. “I don’t know.”
Cedric closed the distance between us, his knife precariously close. “That’s not good enough,” he murmured, almost casual as he kneeled. “If we wait much longer, I might get bored.” The cold edge touched my cheek, pressing without cutting. “So… what should we do while we wait?”
I couldn’t help but recoil, Cedric chuckling at my reaction.
“Why do you do this?” I croaked, anything to keep him talking. He was so close I could see the uneven scars, and rough texture of his skin.
“Money,” he said with a shrug. “And because I like it.”
“But why my mum? What do they want with her?”
He eased back with the knife, dark eyes glinting with delight. “You don’t know, do you?” he chuckled. “Greta Sonne isn’t who she says she is.”
I went to ask another question, but there was a click of the front door. Before I could react, Cedric yanked me to my feet, one arm crushing me against him while the knife bit cold against my throat.
Ryder froze in the doorway, eyes flicking over the scene in an instant, calculating and assessing. Then, as if I wasn’t just being held at knife point, he let the door swing shut behind him.
“You alright, mate?” he drawled, head tilting. His gaze slid to me, then back to Cedric. “Already called in another man, blondie?” He clicked his tongue, pressing a palm to his chest as he feigned insult. “Honestly, I’m hurt.”
“The price on your head has doubled,” Cedric explained, his arm like a vice around me.
“Only doubled?” Ryder scoffed, lips curling into that infuriatingly dimpled grin. “Fucking hell. I clearly need to up my game. I’m worth far more than that.”
Oh my God, my only chance of surviving this was a man who could put Narcissus to shame. I had to force myself not to move, not to breathe though my pulse hammered violently against the blade’s edge all while Ryder carried on like this was all some kind of joke.
Cedric’s grip shifted, easing just enough to make it more unnerving than reassuring. “This has been a long time coming, Ryder.”
Ryder
Seriously, is there no honour among thieves?
Cedric threw Violet to the side, hard enough that she fell against the cabinet which then toppled to the floor. I didn’t have time to check whether she was okay, as Cedric jumped at me with a fucking knife with the actual intention of killing me.
The blade barely missed my nose, his arm immediately rearing back ready to swipe again.
Could you believe it? It was ridiculous that anyone would want to kill me, never mind in such a barbaric way.
I took a page out of Violet’s book and grabbed the closest object, which just happened to be a glass of water. It hit Cedric in the face, shattering beautifully.
“You really want to do this?” I caught Cedric’s wrist mid-swing, twisting hard enough that bones creaked under my grip. He screeched, dropping the knife to the floor which I quickly kicked away.
With his left hand he managed to grab my T-shirt, hauling me against him as if we were lovers. If I ignored the stench of sweat, cheap aftershave, and the fact he wanted to kill me, it might’ve almost been tender.
“Easy, tiger,” I muttered, “I’m not that kind of guy.”
My grip on his wrist broke, but I managed to rear my arm back, ramming my fist into his stomach with as much momentum as I could with such little space.
The air left him in a grunt, but the bastard clung tighter, dragging me off balance.
We slammed into the TV with a bone-cracking thud, the screen shattering against my back as my skull cracked against the wall. Pain shot through me like lightning, sparking down my spine and detonating into a pounding headache.
But I didn’t have the luxury of reacting, not with Cedric’s hand already clawing for my throat, nails raking fire as he fought to crush the air out of me. I shoved my forearm under his chin, snapping his head back, then drove a fist into his face. My knuckles throbbed, but Cedric barely flinched.
I hated fighting, especially when it put my face at risk.
But fighting was pure instinct, my body moving before my brain had a chance to catch up.
Because if I hesitated, if I actually stopped to process what was happening, panic would perforate every one of my cells and leave me frozen. Helpless.
I was not helpless.
With a guttural roar, Cedric latched onto my shoulders and hurled me down. I slammed against the floor, air ripping from my lungs as his weight crushed me. I barely got my arms up before his punches came raining down, blow after blow pounding into my ribs until they screamed with every breath.
Panic locked my muscles. I fought to keep the past from slamming headfirst into the present, fought not to flinch, recoil, or to let the old terror leave me vulnerable.
Then, suddenly, he stopped. His breath stuttered out in a gasp, hot and ragged against my skin. For a second, I didn’t understand.
Until I saw her.
Violet stood behind him, her lips parted in shock. The knife in her hand shook as she pulled it back, crimson dripping from the blade she’d just driven into Cedric’s back.
Holy fuck.
Seizing the moment, I bucked hard, rolling us over. Cedric hit the floor with a grunt as I straddled him, rage carrying me through. My fist cracked into his face until his head lolled, blood pooling beneath his skull.
I didn’t stop until his eyes were closed, so swollen he wouldn’t be able to see, never mind think straight.
“Did he touch you?” I demanded, my tone more of a growl. My chest rattled, and I was pretty sure some of my ribs were bruised. “Violet?”
She jerked at the mention of her name, eyes wide as she turned to me, her trembling hand still clutching the knife. “Is… is he okay?”
“Erm…” Climbing to my feet, I looked down at Cedric, who wasn’t moving anytime soon. But he was alive. Uh, I think. “He’ll walk it off.” Moving to the kitchen, I grabbed a kitchen towel and ran it under cold water before wiping it across my face, then my bloody hands. “What happened?”
Violet just looked at me, the colour drained from her skin. “I… I just wanted help.”
I crossed the room, wary of the knife. “What did you do?” I slowly reached for her hand, making sure she was aware of my intentions before I took the weapon from her. I carefully placed it on the side, where it would be easily spotted.
Violet glanced at Cedric, and if I thought she was pale before, she was ghostly now. Probably because of the amount of blood that was seeping across my floor.
“I wanted to talk to the police,” she mumbled.
“The police?” My voice exploded, and she jerked, turning those pretty eyes back to me.
This, this, was why I didn’t work with people. People meant chaos. Too many possibilities that could go wrong.
“So are you just ignorant about how the world works, or are you actually stupid?”
Her mouth fell open.“Excuse me?”
Fury made my words sharp. “Maybe I’m the stupid one, for actually believing you wouldn’t do something so reckless after everything you’ve seen.
” I dragged a hand down my face. “Maybe I should’ve tied you to the fucking radiator.
I told you not to go to the police, and look—”I jabbed a finger toward Cedric’s body sprawled on the floor. “This is what it gets you.”
With a sound of disgust, I stormed towards my office.
“Well, I’m so fucking sorry that I choose to believe things will be okay,”she yelled, voice sharp and shaking as I tore open the desk drawer, fingers closing around the gun I kept hidden there. “That I trusted the police would help me.”
“And you say I’m delusional,” I snapped, spinning halfway toward her. “Your optimism almost got you killed!”
“My optimism is what keeps me going!”
I laughed, dry, humourless. “Yeah? And look where it’s gotten you.”
Her eyes widened at the gun, but it didn’t stop her. “You think being a cynic makes you any better?”she challenged.
“Your hope is nauseating. It’s a luxury for people who haven’t seen the world for what it is.”
Cocking the gun, I aimed at Cedric. Only to hesitate.
Shit. I couldn’t do it in front of her.
“Get changed and clean yourself up,” I demanded, no longer friendly. I saw her bristle, the stubborn little brat ready to argue, but I cut her off. “You’re covered in blood.”
My T-shirt she wore was splattered in red, and while I’m sure it could pass as fake, I didn’t want to take the risk.
With a tight jaw, she turned to the bathroom, and I took a long look at the room. My TV was busted, and the consoles I’d collected were likely crushed and ruined in the scuffle. The cabinet was smashed, and blood had stained my furniture from every hit. Great.
Making sure Cedric was still out of the count, I placed my gun in the back of my jeans, then moved swiftly to my bedroom, grabbing a duffel bag. Unlocking my safe with my thumbprint, I threw in all my fake passports in multiple names, as much cash as I could carry, as well as some spare clothes.
My office was next, and with a few buttons I wiped everything off the hard drive.
Violet soon appeared behind me, wearing one of her girly dresses with her face freshly scrubbed.
“Grab the rest of your clothes,” I ordered. “We’ve got to go.”
I found my phone, calling the one person I knew would deal with this.
“What’s happened?” Roman answered on the first ring.
“My flat’s been compromised,” I explained, knowing Roman would understand that I’d need a cleanup. “There’s been a problem.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I think it’s time we revisited one of your favourite hobbies, Rome.” I glanced at Violet, who was listening intently. “We need to find out everything Cedric knows.”
“I’m sending a team over now.”
“Good, I’ll leave Cedric tied to my bed just for you.”
“Is that really necessary?” Roman replied dryly. “Are you burning the line?”
“Yeah. I’ll torch this phone and call from a burner once I’ve got one set up.” I killed the call without waiting for a reply. The duffel swung over my shoulder, weighted with everything I couldn’t afford to lose.
I finally returned my attention to Violet, her chin lifting in defiance as if she hadn’t just fucked everything up.
“Let’s go.”