Chapter 13 #2
When I returned home, I didn’t notice anyone else. However, it’s possible that in the heat of the moment, I wouldn’t even have heard if someone had entered the room.
Ryker’s hand grabs mine, and our fingers intertwine. With ease, he pulls me toward the exit.
The living room is shrouded in complete darkness. And then a soft squeaking sound.
When the light from the table lamp suddenly blinds me, I blink. Soon, the shapes of three people appear in the room.
My thirst for blood blinds me.
Ryker’s hand grabs me even tighter, almost to the point of pain.
Theo stands solemnly by the table, his hand still on the lamp switch.
Two steps away from him is Eli, smiling from ear to ear, though his smile is ominous. He stands bent over, a gun in his hand. A gun that is aimed at my sister.
Zoe’s sitting on a chair. Her hands are bent backward and probably tied. She has gray tape over her mouth.
She's wearing her pajamas, which means those bastards dragged her out of bed. Her enormous eyes tell me the whole truth right now.
She’s terrified.
So much for protecting my little sister from bad things. Of course, I know it’s not entirely possible, but I protect her as much as I can.
My breathing quickens again. This time, it’s not from arousal but from rage.
I stare at the smiling Eli, trying to pull my hand out of the grip.
“You’re already a fucking dead man, you know that?” I growl at him, baring my teeth like a wild animal. Immediately afterward, I yell at Ryker, “Let me go, for fuck’s sake.”
“Don’t do anything rash, baby. Your sister’s in no danger.” Ryker tries to calm me down.
“No? You almost fooled me with your schemes!”
In anger, I turn to Ryker, intending to punch him, but he predicts my plans. Grabbing my wrist, he spins me around again, and traps me in his arms.
And to think just a few moments earlier, I’d let this man dip his fingers inside me! I can’t believe I let myself be tricked like that.
Eli’s loud laughter enrages me even more. “So much aggression. Ryker, your girl has sharp claws. Maybe I should—”
“One more word, and I’ll make sure you end up at the bottom of the ocean,” the man behind me interrupts. To me, he whispers, “Let me explain something, my Little Killer.”
“Little Killer? Little Thief suits her better.” Eli continues to provoke me, and I don’t even want to know how he can hear Ryker’s words.
If they expect me to be a submissive kitten, they should think again. With all my strength, I lean back and hit Ryker in the face with the back of my head. I don’t hear the crack of broken bones, but I hope I’ve damaged his beautiful face. I want to see blood on his skin.
“Let her go, Eli,” I order, furious. Despite my efforts to break free, Ryker’s arms tighten even more, though his curses under his breath give a little satisfaction.
In a second, my heart leaps into my throat and my body freezes. I hear Eli’s gun being cocked, and my sister’s terrified cry pierces the air.
First, my gaze focuses on her eyes, streaming with tears, and then on the man whose days are numbered.
“Now is when you tell your sister that if she doesn’t stop, it will all end badly,” Eli says to Zoe with a broad smile. “Can I count on you, sweetheart? I can take the tape off your pretty little face and you won’t scream, am I right?”
Zoe nods in agreement. Eli grabs a piece of gray tape and pulls it off, not caring that it hurts my sister.
“Who the fuck are you?” she says, trying to look fierce. Her wild eyes wander over every man in the room.
When her eyes rest on me, I sigh. “The one who doesn’t care is Theodore Banning.” I nod to show who I mean.
“Theo. No one but my father and stepmother calls me Theodore.”
Although he’s speaking to me for the first time in my life, I instantly sense that there’s bad blood there. “Well, apart from his problems with his mommy and daddy, Theodore is a pretty nice guy.”
His blue eyes harden.
“The nice guy behind me”—I tilt my head back again and this time hit his jaw—“is Ryker Elliot. He thinks he’s a big bad wolf, but he’s really a sweet puppy.”
Zoe just blinks at the way I introduce the guests.
“And that dead man behind you, sis, though he’s still alive, but not for long, is Elijah Montgomery. He enjoys suffering, so I’ll take care of him first and then those two.”
Warm breath brushes my neck. Ryker is laughing at me. “I see you have a knack for winning people over.”
“Don’t be a bitter loser, Ash. I think we’ll be great friends anyway,” Eli adds.
“The best. For the last five minutes of your life, Eli. Now let go of my sister.”
“In a minute, Little Thief. First, give me back my twenty-five hundred.”
“Tell your buddy to finally let me go.” I struggle. “You’ll get your money and let my sister go. And for God’s sake, stop aiming at her.”
Eli seems to remember the gun he’s holding, looks at it, secures it, and moves away from my sister. Finally, I breathe easier.
That doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to suffer.
He smiles bitterly and glances over my shoulder at Ryker. Whatever he sees there, Eli sighs, shakes his head, and adds, “He doesn’t look like he’s going to move an inch away from you, so I guess Zozo will have to give the money back on your behalf. Will you be a good girl, sweetheart?”
Eli leans down, looks into her eyes, and kisses her tear-stained cheek. Finally, he unties her wrists.
“Let me go, Ryker,” I say sharply. “What’s all this fuss about? If you wanted to have a get-together, all you had to do was knock on the door.”
“Where’s the fun in that? I know you like thrills. We waited patiently for you to get bored with your present and come back.” Ryker rubs his nose against the base of my neck, and an involuntary shiver runs through my body.
Even that simple gesture makes the tingling in my stomach return.
What the hell is wrong with me?
One asshole was just holding my sister at gunpoint, another is holding me captive, and the third is a silent judge staring at us. And I feel a growing excitement from the touch of his nose?
“At least I had fun then,” I say.
“Did you kill him?”
“No, I let him go.”
My statement surprises him. “Why the heck?”
“It’s simple. We both know he knows where to find the senator. He delivers a message for me.”
“You have orders to kill the senator,” Ryker guesses, not asking me.
“What’s your mission?” I return the ball. I have to divert his attention away from me. “To kill him, right? That’s why you’re looking for him.”
Theo’s eyes meet mine and then jump to Ryker’s. His face is like a mask, motionless, devoid of emotion. It’s impossible to read what he’s thinking.
Ryker doesn’t answer right away, and his hesitation says more than he would like. But I... I'm torn inside.
I just found out that the man we’re both looking for is my and Zoe’s father. The man who was absent throughout our entire lives, who made our mother stop loving life and us, and I couldn’t tell anyone about it yet.
If Ryker gets to Charles Baker first, I’ll never know the truth about what happened. I have no loyalty to him, but I’m tormented by the feeling that I need to know the truth. When Ryker pulls the trigger, it will be over.
I have to get to the senator first, but I can’t tell Ryker we’re related because he’ll get suspicious. Let him think we have the same goal. To kill Charles Baker.
Meanwhile, the freed Zoe staggers out of her chair and massages her wrists. She slowly turns toward Eli. The broad smile on his face remains, now turning seductive.
Shocked, I watch as my little sister delivers a blow straight to the man’s jaw in the blink of an eye. “Don’t Zozo me ever again!” she yells, angry.
I whisper under my breath, proud of her, “My blood. One down.”